GE water heater age determination from serial number & sources of GE water heater manuals.

We give contact information for GE water heater, geyser, cylinder, calorifier manufacturers and for water heater installation, operation, & troubleshooting manuals.

We also include, by patent citations and illustrations, examples and history early electric water heater designs whose patents were held by the General Electric Company.

General Electric Water Heater Age De-Coding Guide

GE water heater data tag example

Shown here, the data tag for a G.E. brand (General Electric) water heater.

[Click to enlarge any image]

A close-up photo of this GE water heater data tag is given below.

Serial No. GE A511315388

We format this GE water heater serial number as GE AWWYYnnnnn where 51 is the week (December) and YY is 13 or 2013.

The enlarged view of this data tag given below confirms this guess as it tells us explicitly that the Manufacture Date for this water heater was 18 Dec2013.

GE Water Heater serial number formats

GE MMYY1234567 where MM indicates month and YY year of manufacture encoded numerically

GE AWWYYnnnnn

GENG MMYYP12345 where the NG refers to Natural Gas

GERNMMYY123456

GE Furnace Age Query:  (Nov 18, 2012) Lyn said: I am trying to determine the age of my electric f.a. furnace.

It is a General Electric made in Toronto, Ontario.

The Serial number is Ser# 398 870 T21 
The model number is BWL730G172B.

If someone could please advise the age of my furnace, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanking you in advance.
Lyn

Reply: You've sent us a warm air heating system code not a water heater code. This article and comment page are for water heaters. For details on age determination for heating boilers & furances see AGE of HEATERS, BOILERS, FURNACES.

But I make your code as March 1998

For a complete guide to GE or General Electric HVAC and other equipment you will need to see the pages of data on GE found in Carson Dunlop Associates Associates comprehensive Technical Reference Guide.

Generally for GE water heaters the first one or two digits are the month and the next two the year of manufacture.

So your heater was made in month 3 and in year 98 - March 1998.

Contact Information for General Electric Water Heaters

• General Electric Water Heaters, GE Appliances, parts, accessories, water heater manuals, warranty information,
  Tel: 1-800-626-2005 (GE Answer Center)
  Tel: 1-877-959-8688 (Parts & Accessories)
  Tel: 1-800-432-2737 (GE Appliance Servicve)
• G.E. Water Heater warranties and other water heater information can be found online at Website: http://www.geappliances.com/

GE Water Heater Early Patents & History of GE Water Heaters

A glimpse of the long history of General Electric water heaters can be had by noting the dates and assignees of some of the earliest heater patents, including space heaters, in the U.S. like that of Thomson, below.

• Ball, Henry Price. ELECTRIC WATER HEATER [PDF] U.S. Patent 1,034,952, issued August 6, 1912. Assigned to General Electric Company
  
• Hawkins, L. A. "The Research Laboratory of the General Electric Company." Science 93, no. 2405 (1941): 101-103.

• Thomson, Elihu. ELECTRIC HEATER [PDF] U.S. Patent 884,540, issued April 14, 1908. Application filed by General Electric Co.,
  Excerpt:
  This invention relates to electric heaters, and has for its object the provision of means whereby the energy of an electric current may be transformed into heat in a reliable and efficient manner.
  
  One of the objects of my invention is to produce an electric heater which may be 15 used with comparatively high potentials. In order to bring about this result, I immerse the heating resistance in a fluid, such for instance as oil, having a high flashing point.
  
  In order to carry the heat rapidly, and thus keep the size of the heater within convenient and at the same time have suf ficient fluid for the necessary insulation, I provide means for circulating the fluid.

Above, George Stevens' electric water heater assigned to GE in 1909. Stevens also had earlier patents dating at least from 1906.

