Find Your Hotpoint Water Heater's Age
The fastest way to date a Hotpoint water heater is the serial number on its rating plate. Enter it in the free decoder above and you'll get the manufacture date in seconds — or read on to decode it by hand.
Who Makes Hotpoint Water Heaters?
Hotpoint is a GE Appliances brand, and since the late 1990s GE's water heaters — including Hotpoint-branded units — have been manufactured by Rheem Manufacturing Company. Because of that shared production, Hotpoint serial numbers use the same date-code format as Rheem — the decoder above works identically for Hotpoint, GE, Rheem, Ruud, and Richmond units.
One caveat: a minority of very old Hotpoint water heaters were built by other manufacturers before Rheem took over GE production. If your serial doesn't decode and the unit looks decades old, that may be why.
Where to Find the Serial Number
Look for the rating plate (also called the data plate) — a silver or white sticker on the side of the tank, usually in the upper half on tank models. It shows the model number, serial number, capacity, and input rating, and on many newer Hotpoint units it prints the manufacture date in plain text.
If the sticker is dirty or faded, take a photo and increase the contrast — even a partial serial is often enough.
How the Hotpoint Serial Format Works
Modern format (month + year). Ignore any letter prefix. The first four digits of the serial are the date: two digits for the month, then two for the year.
Worked example — 0904B21710:
09= September (month)04= 2004 (year)- Result: manufactured September 2004
Older format (week + year). Some older serials encode the week of the year instead of the month: the first two digits are the week (01–52), the next two are the year. A serial starting 1415 means week 14 of 2015.
Why the Age of Your Water Heater Matters
- Lifespan. Tank-style water heaters typically last 8–12 years. Past that window, the risk of tank corrosion and leaks climbs sharply — and a failed tank can release dozens of gallons of water into your home.
- Warranty. Water heater tank warranties commonly run 6, 9, or 12 years from the manufacture date (not the install date). The serial number tells you whether you're still covered before you pay for a repair.
- Replacement planning. Knowing the exact age lets you replace on your schedule instead of making an emergency decision after a failure.
- Buying or selling a home. Inspectors routinely report water heater age, and a unit near the end of its life often becomes a negotiation point.
Sources
Serial format and manufacturer details verified against the InterNACHI water heater dating chart, the InspectApedia Rheem age decoder (which documents a Rheem-made Hotpoint data tag), Rheem's official guide to reading serial numbers, and Supply House Times on Rheem taking over GE water heater production.