Do you know how old your water heater is? Or have you ever wondered if it is still under warranty? Follow along with Plumber John in “Water Heater Identification”.  This episode of “Tales From The Jobsite Plumbing Blog”

How do I Identify My Water Heater?

All tank-type water heaters are required to have a boiler tag. The boiler tag has all the information you need to know for water heater identification. In particular, the date of manufacture. This an important fact to know if you want to find out if your unit is still under warranty.

How Can I Tell If My Water Heater Is Under Warranty?

Water heater manufacture dates are encoded in the serial number. However, different companies use different systems. For this reason, you should visit the manufacturer’s website to verify how they encode their serial numbers. Some companies like Rheem are simple. To illustrate, the first four digits of the serial number are the month and year of manufacture. In contrast, other companies have a key or code where letters may represent months.

Bradford White Electric Water Heater Boiler Tag

First, the boiler tag lists the manufacturer. Below is the model number and next is the serial number. In addition, we see the capacity. Next, voltage, element wattage, and finally pressure rating. For this Bradford White water heater, the first letter of the serial number is L. The L represents 2014. The second letter of the serial number is E. The E represents May. In other words, this water heater was manufactured in May 2014.

State 40 Gallon Natural Gas Water Heater Boiler Tag

A gas water heater tag lists information similar to the electric water heater boiler tag. In contrast, the tag notes the fuel type (natural gas or LP gas). It also lists the pressure required for the gas supply. This model is a 40-gallon natural gas 40,000 BTU water heater. State Industries encodes their date in the serial number in several ways. For this water heater, the serial number starts with J0330. J represents September. 03 represents 2003. Therefore it was manufactured in September 2003.

In conclusion, the boiler tag contains all the information you need for your water heater identification.

If you need a licensed master plumber to repair or replace your water heater please call 919-795-8727

NC Master Plumber, LLC has proudly served Angier, Apex, Benson, Clayton, Four Oaks, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Holly Springs, Raleigh, Willow Spring, Wake, Johnston, & Harnett since 1997.

The Information in this blog post is in no way an instruction manual. Many of the procedures described require a licensed plumber to perform.

If you are interested in posts about water heater repair check out the related post: Thermal Expansion Tank Repair

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