Why is My Dishwasher Leaking? | Gold Appliance Repair

Coming downstairs to step in a large puddle on the floor is never a great to start the day.

Thankfully, most common sources of dishwasher leaks are relatively easy to pinpoint and fix on your own. This means you might not need to hand wash the dishes that much, call an engineer or need to pay a high call-out fee.

So, if you’re feeling up to it get out the manual if you can, grab an old towel to clean up the leak and get a towel 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.

Commonly Seen Sources of Dishwasher Faults as well as How to Fix Them

Many of the most commonly seen causes of dishwasher leaks aren’t really a result of a dishwasher issue . Before you start preparing yourself for an engineering task and flicking through numerous youtube tutorials there are a few things you might want to troubleshoot first.

Investigate to find out whether your dishwasher is level. If your dishwasher is not level water will quickly pool and so leak without there being anything that needs to be mended or changed.
Check you have been using the right soap. You might have seen this with your washer. An excess of soap or the wrong type could lead an excess of bubbles, the suds bubble over resulting in a spill.
Investigate your dishwasher door closes fully. If it does not there may be a blockage, or you could have to replace the door fixings.
Investigate the filter at the bottom of the tub for any easy to see obstructions because if your dishwasher isn’t emptying correctly this is likely to result in fill too much and so leak.

If none of the above issues apply it’s time to get ready and really begin the inspection.

The easiest place to start is the door as well as test for any obvious problems in the interior of the machine prior to moving on to the underneath. If you can identify and so resolve the issue 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 Seal

The most commonplace place for leakage is around the door, luckily it is likewise one of the quickest problems to solve.

If the leak is occasional the issue may be as easy as an oversized dish or another object putting pressure into the door thus stopping the door from sealing properly.

On the other hand the door gasket could have come out of place or been cracked.

Examine the door gasket and also test for any degradation, a build-up of limescale or other deposits, or any tracts where the gasket might have separated from the door.

Extracting the seal and also giving it a thorough scrub might help in some instances or you might need to purchase a new seal and change it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The inlet valve can be a further simple issue. The Valve is generally located underneath the machine therefore you may have to take off the toe board and may need to take off the door cover.

The water inlet valve opens and closes to let water into the tub at various parts of the programme. The fill valve could be damaged, shown with a slow drip, or it could be damaged and so not opening or closing fully throughout the cycle.

If the inlet valve fails to shut properly this can mean that the dishwasher overfills, causing a leak.

Usually inlet valve cannot be refurbished, and so the whole valve would have to be replaced.

Leaking Hoses

Hoses are needed to supply, empty as well as recirculate water along the programme.

Two issues can develop where hoses are involved.

The gaskets may get damaged or the connections might work loose so it’s a good idea to have a look at all the connection points .
The other problem than may often develop as time goes by is that hoses may become broken or cracked.

Luckily damaged hoses are easy to get hold of and change, even for a novice.

Pumps and Seals

You can visually check the gaskets that are part of the water pumps or motor to see whether there is a leakage and also change them if that’s the case.

The Float Switch

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

When operating correctly the float will lift up as the water rises until it reaches the maximum fill level. The end piece of the float should then activate the switch. A blockage or breakage could be your issues.

Checking the switch would need electrical equipment but it may be noticeably damaged in which case replacing it should solve the issue.

Other Components that Could Result in Leakage

A cracked wash arm or support can force water under the door resulting in a leak. This could also often result in your dishes not being cleaned as effectively as they should.

Broken or damaged lines might also cause this fault as could a cracked pump cap.

The motor shaft gasket could have degraded resulting in a leak. This will generally show as a leak coming from underneath the dishwasher.

Top Tips to Fix Your Dishwasher

Spend less by changing the seal rather than the whole component. In many cases, you are able to purchase the gasket without the rest of the part which saves you having to change the entire part.
Investigate the quick resolutions first. You don’t need to pull the whole thing away from the wall if it’s the soap that’s causing the leak.
Photograph your progress. This can make your life easier when you come to reverse the process, show the component you need in a store, and identify the fault to an engineer if required.
Stay safe. Water and electricity do not mix so turn off the power first.
If you’re struggling call a repair person.

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

If the cause of the leakage is still a mystery the thing you may do is to pull out the machine to get better access underneath it and add water to the tub to find out if the leak can be seen that way.

If this gives no further clues your dishwasher could only show a leakage when during a cycle. In this instance, you should hire a qualified technician to determine and fix the problem as there are safety risks of checking for faults with electrical parts exposed.