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You'll notice one or two letters stamped into the vent dampers of all Weber charcoal grills. This is a code that represents the year of manufacture. In 1979, Weber started using a single letter to denote the year; in 1994, they switched to a two-letter code. Codes were not used prior to 1979.[/FONT]
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Here's the list of codes and their corresponding values:[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]A: 1979[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]B: 1980[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]C: 1981[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]D: 1982[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]E: 1983[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]F: 1984[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]G: 1985[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]H: 1986[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]J: 1987[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]K: 1988[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]L: 1989[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]M: 1990[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]N: 1991[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]O: 1992[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]P: 1993[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]EH: 1994[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]EO: 1995[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]ER: 1996[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]EI: 1997[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]EZ: 1998[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]EE: 1999[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]DD: 2000[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]DA: 2001[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]DU: 2002[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]DT: 2003[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]DH: 2004[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]DO: 2005[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]DR: 2006[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]DI: 2007[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]DZ: 2008[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]DE: 2009[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]AD: 2010[/FONT]
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Here's some more interesting info about Weber's code scheme.[/FONT]
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As always...click on any of the pictures to view a larger image.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Code Example[/FONT]
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Here's an example of a vent damper code. This photo shows the two-letter code "EE" from a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker manufactured in 1999. The code appears on all four WSM vent dampers.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Code Doubles As "Serial Number"[/FONT]
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If you call Weber Customer Support and ask for a replacement part during the warranty period, the representative may ask you for the "serial number" stamped into the vent damper. But you now know that the "serial number" is actually a date code, and Weber uses that code to determine if you're requesting a warranty claim on a cooker manufactured this year...or ten years ago.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Vent Dampers Without A Code[/FONT]
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There are reports from a few WSM owners that their vent dampers are not stamped with any code at all. This is simply a manufacturing error, but it makes warranty claims difficult because you cannot provide your "serial number". However, if you remember the year you bought your cooker, you can find your "serial number" from the list of codes above.[/FONT]