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0How to Use the Serial Number on Your GE Appliance to Determine Its Age
If you’re wondering how old your GE appliance is, you can determine its age by using the serial number. Each GE appliance has a unique serial number that contains information about the appliance, including the month and year of manufacture.
In this post, we’ll walk you through how to decode your GE appliance’s serial number to determine its age. We’ll use the examples from Eric’s video to illustrate the process.
Step 1: Locate your appliance’s model tag
Before you can decode your appliance’s serial number, you’ll need to locate its model tag. The model tag is a small metal or plastic plate that is typically located on the appliance in a safe but easy to find location. If you’re having trouble locating the tag, you can use our model number locator for common tag locations.
Step 2: Determine the month of manufacture
The first character of the serial number indicates the month in which the appliance was manufactured. Use GE’s Appliance Manufacture Date Code Chart to determine the corresponding month. For example, if the first character of your appliance’s serial number is ‘D’, it was manufactured in February.
Step 3: Determine the year of manufacture
The second character of the serial number indicates the years during which the appliance may have been manufactured. Use GE’s Appliance Manufacture Date Code Chart to determine the possible years. For example, if the second character of your appliance’s serial number is ‘R’, it could have been manufactured in 2020, 2008, 1996, 1984, 1972, or 1958.
Step 4: Use the owner’s manual to narrow down the year
To narrow down which year your appliance was manufactured, you’ll need to reference the owner’s manual. Look for a date on the bottom of the first or last page. If you don’t have a physical copy of the manual, you can find a digital version on GE’s website using your appliance’s model number.
Match up the year from the owner’s manual to the closest year in the chart. For example, if the date listed in your owner’s manual is 11-22 and the second character of your appliance’s serial number is ‘R’, the closest year in the chart is 2020. This indicates that your appliance was manufactured in February of 2020.
Examples
Let’s run through a few examples using the information from Eric’s video.
Example 1: GE Microwave
Serial Number: D S
Month: February
Possible Years: 2021, 2009, 1997, 1985, 1973, or 1959
Date Listed in Owner’s Manual: 11-08
Closest Year in Chart: 2009
This indicates that this microwave was manufactured in February of 2009.
Example 2: GE Stove
Serial Number: H A
Month: May
Possible Years: 2013, 2001, 1989, 1977, 1944
Date Listed in Owner’s Manual: 01-09
Closest Year in Chart: 2013
This indicates that this stove was manufactured in May of 2013.
Example 3: Older GE Stove
Serial Number: A H
Month: January
Possible Years: 2017, 2005, 1993, 1981, 1951
Date Listed in Owner’s Manual: 03-93
This indicates that this stove was manufactured in January of 1993.
Conclusion
Decoding your GE appliance’s serial number is a simple process that can help you determine its age. By using GE’s Appliance Manufacture Date Code Chart and the information from your appliance’s model tag and owner’s manual, you can easily determine when your appliance was made.
