--- title: "Find your washer's model number | WasherRepair.center" description: "The tag sits around a front-loader's door opening or under a top-loader's lid, and it unlocks the right manual, the right parts and any recall." url: "https://washerrepair.center/guides/find-your-model-number/" date_modified: "2026-09-25" --- Troubleshooting # Find your washer's model number The washer model number is printed on a tag that, on most machines, sits inside the door around the front-loader's opening or under the lid near the hinge on a top-loader, with backup spots on the cabinet sides and back. It identifies the exact build, so it unlocks the right manual, the right parts and any safety recall, and it is the first thing a technician asks for. By [WasherRepair.center technical team](https://washerrepair.center/authors/technical-team/) Published September 25, 2026 ## At a glance. Two washers that look identical from the laundry room door can share almost no parts. The string of letters and digits on a small tag is what tells them apart, and it is usually tucked where you only see it with the door or lid open. Read the whole guide ### Front-loader Around the door opening Open the door and look at the rim or the frame face beside it. ### Top-loader Under the lid, near a hinge Some tags are on the back of the control console instead. ### Quick check Starts and ends with a letter GE says its model numbers always do; the serial number is the other line. In this guide 1. What the number opens up 2. Where to look on each washer type 3. Reading the tag without mixing up the lines 4. When the tag is worn, painted over or missing 5. Using the number: manuals, parts and recalls 6. Step by step 7. Questions ## What the number opens up A brand builds a single washer design in many versions over its life, changing a pump, a control board or a door lock partway through production. The name on the front, the capacity and the color do not reveal which version is in your laundry room. The washer model number does, and with it the use and care manual, the installation sheet, the wiring diagram tucked inside the cabinet and the exact list of parts. It also saves time when you book. A technician who knows the model before arriving can check which parts tend to wear on that build and bring the likely ones, instead of spending the first visit identifying the machine. Keep in mind that the washer and the dryer beside it have separate numbers even when they were sold as a matched set. Mixing them up is one of the most common reasons a part arrives that does not fit. ## Where to look on each washer type Makers put the tag where it will not get wet or scuffed but where a person with the door open can read it. Whirlpool and GE publish their locations, and the same handful of places is worth checking on any brand: a flashlight and a slow look around them nearly always turns it up. - Rim or frame of the door opening - Under the lid, near a hinge - Back of the control console - Cabinet side, lower front corner - Rear panel near the hose connections ### Front-loaders Whirlpool places it inside the door on the rim of the opening. GE lists the inside of the door panel on the wash compartment face and, as a second spot, the lower front corner of the right side of the cabinet. ### Top-loaders Whirlpool puts it beneath the lid on the tub rim. GE's first spot is under the lid near the right hinge, followed by the back of the control panel, the bottom left corner of the cabinet and the back near the water inlets. ### Laundry centers, stacked pairs and all-in-ones A stacked pair is two machines with two tags, so read the one on the washer, not the dryer above it. On a one-piece laundry center, Whirlpool puts the tag inside the dryer door, and on an all-in-one washer-dryer it is on the door frame just inside the door. A pedestal carries its own tag on the storage drawer. Close on a blank white rating sticker on the door frame of a front-load washer. ## Reading the tag without mixing up the lines The tag carries several numbers, and the one to copy is marked Model, Model No. or MOD. The serial number sits just below it and identifies the single machine, including when it was built; it matters for recalls and service history, so copy it too. GE notes that its model numbers always begin and end with a letter, which makes a quick sanity check. Small characters cause most mistakes. When a character could be either one, write it the way it looks and add a photo, rather than guessing: - The letter O and the digit 0 - The letter I, the letter L and the digit 1 - The letter S and the digit 5 - A trailing dash with extra characters, which is part of the number Source: [GE Appliances — Model and serial number locator, front-load washers](https://www.geappliances.com/ge/find-model-serial-number/front-load-washers.htm) — Inside door panel on the wash compartment face, or lower front corner of the right side; model numbers begin and end with a letter; newer tags carry QR codes ## When the tag is worn, painted over or missing Tags near the door rim fade from detergent and bleach, and tags on the back get scraped against the wall. Try the other locations above before giving up, since some washers carry a second tag. Newer tags may also carry a QR code; GE says scanning one opens a page for that exact product. If nothing is readable, look at the paperwork: the use and care manual, the receipt, a delivery or installation invoice, the product registration card, or the maker's app if the washer was ever connected to Wi-Fi. A technician can often identify the model from the parts inside, but that takes part of the visit. Source: [GE Appliances — Model and serial number locator, front-load washers](https://www.geappliances.com/ge/find-model-serial-number/front-load-washers.htm) — Inside door panel on the wash compartment face, or lower front corner of the right side; model numbers begin and end with a letter; newer tags carry QR codes ## Using the number: manuals, parts and recalls With the number in hand, the maker's own support site will usually return the manual and installation instructions for it. Keep the manual somewhere you can find it, or save the file on your phone, because the pump filter, the leveling feet and the error display all differ by model. It is also how you check for a recall. