Model numbers, data plates and date codes

Finding out exactly what a machine is: model and serial plates and where manufacturers hide them, date codes, and the household record that turns a parts search or a recall check from an afternoon into a minute.

Common failure modes

• A part ordered against the badge on the front instead of the data plate
• A serial plate photographed too late, after the machine was taken out
• A date code copied down but never decoded
• A record that exists only in one person's memory
• A recall notice missed, because no list of models was ever written

Procedures

• How to check if something you own has been recalledEvery product recall in the United States is public, and every recall database is free to search — the hard part is know
• How to find your car's VIN number and check if it has an open recallThe VIN — vehicle identification number — is a 17-character code that encodes information about your vehicle's manufactu
• How do I decode the date code on my appliance and find out how old it isA dead appliance, a warranty claim, a recall check or a home inspection all come back to the same question: how old is t
• Find the exploded parts diagram for a machine you own, and read a part number off itEvery part on a washing machine, a lawn mower engine, or a pressure washer pump has its own diagram and its own number,
• Find the safety data sheet for a chemical product you already own, and read the parts that matterA Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is a standardized document that manufacturers provide for chemical products. It tells you abou
• Identify a battery from the code printed on it, and find the right replacementA dead remote, a dead smoke alarm, or a dead flashlight usually comes with one clue: the tiny code printed on the old ce
• What size filter do I need, and is a generic or cross-reference filter really the same as the OEM part?Two things identify a filter: the part number printed on its own frame or housing, and its own physical dimensions. Betw
• Identify a lost power adapter from the equipment's own marking, and match a replacementYour equipment carries a label with its power requirement. The label lists four things: the output voltage, the current
• Read the yellow EnergyGuide label, and know what its number does not includeMost major appliances sold in the United States carry a yellow-and-black EnergyGuide label: refrigerators, dishwashers,
• How to find and record the model and serial number of every appliance in the houseAlmost every useful thing you can do with an appliance starts with its model number. Checking whether it has been recall

Where this stops

Identification work that belongs to one class of equipment stays with that equipment: a tire date code is in the vehicle section, and the age of a water heater is in water heating. This section holds the cross-cutting record keeping and the general reading of a data plate.