Equipment lookup
Read the date code on your HVAC or water heater
Choose the manufacturer and enter the serial from the rating plate. This free lookup shows documented date fields and their source, with ambiguity preserved.
Read your equipment date code
The interactive lookup needs JavaScript. Serial and model values stay in your browser; no lookup request or equipment record is created. Support is limited to documented formats for ten brands. Year ambiguity and unsupported formats need manufacturer confirmation.
Reviewed 2026-10-08. Download rules and example evidence
Rheem
Water heaters covered by technical bulletin 1207. Other product formats need manufacturer confirmation.
First two digits are month; next two are year code. The two-digit year alone does not establish a century. Manufacturer source
Plant letter, production week and year. This format began migrating in 2012; an optional final letter identifies a conversion. Manufacturer source
Ruud
Water heaters covered by technical bulletin 1207. Other product formats need manufacturer confirmation.
First two digits are month; next two are year code. The two-digit year alone does not establish a century. Manufacturer source
Plant letter, production week and year. This format began migrating in 2012; an optional final letter identifies a conversion. Manufacturer source
Richmond
Water heaters covered by technical bulletin 1207. Other product formats need manufacturer confirmation.
First two digits are month; next two are year code. The two-digit year alone does not establish a century. Manufacturer source
Plant letter, production week and year. This format began migrating in 2012; an optional final letter identifies a conversion. Manufacturer source
A. O. Smith
Modern year/week layout in the July 2024 service and warranty guide; historical serial styles are excluded.
First two digits identify year; next two identify production week. Confirm the century against the rating plate. Manufacturer source
Bradford White
Letter year/month format documented in the service manual and current warranty date chart.
Year letters repeat every 20 years. The numeric tail changed from seven to eight digits around December 2007. OA is a documented January 1997 exception. Manufacturer source
Carrier
38AU air-cooled condensing units described by 38AU-12SI. Historical serial formats are excluded.
First two digits are fiscal week; next two identify year. The serial alone does not identify the model or establish a century. Manufacturer source
Bryant
180CNV air conditioners and 280ANV heat pumps described by the cited service manual.
First two digits are week; next two are year code. The example does not specify its century. Manufacturer source
Lennox
ML17XC1 air conditioners and the documented location/year/month format.
Two location digits, two year digits, month letter and five or six sequence digits. A-H, J-M mean January-December; confirm the century. Manufacturer source · Month-code guide
Trane
Two-digit year layout for light commercial units only; conflicting date codes in the published table are excluded.
First two digits are the documented year code; next two are week. Codes 10 and 23 conflict in the source, so those codes need manufacturer confirmation. Manufacturer source
Goodman
Ten-digit serials for the gas-furnace families named by warranty PW-CFURNU; other formats are excluded.
First two digits are year; next two are month. The manufacturer example supplies the prefix 1306, not a full equipment serial. Manufacturer source
Guide
Use this before you automate the work.
Choose the manufacturer and enter the serial from the rating plate. This free lookup shows documented date fields and their source, with ambiguity preserved.
Step 1
Check the format before relying on the result
Support covers documented formats for Carrier, Bryant, Lennox, Trane, Goodman, A. O. Smith, Bradford White, Rheem, Ruud and Richmond. It does not cover every historical product from those brands.
- Read the scope beside your chosen manufacturer.
- Compare the result with the printed manufacture date and model.
- Use the linked manufacturer guide when a serial does not match.
Step 2
Keep manufacture date separate from service decisions
A date code cannot establish installation date, condition, warranty coverage or a replacement recommendation. Some year codes repeat. A manufacture week is not an exact day.
- A serial number does not identify the model family.
- Model-family matches are limited to documented prefixes.
- Ask the manufacturer or a qualified technician when the date affects a service or warranty decision.
Questions
Before you hand this off
Does this send my serial number anywhere?
The lookup runs in your browser. It makes no lookup request and saves no equipment record.
Why can the result show two years?
Some serial formats use two-digit years or repeating letters. The lookup preserves possible years when the documented format cannot distinguish them.
Can it tell me whether the unit is under warranty?
No. Warranty coverage can depend on installation, registration, ownership and product terms. Use the manufacturer warranty service.