The single most useful thing you can do before booking an appliance repair is read us your model number and serial number. Both live on a small metal or sticker "rating plate" attached to the appliance, but where that plate hides depends on the appliance: a fridge tag is usually inside near the crisper drawers, a dryer's sits on the rim inside the door opening, and an oven's is in the door frame or under the storage drawer. The model number tells a technician exactly which design and parts revision you own; the serial number pins down when it was built, so the right OEM part is ordered the first time.
This guide walks through where the tag is on each of the six common kitchen and laundry appliances, how to tell the model number apart from the serial number, and how to read what they're telling you, so your appliance repair visit gets diagnosed and parts-matched without a second trip.
Model number vs. serial number: which is which
People mix these up constantly, and the difference matters when you're ordering parts. Here's the clean distinction:
- Model number identifies the design: the exact version, size, style and sometimes colour of your machine. Manufacturers build dozens of variations off one model line, and even units that look identical can use different internal parts. The model number is what determines part compatibility.
- Serial number identifies your individual unit: when and where it was made. It's how a parts catalogue knows whether a mid-series production change applies to your machine.
When you book a repair, give us both. The model number narrows the parts list; the serial number confirms which revision of a part actually fits. Ordering off the model number alone is how the wrong control board or door gasket shows up, which wastes a trip and your time. Quick tip to tell them apart on the tag: the model number is usually a mix of letters and numbers labelled Model, Mod or M/N, while the serial is labelled Serial, Ser or S/N and is often longer or all-numeric.
Refrigerator: look inside, not behind
Most people instinctively pull the fridge out and squint at the back. Start inside instead, it's faster and you don't have to move anything. Open the fresh-food door and check these spots in order:
- Upper interior corner, front-left or front-right, just inside behind the door seal.
- On the ceiling of the compartment, sometimes toward the rear, look straight up.
- Behind the crisper drawers, pull a drawer out and look at the side wall or back wall.
- The door jamb, the strip the door seals against when closed.
If it's genuinely not inside, the back exterior panel is the last resort. Tags hide in dark interior corners, so use your phone flashlight. For a fridge that isn't cooling, having this in hand before a refrigerator repair visit means the right compressor relay, evaporator fan or door gasket is matched to your exact model.
Dryer and washer: check the door opening first
Laundry appliances almost always carry the tag around the door, so open it before looking anywhere else.
Dryer: open the door and inspect the rim of the door opening, the panel the door fits into when closed. On many models, including Whirlpool, the plate sits on that rim around the door pocket. If it's not there, check the sides or top of the frame inside the opening, or the rear exterior panel near the power cord. A correct model number here gets the right heating element, thermal fuse or drum belt ordered for your dryer repair instead of a near-miss part.
Washer (washing machine): location depends on the type. On a front-load washer, open the door and look on the door frame just around the drum opening, the silver or white label is usually on the front frame inside the door (or, failing that, on the back). On a top-load washer, lift the lid and check underneath it or along the lid frame, often near the rear hinges. That number lets a tech confirm the exact drain pump, door lock or shock absorbers before the washer repair appointment.
Dishwasher: open the door all the way
A built-in dishwasher tucks its rating plate where the countertop and cabinets normally hide it, so swing the door fully open until it's flat. Then check, in order of likelihood:
- The side edge of the inner door panel. This is by far the most common spot, usually the right-hand vertical edge, though Bosch and Miele typically place it on the left edge near the top hinge.
- The tub rim, the metal or plastic lip around the tub opening, just under the countertop. Run your hand along it.
- Near the top of the tub, or on the side near the detergent dispenser, or occasionally on the control panel.
Use a flashlight, the print is small and the area is shaded. Reading the model number off the inner door edge before a dishwasher repair means the right circulation pump, wash arm or door latch is on the truck.
Stove and oven: door frame, drawer, or behind the panel
Ranges and ovens are the trickiest because manufacturers scatter the tag, but there are three reliable places to look:
- Oven door frame, open the door and check the upper-left or lower-left corner of the front frame, and the interior side trim that's only visible with the door open.
- Storage / warming drawer, slide the bottom drawer out and look at the frame around the opening or on the drawer panel itself. On many Samsung ranges it's on a side of this drawer, commonly the left.
- Behind or under the control panel, on some front-control and double-oven models the plate sits behind the control panel.
On lift-up cooktop styles it may also sit under the cooktop. Because stoves and ovens involve gas and high-voltage electrical components, the actual repair is technician-only, but finding the tag is completely safe and lets us pre-match the right igniter, bake element or control board for your stove repair or oven repair.
How to read the tag (and decode the age)
Once you've found the plate, you'll see several codes. Focus on the two labelled Model and Serial, and copy them exactly, character for character, including letters that look like numbers. A photo on your phone is the most reliable way to capture it; you can read it to us or have it ready when the tech arrives.
The serial number often also encodes the build date. Whirlpool-family serials, for example, use an alpha character for the production year followed by two digits for the week of manufacture, so a code beginning 'C08' would point to week 8 of a given year (and the letter 'I' is skipped because it's easily confused with '1'). Brands reuse year letters on a multi-decade cycle, so the same letter can mean more than one year, the model number and your purchase date help pin down the exact one. You don't need to decode it yourself, but it's reassuring to know that number is what lets a technician judge part revisions and whether your unit predates a known design change. Knowing the appliance's age also informs the honest repair-vs-replace conversation if a major component has failed.
Have the number ready, and we'll handle the rest
If the tag is unreachable, faded, or you simply can't find it, don't worry, that's part of what an experienced technician does on site. When you book, our lead tech Anthony (Red Seal, 313A-licensed and TSSA-certified) leads his own team across Toronto and the GTA, including Mississauga, Brampton and Markham. Every visit starts with a flat diagnostic fee that's credited to the repair if you proceed, and work is backed by a 90-day workmanship warranty, OEM parts, and $2M general liability insurance.
Snap a photo of your model and serial tag before you call, and you'll skip the guesswork: we can confirm the likely parts, give honest typical GTA pricing ranges (always verified on-site), and arrive ready to fix it. Book your appliance repair and have that number handy.
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Frequently asked questions
Where is the model number on my refrigerator?
Start inside, not behind. Open the fresh-food door and check the upper front-left or front-right interior corner, the ceiling of the compartment, the wall behind the crisper drawers, and the door jamb. Use a flashlight because the tag hides in dark corners. The back exterior panel is the last place to look.
What's the difference between a model number and a serial number?
The model number identifies the design, version, size and style of your appliance and determines which parts fit. The serial number identifies your specific unit, including when and where it was made, which flags any mid-series production changes. Give a repair technician both so the correct part is ordered the first time.
Why does an appliance repair company need my model number?
Manufacturers build many variations off one model line, and parts that look identical can differ in size or design. The exact model and serial numbers let a technician pull the precise parts list for your unit, so the right OEM component is ordered and the repair is completed without a wasted return trip.
Can I find my appliance's age from the serial number?
Often yes. Many serial numbers encode the build date; Whirlpool-family serials, for example, use a letter for the year and two digits for the week of manufacture. Because brands reuse year letters on a cycle, the model number and your purchase date help confirm the exact year. A technician can decode it precisely.
What if I can't find or read the tag?
That's normal, especially on built-in dishwashers and ranges where countertops and cabinets hide the plate. Take a phone photo of whatever you can reach, and an experienced technician can locate or interpret it on site. It won't hold up your booking.