Frequently Asked Home Buying Questions
How old are the home’s major systems?
How old is the Water Heater?
How old is the Air Conditioning System?
These are some of the most common home-buying questions. As a buyer previewing a home, you likely asked yourself or your agent this question. As an agent, you have likely encountered this question multiple times. If not, agents rest assured you will! While not always so easy to determine, there is help available. While we certainly don’t expect buyers are going to climb into the attic to find that hidden Air Conditioning unit, you can usually get a pretty good idea by taking a quick glance at the Model/Serial number label on the exterior unit (keeping in mind, the interior and exterior unit may be of different age). Newer homes in Florida, typically have the interior Air Conditioning unit in the garage or somewhere in a utility closet. Older homes, well that’s why you need your Home Inspector, as they will locate the Air Conditioning unit hidden in the attic and document the information for you. Even on some rare occasions, homes may have a water heater hidden in the attic.
Help is available right at your fingertips. Grab your smartphone, and navigate to the “Building Intelligence Center” website to help quickly answer this question and pinpoint the age of most major home systems.
The date code for most major home systems is embedded in the serial number. Locate the brand of the system and the label containing the serial number information. With the brand and serial number (S/N), you can quickly and easily find the answer to your question. Using the brand of the system, perform a search as follows: (we used a Whirlpool water heater for our example) “Whirlpool water heater date code” (without the quotes of course), then find and select the following Building Intelligence center website from the search results.
https://www.building-center.org › whirlpool-water-heater-age
WHIRLPOOL Water Heater age | Building Intelligence Center
Once you select the above search result, you will be presented with the information in the first image below which shows how to get the date code from the S/N.
The second image below shows a Whirlpool water heater label with the S/N.
Whirlpool Year and Month Manufactured
Whirlpool Water Heater Serial Number
Using the S/N number from the second image, we determined the Whirlpool water heater was manufactured in the 50th week of 2013.
Notes to keep in mind:
1- Some manufacturers have several variations of S/N. Look for the S/N format that best matches.
2- Most air conditioning systems have two separate components, the air handler which may be located in the garage, the attic, a closet, or other, and the condenser which is typically located outside the home.
3- For air conditioning systems with two components, they may be of a different brand and/or age depending on upgrades or component changes which in turn means two brands and two S/Ns to search.
Visit us at www.orgovahomeinspections.com to learn more about us and/or call us at 863-866-7288 to book your next inspection.
Home systems, including HVAC, plumbing, and electrical, vary widely in age. Many older homes feature systems from the mid-20th century or earlier, while modern homes incorporate newer technologies. Regular updates and maintenance are crucial for ensuring efficiency and safety in these systems, regardless of their age.
Hi Joven,
Thank you so much for your insightful comments on our blog! Your absolutely right, home systems like HVAC, plumbing, and electrical do vary significantly in age, and it’s essential to keep them updated and well maintained to ensure their efficiency and safety.
We apologize for the removal of the URL from your comment. Unfortunately, our security guidelines do not allow external links in our blogs.
Thanks again for your contribution.
Great info! Thanks for sharing such information with us.