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission keeps a searchable list of recalls and product safety warnings, and a recall notice names the models it covers. Compare yours character for character, and follow the maker's recall instructions rather than a repair if it appears. Source: [CPSC — Recalls and product safety warnings](https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls) — CPSC publishes a searchable list of recalls and product safety warnings ## Where to stop Finding the tag never calls for tools. Do not remove the console, the top or the rear panel to look for it, and unplug the washer before leaning in to read a tag near the back. On a stacked pair, do not pull the stack away from the wall on your own; ask for the number to be read at the visit instead. Written by [WasherRepair.center technical team](https://washerrepair.center/authors/technical-team/). The washer technicians who show up for the appointments booked on this site. Their writing grows out of machines they have taken apart on laundry room floors, checked against the maker's installation and owner's guides wherever those exist. Sources: [Whirlpool — Where is my model and serial number located?](https://producthelp.whirlpool.com/FAQ/Where_is_my_Model_and_Serial_Number_Located%3F) · [GE Appliances — Model and serial number locator, front-load washers](https://www.geappliances.com/ge/find-model-serial-number/front-load-washers.htm) · [GE Appliances — Model and serial number locator, top-load washers](https://www.geappliances.com/ge/find-model-serial-number/top-load-washers.htm) · [CPSC — Recalls and product safety warnings](https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls) ## Step by step. Four steps, in the order worth doing them. 01 ### Open the door or lid Check the rim of the opening, the frame face and the underside of the lid near the hinges. 02 ### Try the cabinet Look at the back of the console, the lower sides and the rear panel near the hoses. 03 ### Photograph the tag A sharp photo with the model and serial lines keeps every character right. 04 ### Save it with the manual Keep the photo and the manual together for the next booking or recall check. For the heart of your home. ## Questions owners ask. ### Is the model number the same as the name on the front? No. The front shows a brand and sometimes a series name, while the tag has the exact model. Parts are listed by the model number, not the series. ### Is the serial number worth copying as well? It helps. It identifies your individual machine and when it was made, which matters when a part changed mid-production or a recall covers only certain dates. ### The manual's number is slightly different from the tag. Which is right? The tag. One manual often covers a family of related models, and the last few characters on the tag can mark a color or a production change. ### How do I read a tag on a washer tucked into a closet? Take a photo instead of craning your neck. Hold your phone inside the door opening or under the lid with the flash on, then zoom in on the picture; it is also the version worth sending when you book. ## The problems behind it. Each has a page of its own: what it usually means and the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://washerrepair.center/problems/) Problem ### Washer Error Code 5 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Control Panel Not Responding 5 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Washer Not Starting 5 causes, cheapest first ## When it needs a technician. The repairs on the right are where this guide ends when the checks do not settle it. ### Diagnostic visit One visit that turns standing water, a silent drum, a banging spin or a puddle into one named part and a price. ### Controls and sensors A dead display, buttons that do nothing, cycles that stop at random or codes that keep returning, traced to the control, its sensors or its wiring. ## More in troubleshooting. The checks you can run on your own washer, and the point where carrying on stops being wise. [The whole section](https://washerrepair.center/guides/troubleshooting/) What an owner can check safely ### Five things to rule out before booking a washer repair Power and panel locks, both supply valves, the door or lid latch, the drain hose and pump filter, and the load and level, in about half an hour. What an owner can check safely ### Clean the drain pump filter on a front-load washer Where the small access door is, how to let the trapped water out without a flood, cleaning and refitting the filter, and how often to do it. Guides ### All 18 guides Six sections, by what you are trying to find out. --- **[Read on the site: Find your washer's model number | WasherRepair.center](https://washerrepair.center/guides/find-your-model-number/)** **[Book a visit with WasherRepair.center](https://washerrepair.center/schedule/)**