How old is my Bradford White water heater?

Type the serial number from the Bradford White label to see when it was built.

Example

SB12345678

SYear: S = 2018
BMonth: B = February
12345678Production number, 8 digits

Built February 2018

8 years, 8 months old

In replacement window. Inside the usual 6 to 12 year lifespan, so replacement could come any time. Worth budgeting for it.

What to do now

Get a replacement quote now, while there is no emergency. Prices are better when you can compare.
Check the floor around the base and the pipe fittings on top for moisture or rust every few months.
Know where the cold water shutoff above the tank is, so you can stop a leak quickly.
Tank warranties usually run 6 to 12 years. Coverage usually counts from the install date or from a few months after the build date, so the build date is a good guide.

How this was read

First letter S is the year code. On Bradford White's chart S stands for 1998 or 2018.
Second letter B is the month: February.
The production number has 8 digits. Bradford White switched from 7 to 8 digits in December 2007, so this unit is from December 2007 or later.

Format: Bradford White year and month letters. Sources: Bradford White date code chart, Bradford White: determining the age of a water heater.

Reading a Bradford White serial number

Bradford White serials start with two letters: the year, then the month. The year letters repeat every 20 years, so the same code can fit two dates.

Bradford White says the production number grew from 7 to 8 digits in December 2007. Counting the digits settles the date for most serials.

Bradford White tankless units built by Rinnai use Rinnai’s code, with a period and dash, like BL.CA-051306.

About Bradford White

Bradford White began as the Pennsylvania Range Boiler Co. in 1881. A 1968 merger with White Products of Middleville, Michigan, created Bradford White.
The company has been employee-owned since 1992 and sells through wholesale distributors for professional installation.
Headquarters is in Ambler, Pennsylvania. Its water heaters are built in Middleville, Michigan.
Bradford White bought GE’s GeoSpring heat pump equipment in 2017 and makes those units in Middleville as the AeroTherm.

Sources: Bradford White Keeps Focus on Customers (Plumber Magazine, 2020), Bradford White Buys GeoSpring Rights and Equipment (Green Building Advisor, 2017)

Bradford White year and month letters

Used 1984 to today. Example: SB12345678

The first letter is the year and the second letter is the month, followed by a production number. Year letters repeat every 20 years. The length of the number settles it: 7 digits means built before December 2007, 8 digits means December 2007 or later.

Worked example: SB12345678 was built February 2018, so it is 8 years, 8 months old as of October 2026.

Year letter (first letter)
Letter	Year
A	1984, 2004, 2024
B	1985, 2005, 2025
C	1986, 2006, 2026
D	1987, 2007
E	1988, 2008
F	1989, 2009
G	1990, 2010
H	1991, 2011
J	1992, 2012
K	1993, 2013
L	1994, 2014
M	1995, 2015
N	1996, 2016
P	1997, 2017
S	1998, 2018
T	1999, 2019
W	2000, 2020
X	2001, 2021
Y	2002, 2022
Z	2003, 2023

Month letter (second letter)
Letter	Month
A	January
B	February
C	March
D	April
E	May
F	June
G	July
H	August
J	September
K	October
L	November
M	December

Sources: Bradford White date code chart, Bradford White: determining the age of a water heater

Rinnai year and month letters

Used 2009 to today. Example: BLCA051306

The first letter is the year (A = 2009) and the second letter is the month (A = January, skipping I). Two more letters and a number follow, like BL.CA-051306.

Worked example: BL.CA-051306 was built November 2010, so it is 15 years, 11 months old as of October 2026.

Year letter (first letter)
Letter	Year
A	2009
B	2010
C	2011
D	2012
E	2013
F	2014
G	2015
H	2016
J	2017
K	2018
L	2019
M	2020
N	2021
O	2022
P	2022
R	2023
S	2024
T	2025
W	2026

Month letter (second letter)
Letter	Month
A	January
B	February
C	March
D	April
E	May
F	June
G	July
H	August
J	September
K	October
L	November
M	December

Sources: Building Intelligence Center: Rinnai, Parts Town: Rinnai serial number lookup

Older Rinnai year and month digits

Used 1999 to 2008. Example: 0403102521

Before 2009, Rinnai printed the year then the month as digits, like 04.03-102521 for March 2004.

Worked example: 04.03-102521 was built March 2004, so it is 22 years, 7 months old as of October 2026.

Sources: Building Intelligence Center: Rinnai, Parts Town: Rinnai serial number lookup

Bradford White recalls

Recalls from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that name Bradford White. Whether a unit is included depends on its model and build date; the checker above flags matches.

Year	Recall	Hazard
2005	Robertshaw R110 gas valves on water heaters	Screws on the gas valve can break and leak gas, which can cause a fire or explosion.
2002	Bradford White 75-gallon power vent gas water heaters	A badly made flue baffle can cause high carbon monoxide.

Standing at the unit? Use your phone

Point your phone’s camera at this code. The scanner opens and reads the label for you.

Same serial number format as Bradford White: Rinnai.

Formats on this page were last checked against their sources in October 2026. Bradford White is a trademark of its owner. This page is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Bradford White. For warranty questions, contact Bradford White directly.

Where the serial is on a Bradford White

Bradford White puts the rating label on the front of the tank above the gas control. The serial starts with two letters.

The label is a sticker on the side of the tank, usually above the gas valve or the upper thermostat cover. On units squeezed into a closet it often faces the wall, so a phone photo is easier than reading it by eye.