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GSW® Water age

How to determine the date of production/manufacture or age of GSW® brand Water Heater Systems.

Water heaters in general have an average estimated useful service life of 10-12 years, though water quality, routine upkeep/maintenance, and location of the water heater will all play critical roles in the longevity of these systems.

See also: Estimated Useful Service Life Expectancies

Parent Company: A.O. Smith Corporation (since 2006)

Subsidiaries: American Water Heater Company (now also part of A.O. Smith since 2006)

The date of production/manufacture or age of GSW brand Water Heater equipment can be determined from the serial number located on the rating data plate.

Example serial number styles/formats found:

→Style 1:   0331263882

→Style 2:   U1117 F70063  -or-  S1001 F701883

Legend:  Year is RED;  Month is GREEN; Week is BLUE

→Style 1:   0331263882

Year of manufacture can be determined by using the 1st & 2nd digits of the serial number

Week of manufacture can be determined by using the 3rd & 4th digits of the serial number

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→Style 2:   U1117  F700633   -or-  S1001  F701883

Year of manufacture can be determined by using the 1st & 2nd numerical digits after the letter prefix of the serial number

Week of manufacture can be determined by using the 3rd & 4th numerical digits after the letter prefix of the serial number

IMPORTANT NOTE:  If the water heater was manufactured prior to 2008, the 3rd and 4th digits represent month instead of week.

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GSW® History¹
  • 1873 - Brothers George and Mathew Beatty founded Beatty Brothers in Fergus, Ontario. They primarily manufactured agricultural machinery and later barn and stable equipment.
  • 1912 - After numerous other acquisitions, Beatty Brothers acquired Wortman & Ward - a London-based manufacturer of water pumps and washing machines. This marked the entry of Beatty Brothers into the domestic appliance market. By 1928, the company was selling a range of over 600 different products throughout Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
  • 1927 - General Steel Wares established in Ontario, Canada through merger of multiple companies including: McClary Manufacturing Company, The Sheet Metal Products (SMP) Company of Canada Limited, The Thomas Davidson Manufacturing Company Limited, E. T. Wright Limited, A. Aubry et fils Limitée, and Happy Thought Foundry Company.  They made various items including housewares like washtubs, baby bath tubs, oil stoves, cream cans, lanterns, metal lunch boxes, metal lanterns, cast iron cookware, etc.
  • 1961-62 - Beatty Brothers Limited gained a controlling interest in General Steel Wares (GSW) through a reverse takeover, thereby merging these two companies under the GSW name. Beatty Brothers Limited merged with General Steel Wares in 1969 to create GSW Limited. Thereafter it was known internally as GSW's Beatty Division, and some of the original Beatty branding was retained, though the product line had narrowed to production of water heaters.
  • 2002 - GSW Limited acquires American Water Heater Co. (AWHC). This acquisition made GSW the third largest water heater manufacturer in North America at the time. The 2 companies would continue to operate as separate businesses. At the time, AWHC also manufactured the Whirlpool brand water heaters for Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse and the U.S. Craftmaster brand residential water heaters for hardware retailers.
  • 2006 - A.O. Smith Corporation completes purchase of GSW Limited and its subsidiaries including American Water Heater Co.
  • 2013 - A.O. Smith announced the closure of its 500,000 square foot (46,000 m2) manufacturing plant at 599 Hill Street West in Fergus, with the loss of 350 jobs. At the time, the only remaining product made at the plant was residential and light commercial water heaters for the Canadian and U.S. markets. The closure of this plant brought the Beatty Brothers legacy to a final close. The company planned to consolidate residential and light commercial water heater manufacturing into other North American plants. According to the A.O. Smith public media announcement, Fergus would remain the central office of A.O. Smith’s Canadian business with a total of approximately 125 employees. The facility will continue to house the sales, marketing, finance, customer service, information technology, and product engineering functions. The company’s regional water heater distribution center also will remain in Fergus. GSW's mailing address currently remains located at the Fergus facility (as of 01/2025).
  • Current - A.O. Smith Corporation continues to manufacture water heaters under the GSW brand for key regional retailers and major national chains including Canadian Tire, Home Hardware, Rona, Lowes, and more.

1 History excerpts from various industry sources

Every effort is undertaken to offer you correct and concise information to assist you in determining the age or manufacture date of water heating equipment. Users relying on this information do so at their own risk.
Page last updated: 01/23/2025