For example, if the first four numbers of the code are 0690, then the water heater was installed in June of 1990. The first two numbers represent the month and the second two numbers represent the year. Research the year your home was built and the physical condition of your water heater to help determine which of the three post-1964 dates is most likely.ĭetermine if the manufacturer is Rheem and examine the first four numbers in the serial code. For example, if the first two characters are CE, then the water heater was installed in May of 1966, 1986 or 2006. The second letter in the serial code represents the month.
Each consequential letter represents the next year of the cycle, omitting letters I, O, U, Q and R.
According to the site, the first cycle began in 1964 and is represented by the letter A. Observe the first two letters to determine the year, as part of a 20-year cycle, that the water heater was installed. For example *D04 means your water heater was installed in April of 2004.Ĭheck to see if the manufacturer is Bradford-White or Lochinvar. The third and fourth numbers represent the year. Look at the second letter, which is between letters A and M (excluding I) to check the month. Somewhere in the code specific digits represent the year of manufacture. In order to find out when your water heater was manufactured look for its serial number.
#LOCHINVAR WATER HEATER AGE BY SERIAL NUMBER SERIAL NUMBER#
Smith Corporation and State Industries use the second, third and fourth characters of the serial number to denote installation. That is why most home inspection professionals determine the manufactured date of the tank as a basis to estimate in-service age, and in turn, its remaining reliable service life. For example, if the first four digits are 0608, then your water heater was installed the eighth week of 2006. If the manufacturer is American Water Heater, the first two digits of the serial code represent the year of installation, and the second two represent the week.
The Inspector's Journal states that there are six major water heater suppliers and each uses a similar method for reporting water heater installation dates. Examine the first four numbers of the serial code.