--- title: "Where the model number hides, and why nothing works without it" description: "On a Kenmore the first three digits say who actually built the appliance. On everything else it decides which parts are carried." url: "https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/find-your-model-number/" date_modified: "2026-09-24" --- Troubleshooting # Where the model number hides, and why nothing works without it The usual refrigerator model number location is a sticker inside the fresh-food compartment, high on a side wall or ceiling near the light, or low behind the crisper drawers. Some built-ins also carry it behind the top grille, and each column has its own label. Parts, wiring diagrams and error-code tables all depend on that number. By [RefrigeratorRepair.center technical team](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/authors/technical-team/) Published September 24, 2026 ## At a glance. Parts, wiring diagrams, service notes and even the right error-code table all hang on one string of letters and digits printed on a label you have probably never looked at. Here is where that label sits on each kind of refrigerator, and how to photograph it so it is actually readable. Read the whole guide ### Where it is most often Inside the fresh-food compartment, high on a side wall or on the ceiling Look near the interior light before anywhere else. ### Second most likely Low on a side wall, behind the crisper drawers Slide the drawers out; the label is often on the wall they cover. ### On a built-in Up high, near the top of the compartment or behind the top grille The documentation that came with the unit says which. ### What to send us A sharp photo of the whole label, not a typed copy Similar characters such as 0 and O are easy to mistype. In this guide 1. Why nothing moves without it 2. The refrigerator model number location, type by type 3. What the major makes tend to do 4. What the serial number is for 5. Photographing the label so it can be read 6. Step by step 7. Questions ## Why nothing moves without it Two refrigerators that look the same in a showroom can share almost no parts, and the model number is what tells them apart. ### Parts change partway through a production run Manufacturers revise boards, fans, valves and gaskets partway through a production run, and the model number, sometimes with a revision suffix at the end, is how a supplier knows which version you have. A technician who arrives without it can diagnose the problem but may not be able to order the right part until after the visit. ### It decides which documentation applies The same display message can mean different things on different product lines, and the tables in our error code library are only useful once the model is known. That is why this page is linked from so much of the site. Source: [Sears PartsDirect (Kenmore parts) — How to find your appliance model number](https://web.archive.org/web/20260212105520/https://www.searspartsdirect.com/diy/article/how-to-find-your-appliance-model-number) — Kenmore prefix names the builder; 790 Frigidaire, 795 LG; suffixes mark revisions ## The refrigerator model number location, type by type Labels are usually a white or silver sticker, sometimes a small metal plate, showing the model, the serial number and electrical ratings. It is placed where it will survive cleaning but stay visible with the door open, which narrows the search considerably. The refrigerator model number location varies more by style than by brand, so start from the table below and look where your type usually puts it. *Where the model and serial label usually sits, by refrigerator type* | Type | Look here first | Also check | | --- | --- | --- | | French door | Inside the fresh-food section on the left or right wall, near the top by the light | Low down behind the crisper drawers | | Side-by-side | The fresh-food side, high on the wall nearest the center divider or on the ceiling | Some also carry a copy on the back of the cabinet | | Top and bottom freezer | The fresh-food wall near the top | Behind the crispers; the freezer compartment rarely carries it | | Built-in | Near the top of the fresh-food compartment, on the ceiling or upper side wall | On some makes, the frame behind the top grille | | Column | Inside each column's own cabinet, usually on an upper side wall | A pair means two labels and two model numbers | | Undercounter | An inside side wall or the ceiling | On some units, the frame behind the lower grille or toe kick | Source: [Sears PartsDirect (Kenmore parts) — How to find the age of your Kenmore refrigerator](https://web.archive.org/web/20260627101423/https://www.searspartsdirect.com/diy/article/how-to-find-the-age-of-your-kenmore-refrigerator) — Label on upper side wall or ceiling; serial encodes production date; [GE Appliances — side-by-side refrigerator owner's manual 49-60198](https://www.geappliances.com/content/older-pdfs/49-60198.PDF) — Side-by-side label at the top right of the fresh-food compartment; [GE Monogram — 36, 42 and 48-inch built-in side-by-side owner's manual](https://www.geappliances.com/content/older-pdfs/49601282.PDF) — Built-in label above the freezer compartment, behind the grille panel A close view of a phone camera held up toward the inside wall of an open refrigerator, the screen facing away from the viewer. ## What the major makes tend to do Brand habits are a useful second clue once you know where your type usually puts the label. ### Mass-market, premium built-in and panel-ready - Mass-market brands such as Whirlpool, GE, Samsung, LG and Frigidaire mostly use an interior sticker in the fresh-food compartment; one GE side-by-side manual places it high on the right, behind the controls. - Premium built-in makers put the tag up high because the sides and back of the unit disappear into cabinetry once it is installed. - Panel-ready units are the same appliance under a wooden front, so the label is still inside, not on the panel. ### Kenmore and the three-digit prefix Kenmore is the special case. Kenmore models are built by other manufacturers, and the model number carries a three-digit prefix before a dot that identifies the actual builder. Kenmore's own parts site names two of them: - 790: Frigidaire. - 795: LG. ### Why the prefix matters most That prefix decides which parts catalog applies, so it matters more on a Kenmore than any other part of the number. Source: [Sears PartsDirect (Kenmore parts) — How to find your appliance model number](https://web.archive.org/web/20260212105520/https://www.searspartsdirect.com/diy/article/how-to-find-your-appliance-model-number) — Kenmore prefix names the builder; 790 Frigidaire, 795 LG; suffixes mark revisions; [GE Appliances — side-by-side refrigerator owner's manual 49-60198](https://www.geappliances.com/content/older-pdfs/49-60198.PDF) — Side-by-side label at the top right of the fresh-food compartment ## What the serial number is for The serial number identifies your individual unit rather than the design. It answers questions the model number cannot: - How old the appliance is: most manufacturers encode the production date and factory in it, so a technician does not have to guess. - Which mid-run revisions it already has. - Whether a recall covers it. - Whether any service bulletin a maker has issued on a batch applies to it. - Whether the manufacturer's own coverage still applies. ### Decoding the production date Keep the serial with the model number; one without the other answers only half the questions. Where a maker publishes a date key, the first few characters of the serial usually carry the year and month. Do not rely on decoding it yourself; it differs between manufacturers and has changed over the decades, and we read it as part of the visit. Source: [Sears PartsDirect (Kenmore parts) — How to find the age of your Kenmore refrigerator](https://web.archive.org/web/20260627101423/https://www.searspartsdirect.com/diy/article/how-to-find-the-age-of-your-kenmore-refrigerator) — Label on upper side wall or ceiling; serial encodes production date ## Photographing the label so it can be read Labels inside refrigerators are often small, glossy and half-hidden behind a shelf lip, and a quick phone photo comes out blurred or bleached by the flash. This order gets a readable picture the first time: 1. Take the shelves or drawers in front of the label out. 2. Wipe the label dry. 3. Turn the flash off and leave the interior light on. 4. Take one wide photo, straight on, so it is clear where the label is. 5. Take one from about eight inches, close enough to fill the frame. 6. Zoom in on your own screen to confirm every character is sharp before you close the door. 7. Save it in a note along with the purchase date, and you will never need to empty the crisper for this again. ## Where to stop Do not pull a built-in, column or undercounter unit out of its opening, or unscrew a toe kick with the unit powered, just to reach a second label; the interior one is enough. If the only label is on the back of a freestanding unit that has a water line, leave it for the visit rather than dragging the appliance across the supply tubing. Written by [RefrigeratorRepair.center technical team](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/authors/technical-team/). The technicians who take the calls this site books. Every guide is written from what we see on those visits and checked against the manufacturer's documentation where it exists. Sources: [Sears PartsDirect (Kenmore parts) — How to find your appliance model number](https://web.archive.org/web/20260212105520/https://www.searspartsdirect.com/diy/article/how-to-find-your-appliance-model-number) · [Sears PartsDirect (Kenmore parts) — How to find the age of your Kenmore refrigerator](https://web.archive.org/web/20260627101423/https://www.searspartsdirect.com/diy/article/how-to-find-the-age-of-your-kenmore-refrigerator) · [GE Appliances — side-by-side refrigerator owner's manual 49-60198](https://www.geappliances.com/content/older-pdfs/49-60198.PDF) · [GE Monogram — 36, 42 and 48-inch built-in side-by-side owner's manual](https://www.geappliances.com/content/older-pdfs/49601282.PDF) ## Step by step. Four steps, in the order worth doing them. 01 ### Open the fresh-food door Start near the interior light and scan the upper side walls and the ceiling. 