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How old is my GE water heater?
Type the serial number from the GE label to see when it was built. GE units are built by Rheem, so the serials follow that company's format.
Example
- GEProduct prefix, not part of the date
- 09Month: 09 = September
- 02Year: 02 = 2002
Built September 2002
24 years, 1 month old
Past typical life. Past the usual 6 to 12 year lifespan. Watch for rust-colored hot water, rumbling or popping from the tank, and moisture around the base.
How this was read
- Skip the leading letters GE. They name the product line.
- The first two digits, 09, are the month: September.
- The next two digits, 02, are the year: 2002.
- The rest is a running number.
Format: Rheem month and year. Sources: Rheem service bulletin TSB 1207 (PDF), Rheem: reading your serial number, CPSC 2016 Rheem recall.
Reading a GE serial number
Rheem began building GE-branded tank water heaters for Home Depot in 1999. Their serials usually start with GE or GENG, followed by Rheem’s date code.
GE GeoSpring heat pump water heaters use a different code that the checker does not read yet. GE built them in Louisville from 2012 to 2016; earlier ones were made overseas.
About GE
- The Home Depot and GE Appliances came up with the line and then asked Rheem to build it. It was sold as the SmartWater line, and it was the first time Rheem made water heaters for another company.
- In 2012 Rheem switched The Home Depot to Rheem-branded water heaters.
- GE built GeoSpring heat pump water heaters in Louisville from 2012 to the end of 2016. Earlier GeoSpring units were made overseas.
- Bradford White bought the GeoSpring production equipment in 2017 and moved it to Middleville, Michigan, to build its AeroTherm heat pump water heaters.
Sources: Rheem to Manufacture G.E. Water Heaters (Supply House Times, 1999), Rheem 100, General Electric Begins Manufacturing New Hybrid Water Heater in Appliance Park (Louisville Public Media, 2012), Despite Lean Start, GE Appliances to End Production of GeoSpring Water Heater (IndustryWeek, 2016), Bradford White Buys GeoSpring Rights and Equipment (Green Building Advisor, 2017)
Rheem plant letter, week and year
Used 2012 to today. Example: Q121561200
Newer Rheem, Ruud and Richmond serials start with a plant letter (A, C, M, Q or W), then the week (2 digits), then the year (2 digits), then a 5-digit number. Rheem switched plants to this format from April 2012. Some older guides, including Rheem’s own website, still describe only the month-year format.
Worked example: Q121561200 was built Week 12 of 2015 (around March), so it is 11 years, 7 months old as of October 2026.
The full lookup tables are on the Rheem page, since GE uses the same code.
Sources: Rheem service bulletin TSB 1207 (PDF), Rheem: reading your serial number, CPSC 2016 Rheem recall
Rheem month and year
Used through about 2014. Example: RHLN0205A20589
Older serials put the month (2 digits) and year (2 digits) first, after any product letters like RH, RN or GE. A plant letter and a running number follow, like RHLN 0205A20589 for February 2005.
Worked example: GE 0902 2246884 was built September 2002, so it is 24 years, 1 month old as of October 2026.
Sources: Rheem service bulletin TSB 1207 (PDF), Rheem: reading your serial number, CPSC 2016 Rheem recall
GE recalls
Recalls from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that name GE. 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. |