Why is My Dishwasher Leaking?

Entering the kitchen to find a large puddle on the floor is never the best to start the day.

Luckily, most commonplace sources of dishwasher leaks are relatively easy to determine and fix yourself. This means you might not have to wash the dishes by hand for more than a day or two, call an engineer or have to pay the call-out charge.

So, if you’re feeling up to it grab the instruction manual if you know where it is, find a towel to clean up the puddle and so get a towel soak up any further leaks and so see if you can’t fix the problem. If you can’t call us for local dishwasher repair.

Commonly Seen Sources of Dishwasher Faults as well as How to Mend Them

Some of the more commonplace sources of dishwasher leaks are not in fact because of a broken dishwasher . Prior to starting preparing yourself for an engineering task and also flicking through endless online videos there are a number of things you can troubleshoot first.

Investigate to see if your dishwasher is level. If your dishwasher is not level water can quickly puddle as well as leak regardless of whether or not the dishwasher has a fault.
Test you are using the correct soap. You may be familiar with this issue with your washer. An excess of soap or using the wrong variety may lead to too many soap suds, the bubbles overflow resulting in a spill.
Test your dishwasher door fully closes. If there’s a gap there may be an obstruction, or you may need to fix the hinge or the locking mechanism.
Check the filter located in the base of the tub for any visible obstructions because if your dishwasher isn’t draining effectively this will cause it to overfill and so spill.

Once you have ruled out these potential problems it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start the investigation.

To make your life easier start with the door and investigate for any visible problems inside of the machine prior to moving on to the underside. If you are able to find and so resolve the issue before you have to pull out the dishwasher so much the better.

Before you do anything else make sure you disconnect the appliance.

Door Gasket

The most commonplace place for leakage is on the door, thankfully it is also one of the simplest issues to fix.

If the leakage is intermittent the problem might be as simple as a big pan or something else pushing into the door thus stopping it from closing fully.

On the other hand the door seal may have been dislodged or become cracked.

Inspect the door gasket and check for any degradation, mineral deposits or other gunk, or any areas in which the gasket has separated from the door.

Extracting the seal and allowing it a thorough scrub has been known to improve the situation in some cases or you may need to purchase a new gasket and change it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The inlet valve can be another everyday issue. The inlet is generally found underneath the machine therefore you will have to unscrew the toe board and also might need to take off the door cover.

The water inlet valve opens and also closes to allow water into the dishwasher at varying times during the cycle. The inlet valve may be leaking, evidenced by a slight drip, or it could be damaged and not functioning properly while the dishwasher is running.

In the case that the fill valve fails to shut properly this can lead to the dishwasher leaking.

In General inlet valve are not able to be fixed, which means the entire part would have to be replaced.

Leaking Hoses

Hoses are needed to supply, empty and recirculate water during the program.

Two complications could present themselves when it comes to hoses.

The gaskets may go or the connections may come loose so it’s worth examining all the connections first.
The other problem than can often happen over time is that hoses can become broken or cracked.

If you can see that the leak is coming from a hose this will be simple to change and spare hoses are easy to come by.

Pumps and Seals

You can visually investigate the seals around the water pumps or motor to see if there is a leakage and also replace them if there is.

The Float Switch

Either the float or the float switch may be damaged resulting in the dishwasher overfilling.

When working as it should the float will lift up with the water level until it reaches the optimum fill level. The end piece of the float should then turn on the switch. A blockage or breakage could be causing your problem.

Checking the switch would need electrical equipment but it may be obviously broken in which case replacing it should resolve the issue.

Alternative Components that Might Lead to a Leak

A damaged wash arm or support might build up pressure resulting in a leak. This will also often result in your dishes not being cleaned as effectively as they should.

Broken or faulty lines may also result in this fault as can a broken pump cap.

The motor shaft seal may have degraded resulting in a leak. This will generally show as a puddle coming from underneath the dishwasher.

Top Tips to Sort Out Your Dishwasher

Save money by checking the gasket rather than the whole component. In many cases, you can buy the gasket without the rest of the part which saves you having to replace the entire component.
Test the easy solutions first. You don’t need to pull the whole machine out if it’s the detergent that’s making the problem.
Photograph your progress. This may make your life easier when you come to reverse the process, describe the component you are looking for to a sales person, as well as explain the issue to a repair person if needed.
Stay safe. Water and electricity are not good friends so unplug the machine first.
If you’re struggling call a repair person.

What To Do Next If Your Initial Investigation Doesn’t Identify or Mend the Leakage

If the cause of the leakage can’t be uncovered the thing you may do is to pull the dishwasher away from the wall to get a clearer view of the beneath it and fill it with water to see if the leak becomes visible.

If you are still in the dark your machine may only leak if during a cycle. If this is the case, you may wish to get a service engineer to pinpoint and fix the issue as there are safety risks of checking for faults with electrical elements uncovered.