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How to Find Your Appliance Model Number (Any Brand)

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Before using the dishwasher not-draining hub or the washer not-draining guide, find the model label. The model number identifies the product for manuals and parts searches; the serial number is a separate identifier. Label placement varies by brand and appliance type.

Whirlpool model-number locations

Whirlpool publishes model-number locations by appliance. Its page uses the heading “Model Number Location”; it does not give a separate serial-number location for every appliance in the lists below.

Appliance Whirlpool label location
Front-load washer Inside the washer door, on the rim of the opening
Top-load washer Beneath the lid on the tub rim
Vented dryer Inside the dryer door, on the opening rim
Ventless dryer Behind the water tank
All-in-one washer-dryer Inside the door frame
Stacked laundry center Inside the dryer door
Built-in dishwasher Left side of the tub frame
Double-drawer dishwasher Right side of the upper drawer
Top-freezer or French-door refrigerator Inside the refrigerator compartment, left side
Side-by-side refrigerator Inside the refrigerator compartment, right side
Upright freezer Right side near the top
Chest freezer Inside left side wall

Whirlpool also lists locations for other categories. A range label can be on the oven or storage-drawer frame; a commercial-style range label is at the top of the oven cavity. The data plate for a cooktop is underneath, while a wall oven label is near the top of its cavity. A built-in microwave label is below the control panel by the vent on the right; an over-the-range microwave label is on the front frame with the door open. The range hood label is behind the left filter on the back wall. A disposer label is underneath at the back, a compactor label is on the left side of the drawer frame, and a wine-cooler label is near the upper door hinge. Use Whirlpool’s product-specific location page rather than assuming one position fits the brand.

LG refrigerator locations

LG’s cited page covers refrigerators. For newer models, it places the label inside the left side of the refrigerator or on the top-freezer compartment liner. For most older models, it says to look inside the right side of the refrigerator compartment liner.

Those locations apply to the refrigerator models described by LG’s page. For another LG appliance, use its model manual or ask LG support rather than borrowing a refrigerator location.

The refrigerator cooling guide uses model-specific checks, so the label helps you match the correct manual.

GE model and serial numbers

GE says GE and GE Profile model numbers always begin and end with a letter. Its page links to a location page for each product category. Follow the matching category rather than assuming one GE label position applies to every appliance.

GE also describes how the serial number encodes the manufacturing month and year. The serial starts with two letters, followed by six numbers and a final letter. The first letter gives the month; the second gives the year code. This format is separate from GE’s model-number rule: a GE or GE Profile model begins and ends with a letter, but that does not make the model number a date code. The month key is:

Letter Month Letter Month
A January L June
D February M July
F March R August
G April S September
H May T October
V November Z December

The year letters repeat about every 12 years. GE gives GA as an example that could mean April 2001 or April 2013. Do not choose one year from those letters alone. Compare the serial with the appliance’s manual print date; a manual marked 02-20 can help distinguish the possible years. GE’s page lists the full year key. Use it with the serial, not the model number, and keep both the letter pair and the manual date together until the possible year is clear.

Keep the model and serial number separate

Read the label exactly as printed. Do not replace a zero with the letter O or remove a dash unless the manufacturer’s lookup form instructs you to. If the label is damaged, use the owner’s manual or contact the manufacturer with the information still visible.

Use the model number when looking for a manual or checking whether a part fits. Use the serial number when the manufacturer asks for production-date or warranty information. GE’s date code is based on the first two letters of its serial number, not the model number. Whirlpool’s location page does not describe a universal number format, so do not apply GE’s letter rule to Whirlpool products. The appliance repair-cost guide organizes repair costs after a diagnosis; the repair-or-replace calculator compares a repair estimate with a replacement price using its cited rules.

Find the right repair instructions

Once you have the model number, compare it with the model on the manual cover or parts catalog before following a procedure. A general symptom page can explain a common cause, but model-specific controls and safe access vary. For cooling problems, use the refrigerator not-cooling hub to choose the relevant checks. The DIY appliance repair tool kit ties cited tools to specific checks and explains which work needs a professional. Do not use a part listing to skip the model manual.

Keep the number tied to the appliance

Record the model and serial number together with the appliance type and brand. A refrigerator’s tag is not interchangeable with the model plate on a matching freezer, and GE’s date key belongs to its serial number only. Whirlpool’s location page covers many appliance categories but does not give a universal number format. LG’s cited location instructions cover refrigerators, not every LG appliance.

Use the model number to choose the correct manual and parts listing. Use the serial number only when the support page asks for production-date or warranty information. If a GE date code could point to two years, compare it with the manual’s print date instead of guessing. Keep the full label available when contacting support so a replacement part or procedure is matched to the right unit.

Frequently asked questions

Is the model number the same as the serial number?

No. Whirlpool’s page labels the two separately, and GE uses the serial number for its manufacturing-date code. Copy both exactly when support asks for them.

Can I use a GE serial-number key on another brand?

No. The date code above comes from GE’s guidance. The Whirlpool page does not give the same number format, and this guide’s LG source covers refrigerator label locations only.

What if I cannot see the tag?

Check the model-specific support page or manual. Do not pull a connected appliance forward if that could disturb a gas line, hardwired supply or water connection.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Where is the model number on a Whirlpool washer?

Whirlpool says a front-load washer label is inside the door on the rim of the opening; a top-load washer label is beneath the lid on the tub rim.

How can I tell how old a GE appliance is?

GE says the first two serial-number letters encode month and year. The year letter repeats about every 12 years, so the model manual's print date can help distinguish two possible years.

Does an LG refrigerator label show the model number?

Yes. LG says newer models are inside the left side or top-freezer compartment liner; most older models are inside the right side of the refrigerator liner.

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