How Old is my Appliance by Model Number?

How Old is my Appliance by Model Number?

Introduction:

You are always curious to know the real age of the appliances you use at home. The age of the appliance means the date of manufacture, which is not determined by the model number. Rather, it is determined by the serial number which is located on the nameplate of an appliance. Read more How Old is my Appliance by Model Number?

Take a careful look at the beginning numerals of the serial number. You will see two letters. The first one and the second one show the month and year respectively.

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There are corresponding letters that show the month and year of manufacture based on the 1st and 2nd position they take in the serial number. Let us take one example. If you find the serial number “DA”. Then D for the first letter means February and A for the second letter means 2001, 2013. So the date of manufacture, in this case, is February 2001 or February 2013. You need to use a comprehensive chart that shows the list of all the letters and their corresponding month and year.

Note-

  • Sometimes the second letter of the serial number is rotated every 12 years. So if you see the chart, then serial number “AD” shows the date of manufacture as either January 2002 or January 2014. Here you see that the difference in the years is 12 years.
  • Don’t forget to collect the manual from the shop when purchasing an appliance. This manual is very helpful in determining the manufacture age of your appliance as it contains a detailed listing of all the letters.

Different brands have different formats of serial or model tags. Let us study them one by one to get a better understanding.

Determining the age of different brands of appliances-

  1. Amana appliances-

In Amana appliances, the serial/model number has a format of YYWW. So if the first four letters are 9811, this means the manufacturing happened in the 11th week of 1998. Every month has four weeks. So, the 11th week of March is over. Hence, the date of manufacturing turns out to be March 1998.

  1. GE USA/Canada-

In this case, the serial tags have the first 2 letters that give the month and year of the manufacturing date. So if you find a serial number like LT221145, then L means June, and T means the year 1986 or 1998. Hence, the manufacturing date turns out to be June 1986 or June 1998.

  1. Frigidaire appliance-

In Frigidaire appliances, the format of the serial/model tag is a little bit different. The first 2 letters (alphabets) will show the place of manufacture. The 3rd letter (numeral) shows the year of manufacture, and the next two numerals will show the week of that year.

Ex-If a serial/model tag looks like NF21810958, then NF stands for the place where the product was made, 2 stands for the year 2001 and 18th stands for the 18th week of the manufacturing year 2002.

  1. Kenmore or Sears appliances-

They don’t manufacture on their own. The whole manufacturing is contract-based. So you need to search the manufacturer of your appliance by the model number. Look at the first three digits of the model number. This will give you the name of the actual manufacturer of your appliance. If you see 586 in the prefix, then the manufacturer here is Panasonic.

So you need to see the comprehensive chart of numbers and their corresponding manufacturers.

  1. Kitchen Aid appliance-

The first alphabet will give you the place of manufacture. The next letter gives you the year of manufacture, and the next two numerals give the corresponding week of the year.

Ex-XL14601009 

In the above serial/model tag, X shows the place of manufacture. The next letter L gives the year of manufacture-2001, and 14 means the 14th week of 2001.

  1. Maytag appliance-

In Maytag appliances, the serial/model tags have a date code as the last two letters in postfix.

Ex- EG15114672

In the above serial/model tag, EG is the date code, which means 1980 (as E) and April (as G).

  1. Whirlpool appliance-

The 3rd last digit in the serial/model tag of Whirlpool appliances is the date code.

Conclusion-

Every appliance has a life expectancy. It is necessary to know the age of your appliance because as the age of the appliance increases, the maintenance and repair costs also increase. Remember that you invest heavily and big on these appliances. If your appliance is very old, then there is a possibility that it will run out of service very early.

The National Association of Home Builders has provided a list of a large number of appliances with their average life expectancies. They also provide amazing home service which involves the maintenance, repair, and replacement of major electrical appliances in your home at a very minimal price.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)-

  1. What is the average life of an appliance?

It is somewhere around 13 years old. Compactors have a life expectancy of 6 months, while water heaters have a life expectancy of 25 years. You can consult the life expectancy chart designed by the National Association of Home Builders.

  1. What is much better, repair or replacement?

If repair costs less than replacement, then go for replacement. But remember, if an appliance is old, multiple repairs over time will surpass the cost of the appliance. So you need to see the overall cost of past repairs. If an appliance is nearing its life expectancy, then simply replace it.

  1. How do I get the chart for determining the date code in the serial tag/model tag?

You will get everything in the handy owner’s man

How Old is my Appliance by Model Number?

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