How Old Is Your Water Heater? Find Out By Serial Number!

It’s important to know the age of your water heater because if it’s more than 10 years old, it can be susceptible to more problems. The more problems a water heater has, the more chances it has to fail and potentially cause damage to your home.

There is no sure way of saying how long a water heater will last — it all depends on the quality of the product, minerals/chemicals in the water, maintenance frequency and usage. The typical life expectancy is 10 to 15 years.

“According to the manufacturer, the life expectancy of a hot water tank is eight to 10 years,” says Dan Odyl, plumbing manager for Blind & Sons. “Knowing the age will give the homeowner an idea on when to start thinking of replacement or at least to start keeping an eye on it.”

Each model of water heater indicates their date of manufacture a little differently, so it’s important that you know the model of your water heater. To do this, you must first locate the manufacturer’s label on the unit, which can typically be found by any warning labels and/or the Energy Guide. If there is no installation date noted on the label, find the serial number. This is where it gets tricky because each manufacturer uses different formats. The serial number usually indicates the year and month of the manufacture of the water heater.

Bradford White Water Heater Serial Number

Bradford White
Example Serial Number: JH6511396 = August 2012

The first letter of the serial number indicates the year of the manufacture. Bradford White circulates the same letter every 20 years, so “A” could mean 1984, 2004, 2024. If your home is older than 20 years, you might want to look more into the history of your water heater. According to Bradford White’s chart, the following letters represent the year of manufacture:

  • A = 2004 or 2024
  • B = 2005 or 2025
  • C = 2006 or 2026
  • D = 2007 or 2027
  • E = 2008 or 2028
  • F = 2009 or 2029
  • G = 2010 or 2030
  • H = 2011 or 2031
  • J = 2012 or 2032
  • K = 2013 or 2033
  • L = 2014 or 2034
  • M = 2015 or 2035
  • N = 2016 or 2036
  • P = 2017 or 2037
  • S = 2018 or 2038
  • T = 2019 or 2039
  • W = 2020 or 2040
  • X = 2021 or 2041
  • Y = 2022 or 2042
  • Z = 2023 or 2043

The second letter indicates the month your water heater was manufactured:

  • A=January
  • B=February
  • C=March
  • D=April
  • E=May
  • F=June
  • G=July
  • H=August
  • J=September
  • K=October
  • L=November
  • M=December

Do you have a Bradford White water heater that is older than 10 years? You may need a replacement! Contact the plumbers at Blind & Sons today for Bradford White water heater maintenance or replacement in Ohio.

Rinnai Tankless Water Heater Serial Number

Rinnai
Serial Number: BL. CA-051306 = December 2010

The first letter of the serial number indicates the year of the manufacture. Rinnai only started using this style of serial number in 2009, so if your serial number begins with two numbers, it was made before 2009. According to Rinnai’s chart, the following letters represent the year of manufacture:

  • A = 2009
  • B =2010
  • C = 2011
  • D = 2012
  • E = 2013
  • F = 2014
  • G =2015
  • H = 2016
  • J = 2017
  • K = 2018
  • L = 2019
  • M = 2020
  • N = 2021
  • P = 2022
  • R = 2023
  • S = 2024
  • T = 2025
  • W = 2026
  • X = 2027
  • Y = 2028
  • Z = 2029

 

Example Serial Number: 04. 03-10251 = March 2004

Rinnai used a fully numerical serial number style prior to 2009. The first two digits indicate the year (in this case, 2004), the third and fourth digits indicate the month (in this case, March).

Is your Rinnai tankless water heater getting old? Contact our team of expert plumbers in Ohio for water heater maintenance or replacement!

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