• Stevens, George E. "Electric heater for liquids." U.S. Patent 812,609, issued February 13, 1906. Application filed by General Electric Co.
• Stevens, George E. "Electric heater." U.S. Patent 869,464, issued October 29, 1907.
• Stevens, George E. ELECTRIC [WATER] HEATER [PDF] U.S. Patent 942,874, issued December 7, 1909. Assigned to General Electric Co.
  Excerpt:
  This invention relates to electric heating devices for heating fluids and has for its ob ject the provision of means whereby a fluid may be heated to a desired temperature in a rapid and efficient manner.
  
  My invention relates more specifically to electric heaters of the type known as instantaneous water heaters in which the fluid is under pressure and is heated during its discharge.
  
  In carrying out my invention I provide, in connection with an electric heater, means whereby the current is turned on to the heater at substantially the same instant that the fluid is turned on.
  
  The heater is so arranged that the fluid must follow a circuit ous path as it passes through the heater so that the fluid will absorb a maximum amount of heat in passing through it.
  
  I also provide a normally-open switch in the heater circuit which is closed by the fluid pressure, the arrangement being such that the fluid in passing to the heater first closes the switch.
  
  The manually-controlled mechanism is such that the supply may be connected either directly to the discharge pipe or through the 40 45 50 heater to the discharge pipe so that by moving the handle in one direction cold water is obtained while by moving it in the opposite direction hot water is obtained.
• Thomson, Elihu. ELECTRIC HEATER [PDF] U.S. Patent 884,540, issued April 14, 1908. Assigned to General Electric Corporation
• G.E. Water Heater warranties and other water heater information can also be found online at geappliances.com

 

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2022-03-28 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator (mod) - History of the GE Calrod

@Laurel,

History of GE Calrod water heaters

Doing some research on the Calrod

"Calrod is a trademark of the General Electric Company, but the term has become the generic term used for tubular heating … The calrod design was apparently never patented." Hertzmann, Peter. "The Wire That Made Cooking Electric." (2020).

"The first sheathed-wire (later, "Calrod") heating units for electric ranges had been produced. … throughout the laboratory's history. "

The earliest citation we've found for Calrod heaters dates from 1913

In 1913 General Electric patented a method of suspending a heating wire in … Calrod manufacturing technology was no longer cost competitive with other types of small appliance heating … - George, William F. Antique Electric Waffle Irons 1900-1960: A History of the Appliance Industry in 20th Century America. Trafford Publishing, 2003.

Actually GE patents for electric heaters date from around 1908 - as you'll see in our GE water heater history and patent notes above on this page.

I also liked this patent that may well presage the Calrod Heater name later applied by GE (and still later that became rather generic)

• Parkhurst, Leon F. ELECTRIC WATER HEATER [PDF] U.S. Patent 1,270,198, issued June 18, 1918. Assigned to General Electric Company
  
  Excerpt:
  My invention relates to an electric heating device and more particularly to an electric water heater and has for its object the improvement of a device of this character.
  
  In accordance with my invention, a body of metal which forms a good thermal path for conveying the heat from the heating unit to the water is cast directly around the sheathed wire unit, thereby greatly adding to the efficiency of the device.

Other early GE water heater patents are shown above on this page.

Earlier electric heating devices were patented well before 1900.

History of the GE Calrod Heating Device / Water Heater Electrode

According to the company, the Calrod was invented by GE in 1915 - www.geappliances.com/ge/cooking-milestones/

The first Calrod electric ranges were introduced later, in 1928; the heater found use in irons, toasters and other appliances, not just in water heaters.

So what was the original "Calrod" made by GE?

A spiral-wound tungsten wire is coiled and inserted into a glass tube. The is then filled with purified powdered magnesite - to act as an insulator. The filled tubes are then heated (swaged) to solidify the construction and then may be bent or formed into a coiled heating element for a stovetop burner, an electric water heating element, an electric iron, etc.

Calrod" is a GE trademarked name for the main type of heater used in all sorts of devices. They use nickel chromium wire (Nichrome) encased in a steel tube. Vitrified magnesite is packed in the steel tube to provide electrical insulation, yet at the same time this material conducts heat very well. This is why if you touch a calrod heating element you don't get an electrical shock (in addition to the burns!).

