Why is My Dishwasher Leaking?

Getting up in the morning to find a large puddle coming from the dishwasher is never a great to start the day.

Fortunately, most common sources of dishwasher faults are relatively straightforward to pinpoint and mend by yourself. Meaning you might not be required to wash the dishes by hand that much, stay at home waiting for an repair person or have to pay a high call-out fee.

So, if you’re feeling up to it get out the manual if you have it, clean up the mess and so get something soak up any additional leaks and see if you can’t fix the problem. If you can’t call us for local dishwasher repair.

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

A lot of the most everyday causes of dishwasher faults aren’t in fact due to a dishwasher issue at all. Prior to starting preparing yourself for an engineering task and also looking at endless online tutorials there are a couple of issues you should take a look at first.

Check to find out if your dishwasher is level. If your dishwasher isn’t level water will quickly pool as well as spill out even if the dishwasher is working perfectly.
Check you are using the right detergent. You could have seen this with your washing machine. An excess of soap or the incorrect type can lead an excess of bubbles, the suds deluge resulting in a leak.
Check your dishwasher door fully closes. If there’s a gap you may have something blocking it, or you might have to fix the hinge or the locking mechanism.
Investigate the filter at the bottom of the machine for any easy to see drainage issues as if your dishwasher isn’t emptying effectively this will cause it to overfill and so leak.

If you have looked at these potential problems it’s time to roll up your sleeves and begin the investigation.

The easiest place to start is the door as well as check for any obvious issues in the interior of the machine prior to moving on to the underneath. If you are able to find as well as mend the leak before you need 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 door is probably the most everyday place for leakage and also one of the quickest problems to solve.

If the leak is occasional the issue could be as simple as a large plate or another object putting pressure into the door thus preventing the door from shutting fully.

Otherwise the door gasket might have been dislodged or become split.

Examine the door gasket and also check for any brittleness, a build-up of limescale or other deposits, or any parts in which the gasket might have separated from the door.

Removing the seal and allowing it a thorough clean might help in some cases or you could be required to purchase a new seal and change it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The inlet valve can be another commonly seen fault. It is usually situated under the machine and so you will most likely have to unscrew the toe board and may have to unscrew the door cover.

The water inlet valve opens and also closes to let water into the machine at varying times in the cycle. The fill valve may be damaged, evidenced with a slow drip, or it might be broken thus not opening or closing fully throughout the cycle.

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

Usually these valves can’t be fixed, thus the whole part would have to be replaced.

Leaking Hoses

Your dishwasher uses hoses to supply, empty and also redistribute water during the cycle.

Two complications might present themselves when it comes to hoses.

The seals might get damaged or the contact points may come loose meaning it’s worth having a look at all the connections first.
The alternative issue than might easily develop as time goes by is that hoses may be degraded or get a hole in.

If you can determine that the leakage is a result of a faulty hose this will be relatively simple to replace and replacement hoses are readily available.

Pumps and Gaskets

You are able to visually check the rubber gaskets surrounding the pumps or motor to see whether there is a leakage and also replace them if that’s the case.

The Float Switch

Either the float or the float switch may be not working correctly causing the dishwasher to overfill.

When operating correctly the float will rise with the water level until it reaches the optimum fill level. The tail of the float will then turn on the switch. If something is blocking this or the float is broken this could be causing your problem.

Checking the switch will require a multi-meter but it might be obviously broken in which case getting a new one should resolve the issue.

Other Components that Might Cause Leakage

A damaged wash arm or support may resulting in a leak. This can likewise often result in your dishes not being cleaned as effectively as they should.

Broken or cracked lines can also cause this fault as might a cracked pump cover.

The motor shaft seal could have cracked resulting in leakage. This generally presents as a leak coming from underneath the dishwasher.

Top Tips to Sort Out Your Machine

Save money by replacing the seal in place of the whole part. In many situations, you can purchase the seal separately which saves you having to change the entire part.
Check the simple solutions before you get more complicated. There’s no point pulling the whole thing away from the wall if it’s the detergent that’s making the leak.
Take photos as you go. This could help you put the machine back together, show the part you need to a sales person, as well as identify the problem to an engineer if needed.
Stay safe. Water and electricity are not good friends so turn off the power first.
If you’re struggling get in a professional.

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

If the root of the issue remains a mystery the next step you could take is to pull out the machine to get better access beneath it and add water to the tub to find out whether the leak presents itself.

If you don’t uncover any leakages with this method your dishwasher might only leak when it’s running. In this case, your best bet would be to employ a appliance repair person to diagnose and fix the problem due to the safety risks of checking for faults with electrical parts uncovered.