02 ### Pull the crispers If nothing is up high, slide out the bottom drawers and check the lower side walls and the floor edge. 03 ### Check the paperwork The use and care guide, the registration card or the original receipt usually repeat the model number. 04 ### Photograph it twice One wide shot for location and one close shot, flash off, checked for sharpness before you close the door. For the heart of your home. ## Questions owners ask. ### The label has faded or peeled off. What now? Check the use and care guide, the installation paperwork, and any delivery receipt. If none survive, a technician can often identify the model from its parts and layout, but it adds time to the visit. ### Why do you need both numbers for a column pair? Because the refrigerator column and the freezer column are separate appliances with separate parts. Send both, even if only one side is acting up. ### Is the number on the box the same as on the label? Usually, but boxes sometimes carry a retail or bundle code. The label on the appliance itself is the one to trust. ### Do you need the model number before booking? It helps a great deal, but it is not a condition of booking. If you cannot find the label, tell us the type and the make, and the technician will locate and record it during the visit so the next repair starts with it. ## The problems behind it. Each has a page of its own: what it usually means and the causes in the order worth checking. [All 18 problems](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/problems/) Problem ### Refrigerator Showing an Error Code 5 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Refrigerator Control Panel Not Responding 5 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Ice Maker Not Making Ice 6 causes, cheapest first ## When it needs a technician. 144 error codes on this site send owners here first. The repairs on the right are where this guide ends when the checks do not settle it. [Samsung OF OF](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/error-codes/samsung-of-of/) [Samsung 5E](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/error-codes/samsung-5e/) [Samsung PC ER](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/error-codes/samsung-pc-er/) [LG ER CO](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/error-codes/lg-er-co/) [LG OF F](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/error-codes/lg-of-f/) [LG ER rS](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/error-codes/lg-er-rs/) [Frigidaire SY CE](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/error-codes/frigidaire-sy-ce/) [Electrolux SY CE](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/error-codes/electrolux-sy-ce/) [Sub-Zero H2 LO](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/error-codes/sub-zero-h2-lo/) [Sub-Zero L0 C](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/error-codes/sub-zero-l0-c/) ### Diagnostic visit The visit that decides what the repair actually is, before any part is ordered. ### Controls and sensors A refrigerator cools to what it believes the temperature is, and a sensor reading wrong is obeyed perfectly. ## More in troubleshooting. The checks that are safe to do on your own, and the point at which doing more stops being sensible. [The whole section](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/troubleshooting/) What you can check yourself ### Five observations that narrow a refrigerator problem down before anyone visits Is the freezer cold, is there frost, is it running, did it drift or drop, and has anything changed about where it stands. What you can check yourself ### The paper test, and four other checks that cost nothing Door seal, level, grille, vents and settings. Each one removes a branch of the diagnosis before a technician is even booked. Guides ### All 19 guides Six sections, by what you are trying to find out. --- **[Read on the site: Where the model number hides, and why nothing works without it](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/find-your-model-number/)** **[Book a visit with RefrigeratorRepair.center](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/schedule/)**