Before you begin. This procedure is general reference information, not professional advice. Equipment varies by manufacturer, model, and year. Always follow the documentation supplied with your equipment — where it differs from this page, follow the manufacturer. Verify that you have the tools, the working conditions, and the ability to do this task safely. If anything is unclear, if the equipment is damaged, or if the task exceeds your experience, stop and use a qualified professional. You are responsible for your own safety and for the outcome. This site accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from the use of this information.
Specifications marked unverified could not be traced to a manufacturer source. Do not rely on them — obtain the value from your equipment documentation.
Summary
Almost every useful thing you can do with an appliance starts with its model number. Checking whether it has been recalled, ordering the right part, booking a repair, claiming under a warranty, proving a loss to an insurer — all of them need it, and all of them need it at the worst possible moment, when the machine is already broken or the recall is already in the news. This page is the boring hour that makes those moments easy. Do it once for the whole house, keep the record in two places, and you will never again be lying on the kitchen floor with a torch trying to read a label behind a dishwasher.
What this page will not do is tell you where the label is. That varies by manufacturer and by model, and it varies within a single product class: two CPSC refrigerator recalls describe the label as being on the top left of the interior in one case and on a serial plate inside the compartment in another. So the location is published here as an instruction to look, with the usual hiding places listed, rather than as a fact. The other thing worth knowing before you start: a recall notice identifies affected units by model number and by a range of serial numbers, so recording only the model number gets you halfway and can leave you guessing about your own machine.
Safety
ASK A SECOND PERSON FOR HELP BEFORE YOU MOVE A LARGE APPLIANCE.
A large appliance can fall and injure you.
Necessary equipment
| Item | Note |
|---|---|
| Camera or phone | Use the camera to make a photograph of each rating plate. |
| Flashlight | Many rating plates are in a dark space. |
| Notebook or spreadsheet | The record must be legible after ten years. |
| Soft cloth optional | Use the cloth to clean a dirty rating plate. |
Prepare the record
Estimated 8 min to 13 min
- Make a list of the appliances in your home.5mReport a problem with step 1, Prepare the record
- Include the equipment in the kitchen, the laundry and the garage.
- Include the water heater and the heating equipment.
- Include the smoke alarms and the carbon monoxide alarms.
- Prepare a table with one row for each appliance.3mReport a problem with step 2, Prepare the record
- Give the table a column for the manufacturer.
- Give the table a column for the model number.
- Give the table a column for the serial number.
- Give the table a column for the location of the appliance.
- Give the table a column for the date of purchase.
Find the rating plate
Estimated 7 min to 14 min
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
- Look for the rating plate on the first appliance.1mReport a problem with step 1, Find the rating plate
- The rating plate is a metal or paper label.
- The documentation of the manufacturer gives the location of the rating plate.
- If you cannot see the rating plate, open the door of the appliance.1mReport a problem with step 2, Find the rating plate
- Many labels are on the inner frame of the door.
- Some labels are behind a drawer or below a lid.
- Some labels are on the back of the appliance.
DISCONNECT THE PLUG FROM THE ELECTRICAL OUTLET BEFORE YOU MOVE AN APPLIANCE.
A damaged cord can give you an electric shock.
- If the rating plate is behind the appliance, move the appliance with a second person.5mReport a problem with step 3, Find the rating plate
- Do not pull the appliance by its cord.
- Do not pull the appliance by its hose.
Read the numbers
Estimated 4 min (partly estimated)
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
Do not confuse the model number with the serial number.
A recall notice uses both numbers.
- Read the model number from the rating plate.<1mReport a problem with step 1, Read the numbers
- The model number identifies the design of the appliance.
- Read the serial number from the rating plate.<1mReport a problem with step 2, Read the numbers
- The serial number identifies your individual appliance.
- Make a photograph of the full rating plate.<1mReport a problem with step 3, Read the numbers
- A photograph keeps the data that you did not copy.
- Make sure that all the print is legible in the photograph.
- Write the model number and the serial number in the table.1mReport a problem with step 4, Read the numbers
- Copy each character exactly.
- The digit 0 and the letter O are different characters.
- Write the location of the appliance in the table.<1mReport a problem with step 5, Read the numbers
- Write the date of purchase in the table.<1mReport a problem with step 6, Read the numbers
- The receipt or the bank record gives the date of purchase.
- Do the same for each appliance in the list.Report a problem with step 7, Read the numbers
Store the record
Estimated 3 min
Keep the record in a private location.
A record of your equipment is also a list of the property in your home.
- Keep the table in two locations.2mReport a problem with step 1, Store the record
- Keep one copy in the home.
- Keep one copy outside the home or in an online account.
- A fire in the home can destroy a copy that is only in the home.
- Keep the photographs with the table.1mReport a problem with step 2, Store the record
Use the record
Estimated 6 min to 16 min
Source: GE Appliances, a Haier Company, Recalls Bottom Freezer, French Door Refrigerators Due to Fall Hazard (Recall 22-117) · tier 1 · accessed 2026-07-29
- Compare each model number with the recall register of CPSC.5mReport a problem with step 1, Use the record
- A recall notice gives the model numbers and a range of serial numbers.
