Why is My Dishwasher Leaking?

Coming downstairs only to find an ominous puddle on the floor is no-one’s chosen way to start the day.

Fortuitously, most simple explanations of dishwasher faults are comparably straightforward to pinpoint and mend on your own. Meaning you might not be required to hand wash the dishes that much, spend a day at home waiting for an engineer or have to pay the call-out charge.

So, if you’re feeling up to it grab the instruction manual if you have it, clean up the puddle and so get something clean up any further spills and so see if you can’t fix the problem. If you can’t call us for local dishwasher repair.

Commonplace Sources of Dishwasher Leaks and How to Fix Them

Some of the most common causes of dishwasher faults aren’t in fact because of a broken dishwasher at all. Before you start preparing yourself for an engineering task and looking at endless online tutorials there are a couple of problems you might want to troubleshoot first.

Test to find out whether your dishwasher is level. If the dishwasher isn’t aligned water will easily pool and leak regardless of whether or not the dishwasher has a fault.
Investigate you have been using the right soap. You could be familiar with this fault with your washer. An excess of detergent or the incorrect type could lead an excess of bubbles, the bubbles overflow and so you get a leak.
Check your dishwasher door fully closes. If it does not you may have something blocking it, or you might have to replace the hinge or the locking mechanism.
Test the filter at the base of the machine for any visible obstructions because if your dishwasher isn’t emptying correctly this will cause it to overfill and so spill.

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

To make your life easier start with the door and investigate for any obvious problems inside of the machine prior to moving on to the underneath. If you are able to find and mend the problem without pulling 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 seemingly the most commonplace area for a dishwasher to leak and also one of the easiest problems to resolve.

If the leakage is periodic the problem may be as easy as a big pan or something else putting pressure into the door thus preventing it from closing properly.

Else-ways the door gasket might have been dislodged or got split.

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

Removing the gasket and also allowing it a comprehensive scrub might improve the situation in some cases or you might have to acquire a new seal and replace it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The water inlet valve can also be a commonplace issue. The Valve is generally found on the underbelly of the machine therefore you may have to unscrew the kick plate and could have to remove the door cover.

The water inlet valve opens and closes to let water into the dishwasher at different parts of the cycle. The fill valve may be showing a leak, evidenced with a slow drip, or it could be damaged and so not operating correctly while the dishwasher is running.

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

Generally fill valve can’t be fixed, which means the entire part would need to be replaced.

Leaking Hoses

Hoses are needed to fill, empty as well as recirculate water during the cycle.

Two problems could arise where hoses are the cause.

The gaskets may break or the connections might work loose meaning it’s a good idea to have a look at all the connection points .
The other fault than may easily happen as time goes by is that hoses can become degraded or get a hole in.

Luckily faulty hoses are simple to get hold of as well as replace.

Pumps and Gaskets

You are able to visually test the rubber gaskets surrounding the pumps or motor to see if there is a leakage and replace them if there is.

The Float Switch

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

When operating as it should the float will rise as the water level goes up until the optimum or highest water level is attained. The tail of the float would then turn on 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 but it could be clearly broken in which case replacing it should resolve the problem.

Alternative Components that Could Result in Leakage

A damaged wash arm or support may build up pressure resulting in a leak. This could also often affect how well your dishes are being cleaned.

Broken or cracked lines could likewise cause this issue as can a broken pump cover.

The motor shaft gasket may have cracked causing leakage. This will generally show as a leak coming from the underside of the appliance.

Top Tips to Fix Your Dishwasher

Spend less by replacing the seal instead of the entire part. In plenty situations, you can purchase the gasket separately which saves you having to replace the entire part.
Investigate the quick resolutions before you get more complicated. There’s no point pulling the whole machine out if it’s the soap that’s causing the leak.
Take photos at each step. This might make your life easier when you come to reverse the process, show the component you are looking for in a shop, as well as explain the problem to a repair person if needed.
Stay safe. Water and electricity are not good friends so turn off the power first.
If you’re struggling get in the professionals.

What To Do Next If Your Trouble Shooting Doesn’t Identify or Mend the Leakage

If the cause of the leak remains a mystery the next step you could take is to pull the dishwasher away from the wall to get a clearer view of the beneath it and also add water to the tub to see if the leakage becomes visible.

If you are still in the dark your dishwasher might only show a leakage if during a cycle. In this instance, you should hire a service engineer to determine and fix the issue due to the safety risks of running the dishwasher with electrical parts exposed.