A new appliance is delivered, plumbed in or plugged in, and working. That's the one moment its model plate is clean, legible and easy to reach. Write five things down now: the brand and model, the serial number, when it was bought and installed, and when the warranty ends.
This covers anything you plug in or plumb in, new or already in the house when you moved in. It takes about two minutes per item and it won't tell you whether an extended warranty is worth buying; that's a separate decision, covered in appliance warranties: what to track.
Example: a filled appliance record
A made-up record for a single dishwasher, not a real one.
Appliance
- What you'd write
- Dishwasher, stainless
Brand and model
- What you'd write
- Bosch SHXM4AY55N
Serial number
- What you'd write
- Photographed the plate inside the door
Purchased / installed
- What you'd write
- 6/2/2024, installed 6/5/2024
Warranty ends
- What you'd write
- 6/2/2026, parts and labor
What to buy
- What you'd write
- None; the filter is reusable
| Field | What you'd write |
|---|---|
| Appliance | Dishwasher, stainless |
| Brand and model | Bosch SHXM4AY55N |
| Serial number | Photographed the plate inside the door |
| Purchased / installed | 6/2/2024, installed 6/5/2024 |
| Warranty ends | 6/2/2026, parts and labor |
| What to buy | None; the filter is reusable |
The five fields to write down
5 things to do
Ticks are for this visit only. Nothing here is saved anywhere.
What's worth adding for specific types
The five fields cover most things. A few categories are worth one extra line.
Refrigerator
- Extra worth writing down
- Water filter part number, and the replacement interval printed inside
Furnace or central air
- Extra worth writing down
- Filter size, and whether it's a standard 1 inch or a thicker media filter
Water heater
- Extra worth writing down
- Tank size in gallons, and the fuel type: gas or electric
Garage door opener
- Extra worth writing down
- Remote or keypad type, not the code itself
Dishwasher, range, microwave
- Extra worth writing down
- Nothing extra; the standard five fields cover it
| Type | Extra worth writing down |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator | Water filter part number, and the replacement interval printed inside |
| Furnace or central air | Filter size, and whether it's a standard 1 inch or a thicker media filter |
| Water heater | Tank size in gallons, and the fuel type: gas or electric |
| Garage door opener | Remote or keypad type, not the code itself |
| Dishwasher, range, microwave | Nothing extra; the standard five fields cover it |
Where the plate usually hides
It's almost never on the front. Refrigerators hide it inside, near the crisper drawers or on a side wall; washing machines keep it around the door opening; dishwashers put it on the edge of the door, visible only when the door is open.
The full list by appliance type, plus what to do when the label has worn away, is in how to find the model number on any appliance.
Photograph the plate, then type the model number too
A model number is long and mixes letters and digits in ways that are easy to mistype in bad light. A photo of the plate takes a second and is always accurate.
Type the model number somewhere searchable as well, because a photo buried in three years of camera roll isn't findable the day you actually need it.
Check for a recall while you're at it
Recalls are the item on this list people are least likely to check again once the record is written. Manufacturers issue them for real hazards, from a washer's fire risk to a dishwasher's wiring, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's recall listings are searchable by brand or product type without registering anything first.
Registering a new appliance isn't required for any of this, but it does get you a direct notice if the model is recalled later. If you'd rather skip the marketing emails, subscribing to CPSC's recall alerts does the same job without registering a single product.
When the record is missing entirely
Sometimes the plate itself is gone: steam, degreaser or a cabinet reface can wear a sticker past reading. Check the installation manual first, if you kept it, or look for a second plate inside a door or access panel, which sometimes survives longer than the exterior sticker.
For an appliance that came with the house and has no paperwork at all, bought or inherited a house with no records covers how to work out roughly how old something is and what to check first.
Questions about appliance records
Why does the serial number matter if I already have the model number?
A model number tells a parts supplier which part fits your appliance. A serial number identifies the specific unit and its manufacturing date, which is what a warranty claim or a recall search actually needs. Keep both written down; they answer different questions and a claim can need either one.
Where is the serial number on a refrigerator, washer, or dryer?
On most refrigerators it's on a plate inside, near the crisper drawers or on a side wall. On washers and dryers it's usually inside the door frame or on the back panel. The exact spot varies by brand and model, covered type by type in how to find the model number on any appliance.
Do I need to register a new appliance?
No. A warranty claim doesn't depend on registration since the receipt and serial number are enough on their own. Registering mainly gets you a direct notice if the model is recalled later, which you can also get by subscribing to the CPSC's recall emails, no product registration required.
What if the model number label is worn away or missing?
Check the installation manual or the original box if you kept either one. Some appliances carry a second plate inside a door or access panel that survives better than the exterior sticker. As a last resort, a parts retailer can sometimes identify a unit from photos of its features and dimensions.
What Home Base does with these fields
Home Base has fields for brand, model, purchase date, install date and warranty end, plus a Notes field where a serial number, a filter part number, or anything else can go, since there's no dedicated serial field. It shows the fields that make sense for the category, so a water heater and a garage door opener aren't asked the same six questions.
See how it holds an appliance's record in Home Base.
Sources and how we checked
- CPSC: Recalls: Recall listings are searchable by brand and product category and do not require product registration.Checked 26 September 2026.
- GE Appliances: Find Your Model and Serial Number: Confirms the rating plate carries both a model and a serial number, located per product type.Checked 26 September 2026.
Where to go next
If this is where you areHow to find the model number on any applianceBefore you can write the model down, you have to find it, and this shows where the data plate hides.- How to keep track of appliance warranties
With the purchase details written, this explains how to track the warranty end and the service condition.
- How to make a home binder: what goes in and what stays out
The appliance sheet is one page of a home binder, and this shows what else goes alongside it.
- What to keep after a home repair, besides the invoice
When the machine first breaks, this covers what to write down at the repair visit.