Calrod technology is used in irons, ovens, stovetops, toaster ovens, dishwashers, electric heaters and other industrial ovens. - "Electric Stoves, Calrods and Cooking with Electricity" Edison Tech Center, edisontechcenter.org/Cooking.html

Recommended: see this movie (1928) on the history & manufacture of the Calrod by Hotpoint - General Electric - archive.org/details/con_000012

On 2022-03-28 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator (mod)

@Laurel,

Thank you for the great photo of what looks like a rather antique GE Hotpoint water heater.

A close look at the data tag shows that the first four digits of the serial number 2725 are stamped cleanly, to the same depth, and in a straight line, while the remaining digits 955 are stamped into the plate at varying angles, spacing, and depth - suggesting that the manufacture date would have been encoded in the first digits and the squence number in the last (955).

That ducking and weaving about the question done, I don't know the manfacturing date for sure. A "standard" decoding would have put the manufacture date of the water heater as week # 27 in year 25 as in 1925. I'd be impressed if this heater is really that old.

The second most-common date arrangement for older GE water heaters put the year first, making it week 25 in year 1927 - equally remarkable but perhaps a better guess.

Can you find any service tags or an installation or instruction manual (often stored nearby) with any more information?

On 2022-03-28 by Laurel

How old is my water heater? The numbers for the serial number don’t make sense in determining the date: 2725955. My house was built in 1935. Thank you.

[Photo of Calrod water heater shown above]

On 2021-12-28 by (mod) Data tag on a Rheem - GE Electric water heater

Serial No. 0111533776

Your water heater's data tag nots that it was manufactured under trademark license (presumably GE?) by Rheem.

Take a look also

at RHEEM WATER HEATER AGE & MANUALS

That decoder gives

MMYYX12345 where X is the plant code and 12345 a consecutive unique ID and of course MM YY are month and year.

January 2011 is a guess per that decoder.

On 2021-12-28 by Calsey

@Calsey, I think it's 2001 November according to the serial number

What year is my HW tank. Thanks in advance.

On 2021-03-24 by danjoefriedman (mod)

@Kim,

Take a look at the GE serial number age decoding guide above on this page - you'll see that common encoding is WWYY for week number and year's last 2 digits, found in the first four numeric digits of the serial number; of course there can be other formats, as we describe in the article above.

Water heater age guess SANITY CHECK:

- start with a statement of the age of the building where the water heater is installed

- take a look at all of the information tags and stickers on the heater; the newest year or date on any of those will set a floor under the heater's possible age. For example if a water heater's Energy Rating sticker refers to a 2006 energy star code as its latest information, we know the heater could be as old as 2006 but no older.

- look for notes on the heater itself: often an installer will write the installation date on the heater

- look for notes on the heater's manual left with the heater, including the manual's publication year

- look at records for repairs, replacements to the buildings water heating system, plumbing, etc. - work receipts, check stubs, etc.

On 2021-03-24 by Kim

I am trying to determine the age of my GE Smart Water Heater Serial number GE 1106R13999. Can you please help me?

On 2021-03-10 by JEFF

Can you determine the age of the water heater by its Model or Serial #?
GE PROFILE PERFORMANCE
MODEL# -GE SE80T12A01
SERIAL# 0201C01386

On 2021-03-10 by danjoefriedman (mod)

Jeff

In the article above we give several GE water heater serial number formats that let us guess at its age

see "GE Water Heater serial number formats"

what I do is to step through those, compare each with your heater's serial number layout, and then perform a "sanity check" on what age that produces.

For example if we decode your GE heater serial no as made in 2002 January YYMM - as a common example, that would be credible if your home is that old or older.

On 2021-03-10 by jeff

How old is my water heater?
Model-GE SE80T12A01
SERIAL# 0201C01386

On 2020-10-12 by Doreen Langmead

QUESTION
My GE hot water tank - Serial Number GC 0609240545 is leaking. It was installed in 2009. This was because a replacement tank installed in 2004 also started leaking. Seems to me that GE hot water tank are not very good.

