Why is My Dishwasher Leaking?

Entering the kitchen only to discover a large puddle on the floor is never a great to start the day.

Luckily, most simple explanations of dishwasher faults are relatively easy to pinpoint and mend on your own. This means you might not be required to wash the dishes by hand for too long, call an engineer or have to pay the call-out fee.

So, if you’re feeling up to it find the instruction manual if you can, get a towel to clean up the puddle and so get a towel soak up any further leaks and so see whether you can’t find a DIY solution. If you cannot call us for local dishwasher repair.

Common Explanations of Dishwasher Leaks and How to Resolve Them

A lot of the more commonplace causes of dishwasher leaks aren’t in fact due to a dishwasher issue at all. Prior to starting preparing yourself for an engineering task as well as watching numerous online tutorials there are a number of things you might want to rule out first.

Investigate to find out whether your dishwasher is level. If your dishwasher is not aligned water will easily puddle and leak regardless of whether or not the dishwasher has a fault.
Test you are using the right detergent. You might be familiar with this fault with your washing machine. An excess of soap or the incorrect variety could result in to too many soap suds, the bubbles deluge and so you get a leak.
Test your dishwasher door fully closes. If there’s a gap you might have an object blocking it such as a large plate, or you may have to fix the hinge or the locking mechanism.
Investigate the filter at the bottom of the tub for any visible obstructions as if your dishwasher isn’t draining effectively this will result in fill too much and leak.

If none of the above issues apply it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start a thorough check.

The easiest place to start is the door and test for any obvious damage inside of the machine before you move on to the underside. If you can identify and so fix the issue without pulling out the dishwasher so much the better.

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

Door Seal

The door is seemingly the most commonly seen place for a dishwasher to leak and also one of the easiest problems to resolve.

If the leak is occasional the issue might be as easy as a large plate or another object putting pressure against the door and stopping the door from shutting fully.

Otherwise the door gasket could have been dislodged or become cracked.

Check the door seal and investigate for any brittleness, mineral deposits or other gunk, or any areas where the seal has come away from the door.

Taking off the gasket and allowing it a good wash has been known to help in some cases or you could be required to acquire a new gasket and change it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The water inlet valve can also be a commonly seen fault. It is generally situated under the machine which means you will most likely need to remove the kick plate and also may have to take off the door cover.

The inlet valve opens and also closes to let water into the dishwasher at various parts of the cycle. The water inlet valve may be leaking, demonstrated with a slight drip, or it might be broken and so not opening or closing properly while the dishwasher is running.

When the fill valve doesn’t shut correctly this can result in the dishwasher overflowing.

In General inlet valve are not able to be fixed unless it is just the rubber seal that is broken, thus the entire part would need to be replaced.

Leaking Hoses

Hoses are needed to supply, empty and also recirculate water within the cycle.

Two complications can present themselves with hoses.

The gaskets could get damaged or the connections could work loose so it’s worth having a look at all the connection points first.
The other problem than may easily develop over time is that hoses could become damaged or cracked.

If you are able to identify that the leakage is a result of a faulty hose this will be easy to replace and spare hoses are easy to come by.

Pumps and Gaskets

You are able to visually test the gaskets that are part of the pumps or motor to see if there is a leak and also replace them if there is.

The Float Switch

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

When working as it should the float will rise with the water level until the optimum or highest water level is reached. The tail of the float should then turn on the switch. A blockage or breakage could be causing your issues.

Checking the switch will require electrical equipment but it could be clearly broken in which case getting a new one should stop the leak.

Alternative Parts that Could Lead to a Leak

A broken wash arm or support may build up pressure causing leakage. This can likewise often affect how well your dishes are being cleaned.

Broken or faulty lines may likewise cause this issue as might a damaged pump cap if your dishwasher has one.

The motor shaft seal could have degraded causing leakage. This will generally show as a leak coming from underneath the dishwasher.

Top Tips to Sort Out Your Machine

Save money by checking the gasket rather than the whole part. In many cases, you can purchase the gasket without the rest of the part which saves you having to change the whole component.
Test the easy fixes first. There’s no point pulling the entire thing away from the wall if the problem is the detergent.
Photograph your progress. This might help you put the thing back together, describe the component you are looking for in a shop, as well as identify the problem to a repair person if needed.
Stay safe. Water and electricity do not mix so turn off the power first.
If in doubt get in a repair person.

What To Do Next If Your Trouble Shooting Fails to Disclose or Resolve the Leakage

If the root of the issue is still a mystery the next step you could take is to pull out the dishwasher to get better access underneath it as well as add water to the tub to find out if the leak becomes visible.

If you don’t uncover any leaks with this method your machine could only show a leakage when during a cycle. In this case, you may wish to find a service engineer to diagnose as well as resolve the issue as there are safety risks of checking for faults with electrical elements exposed.