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How old is my Whirlpool water heater?

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

Scan insteadWhere is the label?

Example

1104T403904
  • 11Year: 11 = 2011
  • 04Week: 4 (around January)

Built Week 4 of 2011 (around January)

15 years, 9 months 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.

Plan the replacement

  • Plan the replacement before it fails. A failed tank can release its full contents onto the floor.
  • Check the base and the fittings on top for moisture or rust now, and keep checking.
  • Know where the cold water shutoff above the tank is, so you can stop a leak quickly.
  • Some home insurers ask the age of the water heater, and in Florida a 4-point inspection flags tanks over 10 years. Check before you renew or buy a house.
  • 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
  1. The first two digits, 11, are the year: 2011.
  2. The next two digits, 04, are the week of the year, so about January.

Format: Year and week. Sources: CPSC 2019 recall listing American, Whirlpool and U.S. Craftmaster, InterNACHI water heater dating chart.

Reading a Whirlpool serial number

Whirlpool water heaters sold at Lowe’s were built by American Water Heater. The serial starts with the year and the week, so 1104 means the 4th week of 2011.

Since April 2017 Lowe’s has sold A.O. Smith Signature Series heaters instead, so most Whirlpool-branded tanks are from before then.

About Whirlpool

  • In 2006 the Whirlpool water heaters at Lowe’s were residential gas and electric tanks, and American Water Heater was Lowe’s only water heater supplier.
  • In April 2017 Lowe’s began selling A. O. Smith Signature Series water heaters. A.O. Smith’s 2018 annual report says it sells A. O. Smith branded products at Lowe’s.

Sources: A. O. Smith Corporation News Release dated April 3, 2006 (SEC exhibit 99.1), Lowe's To Exclusively Offer A. O. Smith Signature Series Water Heaters (PR Newswire, 2017), A. O. Smith Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal 2018

Year and week

Used 1989 to today. Example: 1104T403904

American Water Heater, which also built Whirlpool and U.S. Craftmaster units, prints the year (2 digits) then the week (2 digits) at the start of the serial. Some labels print "YEAR WEEK" under it.

Worked example: 1104T403904 was built Week 4 of 2011 (around January), so it is 15 years, 9 months old as of October 2026.

Sources: CPSC 2019 recall listing American, Whirlpool and U.S. Craftmaster, InterNACHI water heater dating chart

Whirlpool recalls

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

YearRecallHazard
2018A.O. Smith Ultra-Low NOx gas water heatersThe burner screen can tear and the burner can overheat a wood floor.
2005Robertshaw R110 gas valves on water heatersScrews on the gas valve can break and leak gas, which can cause a fire or explosion.