Bradford White Water Heater Age: What the Letters Mean
A Bradford White water heater serial number begins with two date letters followed by a production sequence. Position 1 is the year code, position 2 is the month code, and the remaining characters identify the individual water heater. For example, split serial number FC12345678 as F | C | 12345678. F can mean 1989, 2009, or 2029 because Bradford White repeats its year letters every 20 years. C means March, while 12345678 is the production sequence and does not influence the manufacture date.
Since 2029 is still in the future, Appliage excludes it and uses March 2009 as the newest past estimate. March 1989 remains an older possible date. Entering the model number will not tell Appliage whether the correct year is 1989 or 2009 because Appliage does not have the production period for each Bradford White model. To confirm the correct 20-year cycle, compare the possible dates with an installation, purchase, service, or Bradford White factory record for that water heater.
Appliage decodes Bradford White serial numbers with one date rule. The first letter is the year and the second is the month, so FC12345678 is March 2009. Year letters start at A for 1984 and repeat every 20 years, so the same letter fits an older cycle too, and FC12345678 keeps March 1989 on its list. The year and month tables under Bradford White Water Heater Age Rules below give every letter.
Find the Age of Your Bradford White Water Heater with Appliage
Type the serial number into Appliage. The result shows the newest past manufacture date and an estimated age, along with any older date that remains possible.
Bradford White Water Heater Serial Number Rules
- 1 repeating year code
- 2 month letter
- remainder production sequence
Position 1 gives the year code, which repeats every 20 years. Position 2 gives the month. The remaining characters form the production sequence. They identify the individual water heater but do not influence its manufacture date.
Month code in position 2
| Code | 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 |
Year code in position 1
| Code | Years in Bradford White’s current chart |
|---|---|
| A | 2004 / 2024 |
| B | 2005 / 2025 |
| C | 2006 / 2026 |
| D | 2007 / 2027 |
| E | 2008 / 2028 |
| F | 2009 / 2029 |
| G | 2010 / 2030 |
| H | 2011 / 2031 |
| J | 2012 / 2032 |
| K | 2013 / 2033 |
| L | 2014 / 2034 |
| M | 2015 / 2035 |
| N | 2016 / 2036 |
| P | 2017 / 2037 |
| S | 2018 / 2038 |
| T | 2019 / 2039 |
| W | 2020 / 2040 |
| X | 2021 / 2041 |
| Y | 2022 / 2042 |
| Z | 2023 / 2043 |
Bradford White’s current chart lists two years for each letter, 20 years apart. Its older 1984–2003 cycle can still be relevant to an older tank; for example, F can also mean 1989. A future year on the chart is not a possible manufacture date today. The year codes omit I, O, Q, R, U, and V. The month codes use A through M and omit I.
Bradford White also says a computer error produced some serials starting with OA; those were built in January 1997, and Appliage returns that month for them. For example, OA8226825 returns January 1997 even though O is not in the normal year table.
Bradford White’s product bulletins also identify real serial prefixes: XC as March 2021, YG as July 2022, BG as July 2025, and CB as February 2026. These confirm the year and month letters in those bulletins. They do not tell us which cycle applies to every tank with the same two opening letters.
Bradford White Serial Number Example: YE1395234
Serial number YE1395234 returns May 2022 (Estimated) and keeps May 2002 as an older possible date. There is a dated recall record for this serial number. If the water heater is an older unit, it was made in May 2002. If it is a newer unit, it was made in May 2022.
- Split serial number YE1395234 as Y | E | 1395234.
- Y means 2002 in the first cycle and repeats as 2022. E means May.
- The final seven digits, 1395234, are the production sequence and do not influence the manufacture date.
- Because the 2042 pass is still in the future, Appliage excludes it. It shows May 2022 as the newest past estimate and keeps May 2002 on the list.
- A 2002 recall notice covers Bradford White serial numbers through YE1395234 and dates them to May 2002. The recall shows that May 2002 is a real manufacture date for this serial number. A newer water heater with the same serial number would be from May 2022.
Therefore, Appliage shows May 2022 first and keeps May 2002 in the list. The recall record dates an older unit to May 2002, and a newer unit is from May 2022.
Bradford White Serial Numbers Appliage Cannot Find the Age
A repeating year code can leave more than one past date. For example, split serial number PJ0002271 as P | J | 0002271. P can mean 1997 or 2017, J means September, and 0002271 is the production sequence. The serial number alone cannot choose between September 1997 and September 2017, so Appliage keeps both dates and marks the result as an estimate. A Bradford White record for this particular tank identifies 1997, showing why the newest past year is not always the correct one.
An installation permit, purchase record, or Bradford White factory lookup can identify which 20-year cycle applies. A record dated before the newest candidate rules that candidate out.
Bradford White’s serial-number FAQ says the production sequence has seven digits before December 2007 and eight digits afterward. Appliage does not currently use the length of that sequence to choose between years.
The year codes used by this decoder begin in 1984. If the water heater is older, or the serial number does not begin with two accepted date letters, Appliage cannot return a manufacture date. Bradford White Brute Mini boilers, built by Laars, carry a different serial layout; CPSC recall 22-176 lists them by serials such as V21306262 through V21311453, which this two-letter chart cannot read. Installation and warranty dates are separate from the manufacture month.
If the plate says A. O. Smith or Rheem instead
Water heater brands do not share one date code. A. O. Smith and State stamp modern tanks with plain digits, the year first and then the production week. The A. O. Smith water heater age lookup walks through that format.
Rheem printed the month and then the year through August 2012, and the week and then the year after that. The Rheem water heater age lookup covers the switch and the date it happened.
Sources
- Bradford White age and serial lookup. The year and month letters are listed beside the lookup.
- Bradford White serial-number FAQ. It describes the seven-digit and eight-digit production sequences around December 2007.
- Bradford White service manual (238-54464-00). Bradford White explains the month codes and why the year letters repeat.
- Bradford White blower bulletin. Its XC serial prefix is dated March 2021.
- Bradford White ElectriFLEX wiring bulletin. It identifies YG with July 2022 production.
- Bradford White anode-rod bulletin. It uses BG for July 2025.
- Bradford White ERE labeling bulletin. It explicitly dates CB to February 2026.
- CPSC: Laars Brute Mini boiler recall (22-176). The listed Bradford White-branded boilers have serials outside the two-letter tank format.
- CPSC: Bradford White gas water heater recall (2002). The affected serials run from YD to YE1395234, corresponding to April and May 2002.
For other brands, see our appliance serial number lookup.