AO Smith Electric Water Heater Age

[John Evans]

Need help determining the age for AO Smith water heater Ser#GK02-0986027. Appears to be relatively new.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by jevans

Need help determining the age for AO Smith water heater Ser#GK02-0986027. Appears to be relatively new.

November 2002

[Russel Ray]

I get October 2002.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by rray

I get October 2002.

Isn't K 11?

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by mlarson

Isn't K 11?

It's the eleventh letter of the alphabet.

[Doug Edwards]

Yeah, but can you tell me what day of the week it was made?

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by dedwards

Yeah, but can you tell me what day of the week it was made?

It looks like 0986027 was completed (i.e., "manufactured") on Thursday, October 17, 2002. Sometimes a run of water heaters was started on one day, only to have the union whistle blow, resulting in completion the next day. Sometimes they weren't completed because there was a recall on the thermostats, or the doohickey was late in arriving via Edwards Trucking Company, and since Edwards was always late, they had their contract canceled.

[Michael Larson]

Which letter is to be skipped in th einformation you have?
The example I was given says J is October. But it also says M is December. Hmmmm. A correction is in order

A=Jan
B=Feb
C=Mar
D=Apr
E=May
F=Jun
G=Jul
H=Aug
I=Sep
J=Oct?
K=Nov?
L??
M=December?

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by mlarson

Which letter is to be skipped in the information you have?

I. 99% of the time. Ditto with the letter O. I looks like 1, especially with the older typesetting machines where the 1, lower-case L, and capital I were used interchangeably; the same with 0 and O. The numbers zero and one are kind of necessary since there are only ten basic numbers. There are twenty-six letters, but only 12 months, so the powers that be back then declared that they would skip the letters I and O in order not to be confused with the numbers 1 and 0.

Originally Posted by mlarson

The example I was given says J is October. But it also says M is December. Hmmmm. A correction is in order

A=Jan
B=Feb
C=Mar
D=Apr
E=May
F=Jun
G=Jul
H=Aug
I=Sep
J=Oct?
K=Nov?
L??
M=December?

H=Aug
J=Sep
K=Oct
L=Nov
M=Dec

[Michael Larson]

RR I realize that but the info I have did use "J" as October so it's in error or your info is. I don't know which.

Not that a month makes any difference. The thing could have been sitting in a warehouse for several years before installation.

[Doug Edwards]

"Not that a month makes any difference."

Thank you....my earlier point exactly.

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by mlarson

RR I realize that but the info I have did use "J" as October so it's in error or your info is. I don't know which.

Not that a month makes any difference. The thing could have been sitting in a warehouse for several years before installation.

J is not October. See my previous post.

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by dedwards

"Not that a month makes any difference."

Thank you....my earlier point exactly.

Interesting.

Please tell that to my local Ralphs grocery store. Them darn people just absolutely refuse to honor my coupons that expired last month. In fact, they refuse to honor the coupons that expired last week. In fact, I just threw away a lot of coupons that expired yesterday because they refuse to honor coupons on Saturdays that expired on Fridays. Go figure! It's only a month, week, or day!

Also tell that to the manufacturers. Those darn people are as bad as the grocery companies: "Sorry, but your warranty expired last month."

Also tell that to the software companies. They are bad, too: "Sorry, but your license expired last month."

Also tell that to the computer manufacturers: "Sorry, but your warranty expired last month."

And just think, with the cost of the King George II invasion of Iraq, if it had started one month later, we could have spent a few gazillion bazillion dollars on our own infrastructure, homeless, sick, dieing, injured, etc.

And tell that to the police officer when he notes that your license expired last month on your birthday: "But officer, it's only a month."

Ah, yes, "not that a month makes any difference."

I'll beg to differ.

[Michael Larson]

RR you are so predictable.

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by mlarson

The thing could have been sitting in a warehouse for several years before installation.

Which happens often, especially in large subdivisions.

At one of my inspections yesterday for one of my Referral Rewards Clients, the public records indicated that the house was built in 1966. The manufacture date on the furnace was May 1963. The seller basically told me to go back to [expletive] since I obviously didn't know what I was doing. After I explained the date code to him and told him that many furnaces sit around in warehouses and on site in large subdivisions (which his was), he sheepishly went out back and sat by the pool for the rest of the inspection.

He had a pristine vintage 1966 house. The asbestos ceiling tiles and popcorn were immaculate, as was the asbestos insulation on the furnace flue and water heater flue. Every old push-button light switch worked, every single-hung wood window was not only operational but in excellent condition, every 2-prong outlet worked, etc. Just an absolutely gorgeous, pristine, vintage 1966 home in every respect. He obviously was proud of his pride of ownership, as well he should be.

I think it's the shortest report I've ever written:

"This structure passes the home inspection and appears to have been meticulously cared for by the owner, resulting in an absolutely gorgeous, pristine, vintage 1966 home. Note that there are some upgrades that are desirable, but the home is certainly ready to move in and enjoy life in this beautiful subdivision where other homeowners also seem to take great pride in ownership."