Why is My Dishwasher Leaking?

Getting up in the morning only to discover an ominous puddle coming from the dishwasher is no-one’s chosen manner to start the day.

Thankfully, most everyday explanations of dishwasher faults are comparably simple to diagnose and resolve on your own. Meaning you might not need to hand wash the dishes for more than a day or two, stay at home waiting for an repair person or have to pay a high call-out charge.

So, get out the operating manual if you know where it is, grab an old towel to clean up the puddle and get a towel soak up any additional spills and see whether you can’t find a DIY solution. If you cannot call us for local dishwasher repair.

Common Explanations of Dishwasher Faults as well as How to Resolve Them

A lot of the more everyday sources of dishwasher leaks aren’t really due to a broken dishwasher at all. Prior to starting getting the tools out as well as flicking through numerous youtube videos there are a number of problems you should troubleshoot first.

Investigate to see whether your dishwasher is aligned. If your dishwasher is misaligned water can quickly puddle and so spill out without there being anything that needs to be fixed or replaced.
Check you have been using the right detergent. You may be familiar with this fault with your washing machine. An excess of detergent or using the incorrect variety may result in an excess of suds, the soap suds overflow and you get a leak.
Check your dishwasher door fully closes. If it does not you might have an object blocking it such as a large plate, or you might need to adjust the door fixings.
Investigate the filter at the bottom of the tub for any obvious drainage issues as if your dishwasher isn’t draining effectively this can result in overfill and so leak.

When you have looked at these potential problems it’s time to get ready and begin the investigation.

The easiest place to start is the door as well as check for any visible damage within of the machine before you move on to the underside. If you can find as well as mend the issue without pulling out the dishwasher so much the better.

Also make sure you disconnect the appliance first by either unplugging it or turning off the circuit breaker for the dishwasher.

Door Seal

The door is seemingly the most commonplace area for a dishwasher to leak as well as one of the quickest problems to resolve.

If the leakage is intermittent the fault might be as simple as a big pan or something else putting pressure against the door and preventing it from shutting properly.

Otherwise the door seal may have come loose or been split.

Examine the door seal and also test for any brittleness, a build-up of limescale or other gunk, or any parts where the gasket might have come away from the door.

Taking off the gasket and allowing it a thorough clean could help in some instances or you could be required to buy a new gasket and change it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The inlet valve can be a further simple issue. The Valve is generally situated on the underbelly of the machine so you will most likely need to take off the kick plate and may need to unscrew the door cover.

The inlet valve opens and closes to allow water into the machine at different parts of the cycle. The inlet valve could be showing a leak, shown by a slight drip, or it might be broken thus not opening or closing properly during the cycle.

When the inlet valve fails to close fully this can mean that the dishwasher overfills, causing a leak.

Generally these valves cannot be fixed unless it is only the rubber gasket that is faulty, which means the entire valve would need to be replaced.

Leaking Hoses

Your dishwasher uses hoses to fill, drain as well as redistribute water along the cycle.

Two issues can develop with hoses.

The gaskets might get damaged or the connections might work loose thus it’s a good idea to have a look at all the connection points .
The alternative fault than could easily happen as time goes by is that hoses may be broken or cracked.

Luckily damaged hoses are relatively easy to procure as well as replace, even for a novice.

Pumps and Gaskets

You can visually check the seals surrounding the water pumps or motor to determine whether there is a leak as well as replace them if that’s the case.

The Float Switch

The float itself or the float switch may be not working correctly resulting in the dishwasher overfilling.

When working correctly the float will rise as the water level goes up until the desired or highest water level is reached. The tag of the float would then operate the switch. If something is blocking this or the float is broken this could be causing your problem.

Checking the switch would need a multi-meter although it could be clearly damaged in which case getting a new one should stop the leak.

Other Parts that Might Result in a Leak

A damaged wash arm or support might force water under the door causing a leak. This could also often affect how well your dishes are being cleaned.

Broken or damaged lines may also result in this problem as might a loose pump cover.

The motor shaft gasket might have come loose resulting in leakage. This generally presents as leakage coming from the underside of the machine.

Top Tips to Sort Out Your Machine

Save money by replacing the gasket instead of the whole component. In most instances, you are able to buy the gasket separately which saves you having to replace the entire component.
Investigate the quick solutions first. There’s no point pulling the entire thing away from the wall if the problem is the soap.
Photograph your progress. This might assist you to reverse the process, describe the component you are looking for to a sales person, and also 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 repair person.

The Next Steps You Should Take If Your Initial Investigation Fails to Disclose or Resolve the Leak

If the root of the leakage remains a mystery the thing you can do is to pull out the dishwasher to get better access underneath it and also add water to the tub to see whether the leakage can be seen that way.

If this gives no further clues your appliance might only leak if the pump is running. In this case, your best bet would be to get a appliance repair person to determine as well as resolve the fault due to the safety risks of checking for faults with electrical components exposed.