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How old is my Estate appliance?

Type the serial number from the Estate label to see when it was built. Estate units are built by Whirlpool, so the serials follow that company's format.

Scan insteadWhere is the label?

Example

CR3949348
  • CPlant: C = Clyde, Ohio
  • RYear: R = 2004
  • 39Week: 39 (around September)

Built Week 39 of 2004 (around September)

22 years, 1 month old

Past typical life. Past the usual 9 to 13 year lifespan. Watch for frost building up, leaks, a failing ice maker, and food that is not staying cold.

Plan the replacement

  • Plan the replacement, and check whether your utility offers a rebate or free pickup of the old unit.
  • Before paying for a big repair, compare it with the price of a new unit. A repair over half the replacement cost is rarely worth it on an older appliance.
  • Most appliances carry a 1-year full warranty, with longer coverage on some parts like compressors or motors. The build date is a good guide when the receipt is missing.
How this was read
  1. The first letter, C, is the plant code (Clyde, Ohio).
  2. The next character, R, is the year. On Whirlpool's chart it stands for 2004.
  3. The two digits after it, 39, are the week of the year, so about September.
  4. The rest is a running number.

Format: Whirlpool plant, year and week. Sources: Whirlpool service manual W11197006, model and serial nomenclature (PDF), Whirlpool service manual W11174422, wall ovens (PDF), Electrical-Forensics: Whirlpool date codes.

Reading a Estate serial number

Estate was a Whirlpool brand sold through retailers. Its serials use the Whirlpool code: CR3949348 means week 39 of 2004.

About Estate

  • In 1996 Whirlpool sold Estate in the US and Canada, mainly to retailers and builders.
  • By 2016 Whirlpool listed Estate only among its Canadian brands, not its US brands.

Sources: WHIRLPOOL CORP - Form 10-K405 - FY1996, WHIRLPOOL CORP - Form 10-K - FY2016

Whirlpool plant, year and week

Used 1970s to today. Example: C60842986

The serial starts with a plant code of one or two letters. The next character is the year and the two digits after it are the week. Year codes repeat: digits stand for the 1970s, 1980s or 2010s, and the 1990s letters came back in 2020.

Worked example: CR3949348 was built Week 39 of 2004 (around September), so it is 22 years, 1 month old as of October 2026.

The full lookup tables are on the Whirlpool page, since Estate uses the same code.

Sources: Whirlpool service manual W11197006, model and serial nomenclature (PDF), Whirlpool service manual W11174422, wall ovens (PDF), Electrical-Forensics: Whirlpool date codes