Why is My Dishwasher Leaking?

Entering the kitchen only to step in an ominous puddle coming from the dishwasher is never the best to start the day.

Thankfully, most everyday explanations of dishwasher faults are comparably easy to pinpoint and fix by yourself. This means you may not have to wash the dishes by hand for too long, wait for the repair man or have to pay the call-out charge.

So, if you’re feeling up to it get out the manual if you know where it is, get a towel to clean up the mess and so get a towel clean up any further leaks and see if you can find a do it yourself solution. If you cannot call us for local dishwasher repair.

Simple Explanations of Dishwasher Leaks as well as How to Fix Them

A lot of the most commonly seen explanations of dishwasher faults aren’t in fact because of a broken dishwasher at all. Prior to starting preparing yourself for an engineering task and watching numerous online videos there are a number of things you should rule out first.

Investigate to see whether your dishwasher is level. If your dishwasher is not level water will easily pool and so leak even if the dishwasher is working perfectly.
Check you have been using the right detergent. You might be familiar with this fault with your washer. An excess of detergent or the wrong variety can result in to too many bubbles, the bubbles deluge and you get a spill.
Investigate your dishwasher door fully closes. If there’s a gap you may have something obstructing it such as a large plate, or you might have to fix the hinge or the locking mechanism.
Test the filter located at the base of the tub for any obvious obstructions because if your dishwasher isn’t draining correctly this is likely to result in overfill and so spill.

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

To make your life easier start with the door as well as test for any obvious damage inside of the machine prior to moving on to the underside. If you can find and so resolve the leak without pulling out the dishwasher you’ll save yourself a lot of hassle.

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

Door Gasket

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

If the leakage is intermittent the fault may be as simple as an oversize dish or something else putting pressure into the door and preventing it from closing fully.

Else-ways the door gasket might have been dislodged or become cracked.

Examine the door seal and also check for any cracks, mineral deposits or other gunk, or any parts where the seal might have separated from the door.

Taking off the gasket and allowing it a thorough clean has been known to improve the situation in some cases or you could need to purchase a new gasket and change it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The water inlet valve can also be a everyday issue. This is usually situated on the underbelly of the machine therefore you may have to remove the kick plate and also may have to remove the door cover.

The fill valve opens and closes to allow water into the machine at various parts of the cycle. The water inlet valve might be showing a leak, evidenced with a slight drip, or it might be damaged and so not operating properly while the dishwasher is running.

If the water inlet valve doesn’t shut correctly this can mean that the dishwasher overfills, causing a leak.

Generally inlet valve are not able to be fixed unless it is only the rubber gasket that is damaged, which means the whole valve would have to be replaced.

Leaking Hoses

Your dishwasher uses hoses to supply, empty as well as recirculate water during the program.

Two complications may develop where hoses are concerned.

The seals could break or the contact points may work loose thus it’s a good idea to have a look at all the connections first.
The other issue than can easily happen as time goes by is that hoses could get degraded or cracked.

Luckily broken hoses are easy to get hold of and replace, even for a novice.

Pumps and Gaskets

You are able to visually check the gaskets around the water pumps or motor to ascertain if there is a leakage as well as replace them if there is.

The Float Switch

The float itself or the float switch might be faulty causing the dishwasher to overfill.

A working float will go up as the water rises until it reaches the maximum fill level. The tail of the float would then activate the switch. If something is blocking this or the float is broken this could be your problem.

Testing the switch would need electrical equipment although it may be obviously broken in which case getting a new one should solve the issue.

Other Components that Could Cause Leakage

A damaged wash arm or support can push water under the door causing leakage. This can likewise often affect how well your dishes are being cleaned.

Broken or cracked tubes can also cause this issue as can a cracked pump cover.

The motor shaft seal could have cracked resulting in leakage. This will generally show as leakage coming from the underside of the machine.

Top Tips to Mend Your Machine

Spend less by checking the seal rather than the whole part. In most cases, you are able to buy the gasket without the rest of the part which saves you having to change the whole component.
Investigate the quick resolutions before you get more complicated. You don’t need to pull the whole machine out if the problem is the detergent.
Take pictures as you go along. This can assist you to put the machine back together, describe the component you are looking for in a shop, as well as explain the problem to an engineer if required.
Be careful. Water and electricity are not good friends so unplug the machine first.
If you’re not sure get in the professionals.

What To Do Next If Your Trouble Shooting Fails to Identify or Fix the Leak

If the root of the problem is still a mystery the thing you could do is to pull the dishwasher away from the wall to get a better look beneath it and also add water to the tub to see if the leak can be seen that way.

If you don’t find any leakages with this method your dishwasher might only leak when during a cycle. In this case, you may wish to employ a qualified technician to diagnose and also resolve the fault as there are safety risks of running the dishwasher with electrical elements exposed.