Hot water tank age chart

How is the hot water tank? Does it need replacing? These are some of the hot water tank questions that I am asked daily while conducting a home inspection. They are actually big questions with many different answers. The bottom line is that we should make calculated decisions to replace our deteriorating hot water tanks well before they can cause pressurized water damage to a home.

Of course, the most common indicator that the hot water tank needs to be replaced is that it is leaking. When it comes to hot water tank leaks, it’s a safe bet to say that the leak is non-repairable and that the unit will need to be replaced. Be careful though, there have been rare times when plumbers have gone out to replace a hot water tank and what was discovered was that the leak was unrelated to failure of the tank itself and a routine fix was conducted.

How often should you replace hot water heater?

Hot water heaters can last decades without a problem, however for insurance purposes, the widely accepted reliable service life of tanked water heaters ranges from 8 to 12 years (or the published warrantied period). So your tank may appear to be operating just fine and probably is, but your insurance underwriter may require a new tank to reduce risk. Insurance underwriters tend to categorize aging water heaters differently than newer ones so ultimately it is their opinion that is the one to be recognized. If you are buying a home with an older tank, you may have to replace it to satisfy your underwriter.

How old is your hot water heater?

The reliable life expectancy of hot water heaters is usually related to in-service age. There are few consumer products that a clearly marked with a manufactured date and hot water heaters are one of them. It is safe to say that hot water heaters are installed in short order after their manufactured date. 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.

In order to find out when your water heater was manufactured look for its serial number. Somewhere in the code specific digits represent the year of manufacture.

 

DETERMINING HOT WATER TANK AGE CHART

 

 
         
 
Brand Serial # Key Alt Key  
A.O. Smith First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
ABS First 4 digits MMYY              
Ace First 4 digits YYWW              
Ace First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Agua Therm First 4 digits YYWW              
Ambassador First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
American First 4 digits YYWW              
American Hardware First 4 digits YYWW              
Apex First 4 digits YYWW              
Aqua Temp First 4 digits YYWW              
Aqua Therm First 4 digits MMYY              
Aquamatic First 4 digits YYWW              
Barnett First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Best First 4 digits YYWW              
Best Deluxe First 4 digits YYWW              
Century First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Century First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Champion First 4 digits YYWW              
Cimarrom First 4 digits MMYY              
Citation First 4 digits MMYY              
Coast to Coast First 4 digits MMYY              
Craftmaster First 4 digits YYWW              
Crosley First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
De-Limier First 4 digits YYWW              
Deluxe First 4 digits YYWW              
Eagle First 4 digits YYWW              
Earl’s Energy Saver First 4 digits YYWW              
Energy Master First 4 digits MMYY              
Energy Saver First 2 digits YM – See Bradford White              
Energy Stretcher First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Environtemp First 4 digits YYWW              
Four Most First 4 digits YYWW              
Freedom First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Freedome/Nipsco First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
General Electric First 4 digits MMYY              
Glascote First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Golden Knight First 2 digits YM – See Bradford White              
Hardware House First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Hotmaster First 4 digits YYWW              
Hotstream First 4 digits YYWW              
Intertherm & Miller First 4 digits MMYY              
Jetglas First 2 digits YM – See Bradford White              
King-Cleen First 4 digits YYWW              
King-line First 4 digits YYWW              
Knight First 2 digits YM – See Bradford White              
Lochinvar First 2 digits YM – See Bradford White              
Lowe’s First 4 digits MMYY              
Mainstream First 4 digits MMYY              
Master Plumber First 4 digits YYWW              
Master Plumber/True5 First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Mission First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Montgomery Ward First 4 digits MMYY              
Mor-Flo/American First 4 digits YYWW              
Nationaline First 4 digits YYWW              
Nationaline First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Neptune First 4 digits YYWW              
Patriot First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Penfield First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Penquin First 4 digits YYWW              
PermaGlas First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Premier First 4 digits YYWW              
President First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Prestige First 4 digits YYWW              
Professional First 4 digits MMYY              
Proline First 4 digits YYWW              
Proline-Plus First 4 digits YYWW              
Quaker First 4 digits YYWW              
Quick-Flo First 4 digits YYWW              
Raywall First 4 digits YYWW              
Regency First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Reliance First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Revere First 4 digits YYWW              
Rheem First 4 digits MMYY              
Rheem/Ruud First 4 digits MMYY              
Richmond First 4 digits MMYY              
Riveria First 4 digits YYWW              
Ruud First 4 digits MMYY              
SABH (U.S.) First 4 digits YYWW              
Sands First 4 digits YYWW              
Sentinel First 4 digits YYWW              
Service-Star First 4 digits YYWW              
Servi-Star First 4 digits MMYY              
Shamrock First 4 digits YYWW              
Special Deluxe First 4 digits YYWW              
Standard First 4 digits YYWW              
State Industries First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
State/Kenmore First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Super Eagle First 4 digits YYWW              
Sure-Fire         First 4 digits YYWW              
The Plumbery First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Thermo-King First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Thoro-clean First 4 digits YYWW              
TopLine First 4 digits YYWW 2008 + MYY* 2007 –  Month – See Bradford White          
Tru Value First 4 digits YYWW              
True Value First 4 digits MMYY              
Tru-Test First 4 digits YYWW              
U.S. Craftmaster First 4 digits YYWW              
U.S. Supply First 4 digits YYWW              
Vanguard First 4 digits MMYY              
Vista Therm First 4 digits MMYY              
Whirlpool First 4 digits YYWW              
XCL-Energy Saver First 4 digits YYWW              
                   
                   
                   
Brand Serial # Key    
Bradford White First 2 digits YM              
                   
  Year Month          
  A 1984 2004 A=January          
  B 1985 2005 B=February          
  C 1986 2006 C=March          
  D 1987 2007 D=April          
  E 1988 2008 E=May          
  F 1989 2009 F=June          
  G 1990 2010 G=July          
  H 1991 2011 H=August          
  J 1992 2012 K=October          
  K 1993 2013 L=November          
  L 1994 2014 M=December          
  M 1995 2015            
  N 1996 2016            
  P 1997 2017            
  S 1998 2018            
  T 1999 2019            
  W 2000 2020            
  X 2001 2021            
  Y 2002 2022    
  Z 2003 2023  

 

 

 

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