AO Smith Water Heater Recall Resources
Official A.O. Smith Recall Notice
On Nov. 8th, 2018, A.O. Smith announced it had recalled over 600,000 Ultra Low-Nox water heaters due to fire hazard. The fire hazard is due to the burner screen, which can develop tears in it. That can cause the burner to radiate excess heat and that could become a fire hazard for water heaters that are installed directly on floors made of wood or other combustible material.
According to the manufacturer, there have been six reports of fires, though no injuries have been reported. The size capacity of the water heaters being recalled are 30, 40 and 50 gallon models that run on natural gas or propane. They were manufactured between April 2011 and August 2016. An easy way to find out if your water heater is affected is to locate the serial number on the rating plate of your water.
How to locate the rating plate
Each rating plate can look a little different. Above is a sample of an A.O. Smith (top) and a Bradford White (bottom) rating plate (Bradford White Water Heaters ARE NOT Recalled).
For the A.O. Smith name brand units, the first four digits in the serial number represent the month and date. For example: a serial number starting with 1115, represents the 15th (April) week of 2011. The digits 1631 would represent the 31st week of 2016 (August). It can get very confusing, but if your serial number’s first four digits fall between those numbers, your water heater may be affected.
If you need help figuring out if your water heater is affected by the recall, go to the A.O. Smith recall website www.waterheaterrecall.com and put in your serial number. This will tell you if your water heater is part of the recall. All brand names manufactured by A.O. Smith are affected. So, it’s not only the serial number that you should be aware of you also want to make sure the brand you have is not part of the recall. See the list below for other brand names affected.
The brand names affected can include:
- American
- Whirlpool
- Kenmore
- Reliance
- State
- U.S. Craftsmaster
What to you do if your water heater has been recalled?
- Turn off the water heater
- Contact A.O. Smith
- Work with A.O. Smith to determine if your unit is affected
- Schedule a free A.O. Smith recall repair if your unit is affected
A.O. Smith recommends shutting the water heater down immediately by turning the water and gas off to the water heater. Please be aware that a short time after you turn the water heater off, you will not have any hot water. If you need assistance in shutting the water heater down give us a call at 1-866-946-7842 or follow our emergency shutdown instructions – click here. One of our water heater experts will be happy to help you. Once you have shut the water heater down, contact A.O. Smith. The company states that the issue can be resolved with a repair.
Water Heaters Only, Inc. does not repair the A. O. Smith recalled water heaters – please contact A.O. Smith directly. However, we are happy to help in locating the rating plate and deciphering the serial number of the water heater. For older units that are affected by this recall we can provide a replacement estimate and come out to replace the water heater, if that is preferred. However, we would not be installing another A.O. Smith brand water heater.
If your A.O. Smith water heater is still under warranty, we recommend dealing with A.O. Smith directly. We can not replace any A.O. Smith recalled water heaters under a warranty situation.
Water Heaters Only, Inc is and has been committed to water heater safety for over 50 years. You can always email or call us with any questions. We are happy to answer questions, help decipher serial numbers and guide you through the process of having a safe water heater operating in your home.