- Your appliance is in the recall only if both numbers agree.
- Give the model number and the serial number when you ask for service.<1mReport a problem with step 2, Use the record
- Do this procedure again when you buy a new appliance.<1mReport a problem with step 3, Use the record
Terminology
This page uses one term for each item and holds it throughout, as ASD-STE100 requires. Equipment sellers and other guides use the names below for the same parts.
- model number
- Also called: model no, model #, model code, product number, type number
- serial number
- Also called: serial no, serial #, SN, unit number
- rating plate
- Also called: data plate, serial plate, nameplate, model sticker, spec label, appliance tag
- recall notice
- Also called: product recall, safety recall, recall list, appliance recall
When to use a professional
Do not move a large appliance alone. Ask a second person for help. A technician can read the numbers for you during a service visit.
Stop if you must disconnect the appliance from the water supply or from the gas supply to see the label. Speak to a qualified technician. The numbers are not worth the risk of a leak.
Stop if the label is not legible. Do not guess a character. Speak to the customer service department of the manufacturer. The manufacturer can identify the appliance from the documentation or from the receipt.
Common questions
Where is the model number on my appliance?
There is no general answer, which is exactly why this page tells you to look rather than printing a location. Two CPSC refrigerator recalls make the point: one describes the brand, model and serial number as being on a label at the top of the left side inside the refrigerator compartment, and another describes a serial plate inside the compartment. The usual places to check are the inner frame of the door, under or behind a drawer, the back panel, and the underside. If none of those work, the manual for your model will say.
What is the difference between a model number and a serial number?
The model number identifies the design — every unit of that design shares it. The serial number identifies your individual machine and is unique to it. Recalls need both: a CPSC notice typically lists the affected model numbers and then narrows the recall to serial numbers within a stated range or beginning with certain letters. Recording only the model number tells you that your appliance might be affected without telling you whether it actually is.
Why bother writing appliance model numbers down?
Because you always need them at the least convenient moment. Recall checks, spare parts, warranty claims, service bookings and insurance loss lists all key off these numbers, and by the time you need one the machine is usually broken, dark, or full of water. There is also the case where the appliance is gone entirely, after a fire or a theft, and the record is the only proof of what you owned.
Can I just take a photo of the label instead?
Take the photo — it captures the certification marks and the electrical data you did not think to copy — but transcribe the two numbers as well. A photograph is not searchable, and a folder of forty label photos is not something you will enjoy scrolling through when a recall is announced. Do both: the typed row for searching, the photo for everything you did not type.
How do I check whether my appliance has been recalled?
Search the CPSC recall register at cpsc.gov for the manufacturer or product type, then match your model number against the list in the notice and your serial number against the stated range. Both have to match. If your model appears but your serial number is outside the range, your unit is not part of that recall, and the notice usually gives a phone number or a website to confirm.
What if the label has worn off or I cannot read it?
Do not guess a character, because a wrong digit sends you a part that does not fit. Contact the manufacturer's customer service with whatever you can read plus the purchase date and retailer; they can usually identify the unit from that. Kidde's support documentation is a good example of manufacturers publishing exactly where their own identification label sits, so check the manufacturer's support pages before you give up.
Related procedures
- How to check if something you own has been recalled
- How do I decode the date code on my appliance and find out how old it is
- How old is my water heater and how do I read the serial number
- How do I read the label on my hot water heater and figure out what the numbers mean
- Is my phone charger safe to use? How to tell if a charging cable or wall charger is damaged, counterfeit or has been recalled
- How to read the label on a power tool and understand what the numbers mean
- How long should you wait before plugging in a refrigerator after it is moved or delivered?
- How to check that your stove or range has an anti-tip bracket and won't tip over
Sources
Every specification on this page is traced to one of these sources. Tier 1 is a manufacturer document, a published standard, or a government safety authority. See Standards for the full tiering rule.
- Tier 1Recalls & Product Safety Warnings
- Tier 1GE Appliances, a Haier Company, Recalls Bottom Freezer, French Door Refrigerators Due to Fall Hazard (Recall 22-117)
- Tier 1Electrolux Group Recalls Frigidaire Side by Side Refrigerators with Slim Ice Buckets Due to Choking and Laceration Hazards
- Tier 1How to Find the Model Number on Your Alarm
Revision history
Current version 1 · updated 2026-07-29 · next review due 2027-07-29
- v1 · 2026-07-29First draft. Label location published as consult-the-manufacturer, evidenced by two CPSC recall notices that give different locations within one product class.
Corrections to this page are listed in the public corrections log. Reports that are credible and not yet verified are listed in the public errata register, and an open one renders above the step it concerns.
Comments and corrections
Found an error? A correction with a manufacturer source is applied and logged publicly. You can also write to corrections@fixchecklist.com.
Every step above carries its own report control, which tags the report with that step so a correction reaches the right place. For anything about the procedure as a whole — the order of the sections, a step that is missing, something that did not match your equipment — use this: report something about this whole procedure.