Why is My Dishwasher Leaking?

Getting up in the morning to step in a large puddle on the floor is never the best to start the day.

Thankfully, most simple causes of dishwasher faults are comparatively easy to pinpoint and fix by yourself. Meaning you could not be required to wash the dishes by hand that much, take a day off waiting for an repair person or have to pay the call-out fee.

So, get out the operating manual if you can, grab an old towel to clean up the leak and get something soak up any additional spills and see if you can’t fix the problem. If you aren’t able to call us for local dishwasher repair.

Commonplace Causes of Dishwasher Faults as well as How to Fix Them

Many of the most common sources of dishwasher leaks are not in fact a result of a broken dishwasher . Prior to starting preparing yourself for an engineering task and also looking at endless online tutorials there are a few problems you might want to troubleshoot first.

Check to see if your dishwasher is aligned. If your dishwasher is not level water can easily puddle as well as spill out even if the dishwasher is working perfectly.
Check you are using the right soap. You might have seen this with your washing machine. An excess of detergent or using the wrong variety can result in an excess of soap suds, the suds spill over and you get a spill.
Investigate your dishwasher door closes correctly. If it doesn’t you may have something blocking it, or you could need to replace the door fixings.
Investigate the filter located at the base of the machine for any obvious drainage issues as if your dishwasher isn’t draining properly this is likely to result in overfill and leak.

If none of the above issues apply it’s time to roll up your sleeves and really begin the inspection.

The easiest place to start is the door and investigate for any obvious issues inside of the machine prior to moving on to the underside. If you can find and so mend the leak before you need to pull out the dishwasher so much the better.

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

Door Gasket

The door is no doubt the most everyday place for a dishwasher to leak as well as one of the easiest problems to resolve.

If the leakage is intermittent the problem could be as simple as a big pan or another object pushing into the door and preventing it from closing correctly.

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

Inspect the door seal and also check for any brittleness, a build-up of limescale or other gunk, or any areas in which the gasket might have separated from the door.

Taking off the gasket and also giving it a thorough scrub could improve the situation in some instances or you may have to buy a new gasket and replace it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The fill valve can be another common issue. The Valve is generally situated underneath the machine so you may have to take off the kick plate and might have to remove the door cover.

The inlet valve opens and closes to allow water into the dishwasher at various parts of the cycle. The fill valve might be leaking, demonstrated with a slight drip, or it might be broken and not functioning properly during the cycle.

If the fill valve fails to close correctly this can mean that the dishwasher overfills, causing a leak.

Generally these valves can’t be refurbished unless it is only the rubber gasket that is broken, and so the whole valve would have to be replaced.

Leaking Hoses

Your dishwasher uses hoses to supply, empty as well as redistribute water during the cycle.

Two complications may arise where hoses are involved.

The gaskets might get damaged or the contact points might work loose thus it’s a good idea to have a look at all the connections first.
The alternative fault than could easily develop over time is that hoses may get damaged or get a hole in.

If you are able to determine that the leak is coming from a hose this will be relatively simple to replace and spare hoses are readily available.

Pumps and Gaskets

You can visually test the rubber gaskets that are part of the pumps or motor to ascertain whether there is a leakage and replace them if there is.

The Float Switch

Either the float or the float switch could be broken causing the dishwasher to overfill.

When working as it should the float will lift up as the water rises until the desired or highest water level is attained. The tag of the float would then operate the switch. A blockage or breakage could be your problem.

Checking the switch would need a multi-meter but it might be clearly broken in which case getting a new one should solve the problem.

Alternative Components that Might Result in Leakage

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

Broken or damaged tubes may also result in this fault as can a cracked pump cover.

The motor shaft gasket could have cracked causing leakage. This generally presents as a puddle coming from underneath the dishwasher.

Top Tips to Fix Your Machine

Save money by checking the gasket in place of the entire part. In many situations, you can acquire the gasket separately which saves time as well as money.
Check the easy solutions before you get more complicated. You don’t need to pull the whole dishwasher out if the problem is the soap.
Take photos as you go along. This might make your life easier when you come to put the machine back together, show the part you need to a sales person, as well as identify the problem to a repair person if needed.
Be careful. Water and electricity are not good friends so turn off the power first.
If you’re not sure get in the professionals.

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

If the cause of the leakage can’t be uncovered the next step you can take is to pull out the dishwasher to get a better look underneath it and add water to the tub to see if the leak presents itself.

If this doesn’t shed any light your machine could only show a leakage if the pump is running. In this case, you should find a service engineer to pinpoint as well as fix the issue as there are safety risks of checking for faults with electrical parts uncovered.