How old is my GE hot water tank? Serial Number GC 0609240545

On 2020-08-17 - by (mod) -

I'm still looking for a GE water heater manual for a 66 gallon electric unit for you, John so far no luck.

If you're going to have to cut open the wall to remove or repair the unit, then perhaps it's time to bite that bullet and look at the heater element type directly.

From the serial number 769266 this is probably a GE water heater made in 1976.

On 2020-08-16 by John K.

Older GE tank water heater. Looking for both age and type of element mounting method. (screw-in or flange) Cannot reach elements without breaking a wall, would like to know if they are available before drastic measures.

Info from stamped metal plate on tank: GE, Calrod units. / 230 volts / Catalog no. G 662 A / Serial no. 769266 / Upper unit 2000 watts / Lower unit 1250 watts / 66 gal. cap. / 3250 watts total S.T, thermostat / 150 lb working pressure / 300 lbs. test pr.
Thanks heaps in advance!

My e-mail: DHCowdude@gmail.com

On 2020-08-07 by Isabelle

I am trying to determine the age of my GE Smartwater water heater. The codes give serial numbers starting GE but my serial number is GC 0406213940.

On 2020-06-07 - by (mod) -

Thanks for asking about the GE water heater age decoding procedure, Lynda

I make it as follows: looking at the serial number of your water heater

GELN MMYYP12345 where the LN refers to Liquid Propane or Natural Gas

and the next four numeric digits are MM YY or month and year - 06 99 June 1999

On 2020-06-07 by Lynda

Trying to determine the age of my GE water heater model GG50T6XA serial GELN 0699121611.
Thanks in advance,

Lynda

On 2020-03-20 - by (mod) -

Thank you for the question, Cynthia and forgive the delay in reply (we were traveling to a quarantine location)

We have two articles describing the location and adjustment of electric water heater temperature controls:

ELECTRIC WATER HEATER HIGH TEMP CUTOFF https://inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Electric_Water_Heater_High_Temp_Cutoff.php

ELECTRIC WATER HEATER THERMOSTATS https://inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Electric_Water_Heater_Repair.php#ElecTT

Basically, the electric water heater temperature control thermostat is behind a removable cover plate and can be adjusted up or down.
But

Watch out: removing the cover plate (as you'll see in the articles below) exposes LIVE electrical wire terminals - touch one of those and you could be shocked or killed. So don't do that.

Take a look at those articles and don't hesitate to ask follow-up questions.

On 2020-03-15 by Cynthia

How do I adjust the temperature

On 2019-12-27 - by (mod) -

Mark: a reasonable guess for your GE water heater is 65 = 1965 and 02 = May;

If that is plausible given your building's age then we'd add that for older 1960's water heaters the format can be YYMMnnn

On 2019-12-26 by Mark Collins

I have a GE water heater I'm having trouble determining the age for replacement purposes. Serial # 6502351.

On 2018-11-14 by Mike

GE water heater, serial # M291305611
Model # 30S06AAG

Thank you.

On 2015-03-09 by Anonymous

my GE gas water heater, serial # GENG 1100117425, and Modle # SG50T12A, would be approximately how old?

Rita

On 2015-02-06 by Kat

How old is my Hot Water Heater GE Mdl GG50T6A, S#GENG1200160571.

...

Continue reading  at WATER HEATER LIFE or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• GE WATER SOFTENERS
• RHEEM WATER HEATER AGE & MANUALS - Rheem produces water heaters sold under the GE or General Electric brand
• WATER HEATER AGE & MANUALS - home
• WATER HEATER AGE DECODING GUIDES - six methods for figuring out the age of a water heater - listed just below:
• WATER HEATER WARRANTIES
• WATER HEATER LEAK REPAIR
• WATER HEATER LIFE
• WATER HEATER RESET BUTTONS & CONTROLS
• WATER TANK AGE DECODER

Suggested citation for this web page

GE GENERAL ELECTRIC WATER HEATER AGE at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER HEATERS

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