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Bradford White water heaters

How old is my Bradford White water heater?

Enter the serial number from the label. The date comes from Bradford White's documented serial rules, not a guess.

Look for “Serial No.” or “S/N” on the label. Spaces and dashes are fine.

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How to read a Bradford White water heater serial number

Bradford White stamps the manufacture date into the first two letters of the serial number. Enter the serial below, or take a photo of the label, and we'll decode it with Bradford White's published letter chart.

  • Year letter + month letter (20-year cycle)

    Example: YE1395234 (Bradford White) was made in May 2002. Bradford White uses the first two letters as the date code. "Y" is the year letter and "E" is the month letter (May). Year letters repeat every 20 years; the 7-digit production number that follows means the unit was built before December 2007, which narrows it to 2002.

Not decoded yet: Serials starting with the letter O, pre-1984 units, commercial units and Rinnai/Bosch-built tankless models use other formats.

Where to find the serial number

The rating label is on the side of the tank: near the gas control valve on gas models, or above the upper heating-element cover on electric models.

The rating label is on the side of the tank, usually just above the gas control valve or near the upper access panel on electric models.

Look for the field marked “Serial No.”. It starts with two letters followed by seven or eight digits.

Bradford White water heater model numbers

If the brand name isn't visible on the label, the model number can help. Model numbers like these follow Bradford White's published nomenclature:

How long does a water heater last?

A typical water heater lasts about 8–12 years. That's a general estimate: maintenance, usage, climate and installation all matter, and age alone doesn't tell you a unit's condition.

Range from A. O. Smith: when to repair or replace a water heater and Lennox: when to replace a water heater.

Bradford White water heater recalls

From the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, checked 2026-09-29. A decoded result checks your model number against recalls live.

Questions

How can I tell how old my Bradford White water heater is?
Find the serial number on the rating plate and enter it above. Bradford White water heaters use the Bradford White water heaters serial format, which includes the manufacture date. For example, YE1395234 was made in May 2002: Bradford White uses the first two letters as the date code. "Y" is the year letter and "E" is the month letter (May). Year letters repeat every 20 years; the 7-digit production number that follows means the unit was built before December 2007, which narrows it to 2002.
Where is the serial number on a Bradford White water heater?
The rating label is on the side of the tank: near the gas control valve on gas models, or above the upper heating-element cover on electric models.
How long does a water heater usually last?
A typical service life is about 8–12 years. That's a general estimate: maintenance, usage, climate and installation all matter, and age alone doesn't tell you a unit's condition.
How reliable is the result?
The Bradford White water heaters rules come from documented sources, but they're in Beta while we check more real-world examples, so results are capped at medium confidence. If a serial doesn't match a documented format, we say so instead of guessing.
Why could my Bradford White heater be from two different decades?
Bradford White's year letters repeat every 20 years, so “W” can mean 2000 or 2020. Since December 2007 the digits after the letters are eight long instead of seven, which usually settles it. For 7-digit serials starting with A–D, both 198x and 200x remain possible and we show the more recent year.
My serial starts with the letter O. What does that mean?
Sources disagree about serials beginning with O, so we don't decode them. Check the ANSI standard year printed on the label, or contact Bradford White with the full serial.
Does this work for Bradford White tankless heaters?
Not yet. Bradford White's tankless models were built by other manufacturers and use their serial formats.

Sources

Rules last reviewed 2026-09-28. These rules are in Beta while we verify more real-world examples, so results are capped at medium confidence.

Manufacture dates are decoded from manufacturer serial-number conventions and available documentation. Serial formats can change. Verify critical equipment information with the manufacturer when necessary.