How to find the model and serial number on any appliance

Start with the appliance

Each guide below lists the usual spot for that kind of appliance and then the spot for the big brands, taken from each maker's own "where is my model number" page:

• RefrigeratorHigh on an inside wall, usually; a few brands add a second label low on the outside.
• DishwasherOn the edge of the door or the tub opening: open the door to see it.
• WasherAround the door opening on a front-loader; under the lid or on the back of a top-loader.
• DryerOn the rim of the door opening, usually at the top.
• FurnaceOn a side panel, or just inside the front panel.
• Water heaterThe big rating label on the outside of the tank.
• Air conditioner (outside unit)On the cabinet near the service panel, where the pipes go in.

For ranges, range hoods, disposals, garage door openers and sump pumps, see where the label usually is for the short version of each.

Model number or serial number?

The model number names the product: every unit of that model shares it, and it's what you need for the manual, replacement parts and recall searches. The serial number is your one unit. Makers use it for warranty claims, and many build the date it was made into it, which is how you can tell an appliance's age without the receipt. Each maker uses its own code for the date, so look up your brand's pattern or ask the maker before you trust a guess.

Why it's worth ten minutes now

You need the model number at the worst moments: when something breaks and the repair person asks for it on the phone, when you're ordering a filter or a part that has to fit, when a recall is announced and you're trying to tell whether yours is one of them, or when you're filing a warranty claim. Finding the label on a calm Saturday, with a flashlight and no water on the floor, is a lot easier.

It also tells you what you actually have. A label shows the brand and model, and on furnaces, air conditioners and water heaters the rating plate also carries details like the fuel, the size and the electrical rating. A pro can often answer a question from a photo of it.

Labels that are hard to read

Old labels fade, peel or get painted over. Shine a flashlight across the label at a low angle rather than straight at it, and take a photo you can zoom into. Stamped metal plates read best with light raking across them. If a character is unclear, the usual suspects are 0 and O, 1 and I, 5 and S, 8 and B: try the model number both ways in the maker's support search.

Searching recalls

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission publishes product recalls and safety warnings. Recall notices list the affected model numbers, and often a serial or date range, so the exact model number is what lets you tell whether yours is included. Makers also post recalls on their own sites.

Find and record any appliance's numbers

1. 1. Switch it off if you'll open anythingYou can read most labels with a door open. If a panel has to come off, turn the appliance off at its own switch first. Never open the house's electrical panel to look.
2. 2. Check the usual spot for that applianceInside the door on fridges, dishwashers, washers and dryers; on the cabinet of furnaces, water heaters and outside AC units.
3. 3. Photograph the whole labelLight it from the side to cut the glare, and keep the words Model and Serial in the frame.
4. 4. Write down where it wasNext time, you'll go straight to it.

Questions people ask