Who makes American water heaters
American Water Heater Company built its heaters in Johnson City, Tennessee (New York City equipment approval 87-88-E). A.O. Smith bought American’s parent company, GSW, in April 2006; its release says American “markets residential and commercial water heaters under the American PROLine ® and U. S. Craftsmaster ® brands” [sic: most CPSC notices spell it Craftmaster]. American’s support page now gives an Ashland City, Tennessee address. American also built the Whirlpool-brand water heaters sold at Lowe’s: see Whirlpool and Kenmore water heater age.
Basis: official (A.O. Smith release; NYC Department of Buildings; americanwaterheater.com).
Don’t confuse it with American Appliance Manufacturing. Inspectapedia: “These are two different companies with very similar names,” and their serial codes differ.
Where the serial number is
CPSC’s 2001 American recall: “The serial number, located on the data plate on the front of the water heater.” Look for the label on the front of the tank. Don’t remove any covers or access panels to find it.
How to read the date
American’s warranty gives the rule by example: “Serial No. 9843113460 Tank was manufactured 43rd week of 1998.” CPSC’s 2018 recall notice, which covers American heaters, says “the first four digits represent the year and week of production.”
| Position | Means |
|---|---|
| Digits 1–2 | Year (98 = 1998, 19 = 2019) |
| Digits 3–4 | Week of the year (01–53) |
| The rest | Production number (it can include a letter) |
Basis: official (American Water Heater warranty, 2022; CPSC recall 19-029). Inspectapedia and InterNACHI’s dating chart give the same rule. Week numbers give the week, not the day, so the checker shows the month the week falls in.
American used this year-and-week code before A.O. Smith bought it as well as after: the 1998 warranty example and CPSC’s 2001 serial range (below) both predate 2006.
Worked examples
| Serial | Year | Week | Built | Where the example comes from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9843113460 | 1998 | 43 | late October 1998 | American Water Heater warranty (stated) |
| 9950123040 | 1999 | 50 | mid-December 1999 | Inspectapedia (stated) |
| 1924115263020 | 2019 | 24 | mid-June 2019 | Building Intelligence Center (our reading of its rule) |
| 0124 to 0127 | 2001 | 24 to 27 | mid-June to early July 2001 | CPSC 02-020 serial range (our reading; the heaters were sold June to September 2001) |
| 1115 to 1631 | 2011 to 2016 | 15 to 31 | April 2011 to August 2016 | CPSC 19-029 serial range (stated: made April 8, 2011 to August 1, 2016) |
One reference reads it differently. Building Intelligence Center labels one American style as year and month. American’s own warranty and CPSC read the same position as the week, and we follow them.
Tankless models
American’s tankless heaters have their own support lines, and we found no documented serial format for them. Don’t read a tankless serial with the year-and-week rule; call American (gas tankless 877-566-4549, electric tankless 877-553-7659).
If you can’t read it
Call American’s tank support at 877-552-0010 (Monday to Friday 8 am to 10 pm, weekends 9 am to 6 pm Eastern) with the model and serial number. American’s website also has a warranty verification form that takes a serial number; we haven’t used it, so we can’t say whether it shows the manufacture date.
Recalls to know about
| Recall | What | How to tell |
|---|---|---|
| CPSC 19-029 (Nov 2018) | Ultra-Low NOx 30-, 40- and 50-gallon gas heaters sold as American, A.O. Smith, Kenmore, Reliance, State, U.S. Craftmaster and Whirlpool, mainly in California: the burner screen can tear, a fire hazard on combustible floors. About 616,000 units | First four digits 1115 to 1631; American line 866-854-2793 |
| CPSC 05-274 (Sep 2005) | Robertshaw R110 gas control valves on natural gas and LP heaters of several brands, including American Proline, Premier Plus, Powerflex and U.S. Craftmaster: “gas could leak from the valve, which poses a risk of gas explosion and fire.” About 178,000 units, all brands | Valves made July 25 to August 14, 2005, with production date codes 5-31 through 5-33, “although not all valves with these date codes are affected.” Electric heaters aren’t included |
| CPSC 02-020 (Oct 2001) | Natural gas heaters sold as American Proline, Envirotemp, Mor-Flo, Powerflex, Premier Plus and US Craftmaster: “The burners could produce excess carbon monoxide (CO).” About 16,000 units | Serial starts 0124 to 0127 |
| CPSC 96-191 (Sep 1996) | LP Polaris Comfort Systems combination water and home heaters sold 1985 to July 1996: “fuel gas may ignite explosively, causing property damage or injury.” About 6,500 units | Models PR34LPGV, PR50LPGV, PR34LPGFV, PR50LPGFV, PC100-34LPGV, PC100-50LPGV, PBG102-34S100-2P, PBG102-50T100-2P, PBCG32-34S100-2P, PBCG32-50S100-2P, PBCG52-34S100-2P, PBCG52-50S100-2P, DVPB35LPGV and PVG-34S100-2P, on the data plate on the front of the heater about three feet above the floor |
Basis: official (CPSC notices in the sources). Old recalls may have closed; check the notice for the exact models, and run the model through our recall check.
A different brand: CPSC 16-171 (May 2016) recalled “American Standard” gas water heaters (models beginning GN and GSN) from Water Heating Technologies Corp. The notice doesn’t name American Water Heater Company, so it isn’t listed above; if your heater has an “American Standard” logo, check that notice.
What the age means
American doesn’t publish a lifespan figure. It says “How long your water heater lasts depends on how often you use it, your groundwater quality, and how regularly you maintain it,” and that its gas tank warranties range from 6 to 10 years. A.O. Smith, American’s parent, says tank water heaters last 8 to 12 years. Across published sources a tank typically lasts about 11 years (our summary; most figures fall between 8 and 15). See how long water heaters last.
Replacing an American tank? The water heater replacement cost guide gives installed prices by type, size and state.
Limitations
- The official statements of the code are American’s warranty example and CPSC’s recall notices; American doesn’t publish a full decoding guide.
- Two-digit years repeat every century; a heater still in use reading 98 is from 1998.
- Tankless and heat pump models aren’t covered.
Checked against the sources below on 30 September 2026.
