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Water Heater Flush
We drain the sediment, check the anode rod and test the relief valve, and read the label for the age.
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Water heater age decoder
How Old Is My Water Heater? Find the Year It Was Made
Pick the brand and type the serial number off the label: the decoder shows the year your water heater was made, how old it is and how much of a water heater’s typical 8 to 12 years (15 to 20 years for a tankless) is left. Can’t read the label? Take a photo of it and we read it for you.
Rather have a person look at it? Tell us the brand and about how old you think your water heater is.
- The year it was made, from the serial
- Typical life left, and the upkeep that gets it there
- Can’t find the label? We read it at the visit
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A gas water heater we put in, in Chantilly.
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Decode the serial number
How old is my water heater?
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Your answer shows up here
The year it was made, how old it is, and how much of its typical life is left.
- Type the year it went in
- Or snap the label
- Or let us come out and read it
Or send three photos
Take the three photos: wide, up close, the label
Like a car trade-in app: tap a photo, and the camera shows a frame for that shot. The guide shows the three we want. Snap the label and we try to read it right here; send all three and a person double-checks.
Photos are in the form below. Add your name, phone and ZIP, then send.
Send the photos to a person
Someone on our team reads the label, then calls or texts you with the age and what we’d do about it.
Where the label is
Where to find the label on a water heater
On a tank, the rating label is a sticker on the side of the tank, usually at eye level or down by the gas valve. On a tankless, it’s on the side or the bottom of the cabinet. Both are on the outside: nothing to open. Some print the made-on date right on the label, which beats any serial code.
- The whole heater. Step back until the whole heater fits, top to floor, with the pipes and the vent on top.
- The bottom half. On a tank, the gas valve or the electric panel and the floor around it: rust and water show up here first.
- The rating label. Fill the frame with the label. Hold steady, no glare: the serial and the date are the lines we read.
Typical life
How long heating, cooling and water heaters last
The typical range for each, in Northern Virginia homes. Upkeep moves a unit toward the top of its range; skipping it moves it toward the bottom.
| Equipment | Typical life | Start planning |
|---|---|---|
| Furnace | 15 to 20 years | Around year 15 |
| Air conditioner | 12 to 15 years | Around year 12 |
| Heat pump | 10 to 15 years | Around year 10 |
| Tank water heater | 8 to 12 years | Around year 8 |
| Tankless water heater | 15 to 20 years | Around year 15 |
| Boiler | 20 to 30 years | Around year 20 |
Upkeep
Typical water heater upkeep that adds years
What keeps a water heater running toward the top of its range, and what we do at the visit.
- Flush the tank once a year. Sediment settles at the bottom, makes the burner work harder and is the popping noise you hear.
- Check the anode rod every 3 to 5 years. It’s the part that rusts so the tank doesn’t. Once it’s gone, the tank is next.
- Test the relief valve once a year. The valve on the side that lets go if the pressure gets too high. It has to open when it’s needed.
- Tankless: descale it once a year. Northern Virginia’s hard water scales the heat exchanger. Clean the inlet filter at the same time.
Past its years
$500 off
Water Heater Replacement
A new tank or tankless water heater. Get the price online in a couple of minutes.
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Date codes
How to read the date in a water heater serial number
Where each brand hides the year. The examples are made up; type yours in the decoder above and it does the reading.
| Brand | Where the date is | Example serial | Reads as |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. O. Smith | Since 2008: digits 1 and 2 are the year, 3 and 4 the week | 1532A012345 | week 32 of 2015 |
| State | Since 2008: digits 1 and 2 are the year, 3 and 4 the week | 1210C123456 | week 10 of 2012 |
| Reliance | Since 2008: digits 1 and 2 are the year, 3 and 4 the week | 1210C123456 | week 10 of 2012 |
| American | Digits 1 and 2 are the year, 3 and 4 the week | 1744A123456 | week 44 of 2017 |
| Bradford White | Letter 1 is the year on a 20-year cycle, letter 2 the month | PD12345678 | April 2017 |
| Rheem | The month (digits 1 and 2) then the year (3 and 4), after any letters | Q091612345 | September 2016 |
| Ruud | The month (digits 1 and 2) then the year (3 and 4), after any letters | Q091612345 | September 2016 |
| Richmond | The month (digits 1 and 2) then the year (3 and 4), after any letters | Q091612345 | September 2016 |
| Rinnai | Since 2009: letter 1 is the year, letter 2 the month | KC.1234567 | March 2018 |
| Navien | After the 4-digit model code and one character: the year, the month, the day | 7238A178150001 | August 2017 |
| Takagi | Digits 1 and 2 are the year, 3 and 4 the week | 1925A12345 | week 25 of 2019 |
| Noritz | We read it from the label photo |
Signs
Signs a water heater is near the end of its life
Age is one sign. These are the others we see on calls.
- A tank past 10 years old
- Rust-colored hot water, or rust at the base
- Water on the floor under the tank
- Popping or rumbling while it heats
- Hot water runs out faster than it used to
- The relief valve drips
Seeing one of these?
Get the water heater looked at before it picks the day.
Keep reading
More equipment age decoders and next steps
Equipment age decoderEvery type on one page.How old is my furnace?Typical life 15 to 20 years.How old is my air conditioner?Typical life 12 to 15 years.How old is my heat pump?Typical life 10 to 15 years.How old is my boiler?Typical life 20 to 30 years.Water heater replacementWhat a new one costs and how it goes.
Asked on the phone
Questions about equipment age, answered
How do I tell how old my water heater is?
Find the label and read the serial number: most brands put the year in it. A. O. Smith, for one: since 2008: digits 1 and 2 are the year, 3 and 4 the week. Pick the brand in the decoder above, type the serial and it reads it for you.
How long does a water heater last in Northern Virginia?
A water heater typically lasts 8 to 12 years in Northern Virginia. A tankless typically lasts 15 to 20. Yearly upkeep is what gets one to the top of that range; skipped upkeep is how one fails early.
Where is the label on a water heater?
On a tank, the rating label is a sticker on the side of the tank, usually at eye level or down by the gas valve. On a tankless, it’s on the side or the bottom of the cabinet.
Should I repair or replace an old water heater?
Inside its first 8 years, repair it and keep up the yearly upkeep. Between 8 and 12, a big repair is usually money better put toward the replacement. Past 12, get the replacement priced now so it doesn’t pick the day for you. A free in-home estimate puts both side by side.
Can you read the label for me?
Yes. Take the three photos above (the whole unit, up close, the label) and send them with the form. A person on our team reads the label and calls or texts you with the age and what we’d do.
Not sure how old it is?
Have a person read the label for you
Send the form at the top, or the three photos above, and our office calls or texts you back. If the label is inside the cabinet, the tech reads it at the visit and tells you what it means for your house.
SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing
4230 Lafayette Center Dr N, Chantilly, VA 20151
44679 Endicott Dr, Suite 211, Ashburn, VA 20147
SwiftPro Plumber & Water Heaters
4200 Lafayette Center Dr, Suite N, Chantilly, VA 20151
Virginia Class A contractor license #2705192276
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