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Bradford White Water Heater Age by Serial Number
Enter the serial number from your Bradford White water heater's data plate to get its manufacture date, remaining life, warranty and recall status, and a repair-or-replace recommendation.
How to read a Bradford White serial number
We can decode serial numbers from Bradford White water heaters built 1984–2026.
1984–2007 format
The first letter of the serial is the year and the second letter is the month, followed by 7 digits (9 characters in all). Month letters run A (January) through M (December), skipping I. Year letters repeat every 20 years, so a serial starting A to D could be from the 1980s or the 2000s.
2007–2026 format
The first letter of the serial is the year and the second letter is the month, followed by 8 digits (10 characters in all). Month letters run A (January) through M (December), skipping I. For example, JC16433183 was made in March 2012.
1997 format
A serial that starts with OA means the water heater was built in January 1997.
Worked examples
year month / week
| Serial | Built |
|---|---|
| JC16433183 | March 2012 |
| DH9477405 | August 2007 |
| NF37923882 | June 2016 |
| YE1395234 | May 2002 |
| OA8226825 | January 1997 |
| OA8526828 | January 1997 |
| EF10718168 | June 2008 |
How long does a Bradford White water heater last?
| Type | Typical life |
|---|---|
| Gas tank | 8–12 years |
| Electric tank | 10–14 years |
| Heat pump water heater | 10–14 years |
| Tankless | 15–20 years |
Ranges come from industry life-expectancy studies (NAHB/Bank of America, InterNACHI, DOE) and apply across brands. Your result adjusts for your state's climate and water hardness.
Is my Bradford White water heater still under warranty?
- Tank models with a model number ending in 6 have a 6-year tank warranty and a 6-year parts warranty for single-family home use.
- Tank models with a model number ending in 10 have a 10-year tank warranty and a 6-year parts warranty.
- AeroTherm heat pump models ending in 10 have a 10-year tank warranty, and models ending in 6 have a 6-year tank warranty. The parts warranty matches the tank warranty.
- Infiniti GR tankless models have a 15-year heat exchanger warranty and a 5-year parts warranty for home use.
- The optional BUILTBEST extended warranty, bought through your installer, adds 2 or 4 years on eligible models. The base warranty passes to later owners while the heater stays at its original installation.
You can look up your warranty by serial number and register your water heater on the Bradford White Warranty Center. If you buy the optional extended warranty, register it within 60 days of buying it.
Bradford White water heater recalls
Recalls come from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Decode your unit above to check whether its model and serial fall inside a recall.
Should you repair or replace it?
Once you decode your unit, we compare its age against its typical life, a typical major repair against the cost of replacing it, and, with your model and state, what a new unit would save on energy. A common rule of thumb: if a repair costs more than about 30–50% of a replacement and the unit is past mid-life, replacing usually wins.
FAQ
How do I tell how old my Bradford White water heater is?
The manufacture date is encoded in the serial number on the unit's data plate. The first letter of the serial is the year and the second letter is the month, followed by 7 digits (9 characters in all). Month letters run A (January) through M (December), skipping I. Year letters repeat every 20 years, so a serial starting A to D could be from the 1980s or the 2000s. The first letter of the serial is the year and the second letter is the month, followed by 8 digits (10 characters in all). Month letters run A (January) through M (December), skipping I. For example, JC16433183 was made in March 2012. A serial that starts with OA means the water heater was built in January 1997. We can decode Bradford White water heaters built 1984–2026. Enter the serial above to decode it automatically.
How long does a Bradford White water heater last?
Typical lifespans: Gas tank 8–12 years; Electric tank 10–14 years; Heat pump water heater 10–14 years; Tankless 15–20 years. These ranges apply across brands. Maintenance, climate and water hardness move a unit toward one end.
How do I check my Bradford White warranty?
You can look up your warranty by serial number and register your water heater on the Bradford White Warranty Center. If you buy the optional extended warranty, register it within 60 days of buying it. Bradford White's warranty lookup: https://warrantycenter.bradfordwhite.com/
Has my Bradford White water heater been recalled?
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission lists 1 recall for Bradford White water heaters. Enter your model and serial above to check yours against each recall's scope.
Sources: Bradford White service, warranty and installation documentation; U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission; DOE and ENERGY STAR; NAHB/Bank of America and InterNACHI life-expectancy studies. More about our sources.