FairReplace

How old is your water heater? The label knows.

Every water heater, furnace and AC has its build date hidden in the serial number. Copy yours onto the plate and we'll read it, tell you how old that is in human years, and whether a repair still makes sense.

Bradford WhiteCopy it from the label on your unit

Service tag (example)

Unit
Bradford White water heater
Born
May 2002
Age
24 yrs, 5 mo
In human years
133

Museum piece

Example: a real Bradford White serial with its date on record. Type yours on the plate to replace it.

YE1395234 was made May 2002

It's about 24 years old. A gas water heater lasts about 14.5 years on average (DOE), so in human years it's 133. That beats the oldest person on record.

Is this wrong? Tell us Human years use the US life expectancy of 79 (CDC, 2024).

Typical replacement prices, nationally

Installed prices from our model, before permits and code extras. Put in your ZIP on the cost page for local numbers.

SystemLowTypicalHigh
50-gallon gas water heater$1,700$2,000$2,550
80,000 BTU 95% furnace$4,450$4,850$5,900
3-ton central AC with coil$4,100$4,650$6,150

Where the numbers come from

Makers stamp a production date into the serial, usually a year and a month or a week, each in their own code. We keep the rules for 36 brands and check them against serials whose dates are known from recall notices, printed labels and the makers themselves.

Repair or replace comes down to cost per year. A $900 repair on a furnace with two good years left is $450 a year; a new one spread over its average life is usually less. Average lifetimes come from the Department of Energy's efficiency-standard analyses.

Prices start from what the equipment sells for online, add DOE's average installation cost, then adjust the labor share to what plumbers and HVAC technicians earn where you live (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). The full method.

Popular brands

Before you sign anything

Common questions

Is FairReplace free?

Yes. Every tool works without an account. Some pages show a phone number or partner link that pays us, and each one is labeled.

Where do the prices come from?

Public data only: online list prices for the equipment, installation costs from the Department of Energy’s efficiency-standard analyses, and local trade wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). We don’t copy other cost guides.

What happens to a quote I paste?

It is read in your browser. If you choose to add it to the local price data, we keep the system, size, price, the first three digits of your ZIP and which items were included. Never names, addresses or company names.

Can I trust the age?

Every result says how sure it is. Brands where the maker publishes the code are marked Official format; the rest are Widely documented. A manufacture date printed on the label always wins.