Strange water heater serial #

[gtblum]

State 80 gallon electric # 0904A021710 How old is it?

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[Nolan Kienitz]

State usually uses an alpha plus two, but there is a bogey of 4 digits leading.

Could be 2004 or 2002.

[gtblum]

State usually uses an alpha plus two, but there is a bogey of 4 digits leading.

Could be 2004 or 2002.

That's why it's here.

The pain in the ass is, I really need it this time. The buyer was told It's newish. Like one or two.

Could be 2004 or 2002.

I don't want to guess. I thought that too.

Looks like I'm making a call in the morning.

Thanks,

[HIS2]

https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/Forum ... IC_ID=2542

Mike posted this in Feb of '06. I've used it a couple of times. According to this thread - it was manufactured in Jan of '02

[gtblum]

https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2542

Mike posted this in Feb of '06. I've used it a couple of times. According to this thread - it was manufactured in Jan of '02

The difference is that with these the code is in the first three positions of the serial number therefore a serial number C05*******

What month is 0 or O?

[Bill Kibbel]

You can always compare the serial # with the actual date stamped on or inside the handle of the TPRV.

[gtblum]

You can always compare the serial # with the actual date stamped on or inside the handle of the TPRV.

Nice. Thanks. I'm going back.

[Chad Fabry]

In my experience, 0's are always a number.

[kurt]

I'd say it was mfg. in September of 2004. Probably installed sometime in '05-ish.

Of course, I'm probably wrong, but it's just a crappy water heater. I'd be more concerned about all the other stuff with water heaters.

And, zero is a number. Or an integer. It's on the number line between 1 and -1. You can add, subtract, multiply, divide, and come up with answers.

(I so wanted it to not be a number, so I could stuff it up Mr. "disposall takes 2 L's" keester......)

I've been trying to find a date on my water heater TPRV, and I can't find one anywhere, nohow......

[gtblum]

https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2542

Mike posted this in Feb of '06. I've used it a couple of times. According to this thread - it was manufactured in Jan of '02

The difference is that with these the code is in the first three positions of the serial number therefore a serial number C05*******

What month is 0 or O?

My point was, O or 0 doesn't work. The last letter would have to be L; December.

I busted a bunch of liars last month.

I Just want to make sure these folks are being told the truth and I want to know why that number is different in case I run into it again.

Screw it. I'm going to the golf course.

[Chad Fabry]

And, zero is a number. Or an integer. It's on the number line between 1 and -1. You can add, subtract, multiply, divide, and come up with answers.

(I so wanted it to not be a number, so I could stuff it up Mr. "disposall takes 2 L's" keester......)

Actually, what I meant was anytime a character appears in a serial or model number that resembles a circle or oval it's a number, not a letter.

One would read CA0123 as CA zero, one, two, three

I just didn't want everyone to think that someone trademarked the word "disposal".

[HIS2]

Oh I see what you're saying - my logic is, since you know they use a lettering system for their months, and A is the only letter in the serial number, then the year would have to start at the A02 and not at the beginning.

[hausdok]

Oh I see what you're saying - my logic is, since you know they use a lettering system for their months, and A is the only letter in the serial number, then the year would have to start at the A02 and not at the beginning.

Yes, A is January and 02 is the year. It's 8 years old.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[kurt]

OK, so I've been doing State water heaters a few years off.......

Thankfully, I hardly ever see State; mostly Rheemglass, GE's (le depot) & BWs.

[hausdok]

Hi Kurt,

Before I had the guide, I would have been reading this number as September '04, April '09, or March '04 or January '09; depending on whether I interpreted it as year and month or year and week.

Since I got the guide, I just start at the letter and read to the right using the letter as the month (A thru N - they exclude the letter I) and the next two digits as the year.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[gtblum]

Yes, A is January and 02 is the year. It's 8 years old.

I just went through my picture files. Every State heater serial number starts with a letter just like our file says they should. Not in the middle of the number.

As you can see in the picture, this one has a letter in the middle.

I see them as often as any other around here.

I'll take your word for it that it's eight years old.

But before anyone decides I'm being a pain in the ass or nuts about this, it ain't the same as all of the rest. Why?

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[hausdok]

Just a guess but maybe it's a commercial type and they number them differently.

I just spent about ten minutes going through everything on the State website and I couldn't find a current explanation of their numbering code.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[kurt]

it ain't the same as all of the rest. Why?

To confound home inspector's.

[Jim Katen]

. . . But before anyone decides I'm being a pain in the ass or nuts about this, it ain't the same as all of the rest. Why? . .

Call State & ask them.

[gtblum]

Call State & ask them.

Here's the deal.

As of the last week of 2007, State serial numbers no longer use letters.

0904A021710 April 2009

[hausdok]

Hi Gary,

Thanks, that's huge because it will affect about 20 brands made by State and sold under different names. I'll update our chart.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[hausdok]

Hi All

OK, I've update the State section of the chart to reflect the new serial number code and I've posted the new chart to the file library at this link: https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... oto&id=120

I've also written to AO Smith, because they've apparently assimilated State, and have asked them to provide me iwth a list of the companies that they currently own and an explanation of how to decode those various serial numbers. I'm not holding my breath that they'll answer too soon; so, if any of you see anything that needs correction on this decoder chart, or you have some other companies that we can add to it, please email me with that information at hausdok@msn.com

Thanks

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[hausdok]

Hi All,

Well A.O. Smith never responded to me so I called them today. I sort of had to because I'd had one of those new AO Smith serial numbers like Gary's above. They explained that they bought State Water Heaters in 2008 and that now that factory is making some of their residential products and is using the State serial number sequence; namely that the first two numbers are the year followed by a two digit week code.

That means 0805XXXXXXX is the fifth week of 2008 or February 2008.

I've amended the water heater date code chart to reflect this change and have posted it in both word and pdf format. The links are below. If you are unable to download the links, go directly to the library to the first plumbing category and you'll find them there.

https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... oto&id=134

https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... oto&id=131

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike