Why is My Dishwasher Leaking?

Coming downstairs to find an ominous puddle on the floor is no-one’s favorite manner to start the day.

Fortuitously, most commonly seen causes of dishwasher faults are comparably easy to diagnose and mend by yourself. Meaning you could not be required to hand wash the dishes for too long, wait for the repair man or have to pay a high call-out charge.

So, find the operating manual if you can, grab a towel to clean up the puddle and get something soak up any further leaks and so find out whether you can’t diagnose the issue. If you cannot call us for local dishwasher repair.

Everyday Causes of Dishwasher Leaks as well as How to Resolve Them

Many of the most common sources of dishwasher faults are not really due to a broken dishwasher at all. Prior to starting preparing yourself for an engineering task as well as flicking through numerous online videos there are a couple of things you should troubleshoot first.

Test to see whether your dishwasher is aligned. If your dishwasher isn’t level water will easily puddle as well as spill out even if the dishwasher is working perfectly.
Investigate you have been using the right soap. You might be familiar with this issue with your washer. Too much detergent or the incorrect variety could lead an excess of soap suds, the bubbles overflow and so you get a spill.
Check your dishwasher door fully closes. If it does not there may be an obstruction, or you could have to replace the door fixings.
Investigate the filter at the bottom of the machine for any visible drainage issues because if your dishwasher isn’t emptying correctly this is likely to cause it to fill too much and so leak.

Once you have ruled out these possible causes it’s time to get ready and start the investigation.

To make your life easier start with the door as well as test for any obvious issues inside of the machine prior to moving on to the underneath. If you are able to find and resolve the problem before you have to pull out the dishwasher you’ll save yourself a lot of hassle.

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

Door Gasket

The most commonplace place for leakage is around the door, luckily it is also one of the quickest problems to solve.

If the leak is periodic the problem may be as simple as an oversized dish or something else pushing into the door and preventing it from shutting fully.

Otherwise the door gasket may have come loose or become split.

Examine the door gasket and check for any degradation, a build-up of limescale or other gunk, or any parts where the seal has come away from the door.

Extracting the gasket and giving it a thorough wash could improve the situation in some instances or you may be required to buy a new seal and change it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The water inlet valve can be a further common fault. The inlet is usually situated underneath the machine and so you will need to unscrew the toe board and may have to remove the door cover.

The fill valve opens and closes to let water into the machine at various parts of the programme. The inlet valve may be showing a leak, shown with a slight drip, or it could be damaged and so not operating correctly during the cycle.

When the water inlet valve doesn’t shut fully this can result in the dishwasher overflowing.

Usually these valves are not able to be repaired, thus the whole part would need to be changed.

Leaking Hoses

Your dishwasher uses hoses to supply, empty and also recirculate water along the programme.

Two problems could arise when it comes to hoses.

The gaskets could get damaged or the connections may work loose thus it’s worth examining all the connection points first.
The alternative fault than may easily develop over time is that hoses may be broken or get a hole in.

If you can identify that the leakage is coming from a hose this will be relatively easy to replace and spare hoses are readily available.

Pumps and Seals

You are able to visually investigate the gaskets around the water pumps or motor to determine if there is a leak and also replace them if there is.

The Float Switch

The float itself or the float switch might be broken resulting in the dishwasher overfilling.

When operating correctly the float will lift up as the water rises until it reaches the desired fill level. The end piece of the float will then operate the switch. If something is blocking this or the float is broken this could be causing your issues.

Checking the switch will require electrical equipment although it may be noticeably broken in which case replacing it should fix the problem.

Other Parts that Might Result in Leakage

A cracked wash arm or support could force water under the door resulting in leakage. This will also often affect how well your dishes are being cleaned.

Broken or damaged tubes could also result in this problem as may a loose pump cover if your dishwasher has one.

The motor shaft seal may have come loose resulting in a leak. This generally presents as a puddle coming from underneath the dishwasher.

Top Tips to Sort Out Your Machine

Save money by checking the seal rather than the entire component. In many instances, you are able to acquire the gasket separately which saves time as well as money.
Test the quick solutions first. There’s no point pulling the entire dishwasher out if it’s the detergent that’s causing the issue.
Take photos as you go along. This might help you reverse the process, describe the component you are looking for to a sales person, as well as identify the issue to a repair person if needed.
Be careful. Water and electricity are not good friends so unplug the machine first.
If you’re not sure call a professional.

What To Do Next If Your Initial Investigation Fails to Identify or Resolve the Leakage

If the root of the leakage can’t be discovered the thing you can do is to pull out the dishwasher to get a better look beneath it and fill it with water to see if the leakage becomes visible.

If this gives no further clues your machine could only leak when it’s running. If this is the case, you should find a appliance repair person to determine and also resolve the leak due to the safety risks of checking for faults with electrical parts exposed.