Why is My Dishwasher Leaking?

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

Fortunately, most everyday sources of dishwasher faults are relatively simple to pinpoint and fix yourself. Meaning you may not be required to hand wash the dishes for more than a day or two, wait for the repair man or have to pay the call-out charge.

So, if you’re feeling up to it find the operating manual if you know where it is, clean up the puddle and get something clean up any further spills and see whether you can’t fix the problem. If you cannot call us for local dishwasher repair.

Common Sources of Dishwasher Faults and How to Fix Them

A lot of the more common sources of dishwasher leaks are not really because of a broken dishwasher at all. Before you start getting the tools out and also flicking through endless youtube tutorials there are a number of things you should troubleshoot first.

Investigate to find out whether your dishwasher is level. If your dishwasher is wonky water can easily pool and leak even if the dishwasher is working perfectly.
Test you are using the proper soap. You might have seen this with your washing machine. Too much detergent or the incorrect type can result in an excess of soap suds, the suds bubble over resulting in a leak.
Test your dishwasher door closes fully. If it doesn’t there may be an obstruction, or you may need to replace the door fixings.
Check the filter at the base of the machine for any visible obstructions because if your dishwasher isn’t draining effectively this will result in overfill and spill.

When you have looked at these potential problems it’s time to roll up your sleeves and begin a thorough check.

The easiest place to start is the door and test for any visible problems in the interior of the machine prior to moving on to the underneath. If you can find as well as mend the issue without pulling out the dishwasher so much the better.

And make sure you disconnect the appliance first by either unplugging it or turning off the circuit breaker for the dishwasher.

Door Seal

The most usual place for leakage is around the door, fortunately it is likewise one of the easiest issues to resolve.

If the leak is intermittent the issue could be as easy as an oversized dish or another object putting pressure into the door thus stopping the door from sealing correctly.

Otherwise the door seal could have come loose or been cracked.

Check the door gasket and investigate for any brittleness, mineral deposits or other deposits, or any tracts in which the gasket might have come away from the door.

Taking off the gasket and giving it a good wash can improve the situation in some instances or you may need to acquire a new seal and replace it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The inlet valve can be another commonplace issue. The Valve is in most cases located on the underbelly of the machine so you will most likely need to take off the kick plate and also could have to unscrew the door cover.

The water inlet valve opens and closes to let water into the tub at different parts of the cycle. The fill valve might be showing a leak, demonstrated by a slight drip, or it might be damaged thus not functioning correctly during the cycle.

If the water inlet valve doesn’t shut correctly this can result in the dishwasher overfilling and result in a leak.

In General these valves can’t be refurbished, thus the entire component would have to be replaced.

Leaking Hoses

Your dishwasher uses hoses to fill, empty and redistribute water along the programme.

Two issues can arise with hoses.

The seals might break or the connections may come loose so it’s worth having a look at all the connection points first.
The other fault than may easily develop as time goes by is that hoses may be damaged or cracked.

Luckily faulty hoses are relatively easy to buy and change, even for a novice.

Pumps and Seals

You are able to visually test the rubber gaskets around the water pumps or motor to ascertain if there is a leak and also replace 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.

A working float will go up as the water rises until it reaches the maximum fill level. The tail of the float would then operate the switch. A blockage or breakage could be causing your issues.

Testing the switch will require electrical equipment although it may be clearly damaged in which case getting a new one should solve the problem.

Other Components that Might Lead to a Leak

A damaged wash arm or support can causing leakage. This will likewise often result in your dishes not being cleaned as effectively as they should.

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

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

Top Tips to Fix Your Dishwasher

Save money by changing the gasket rather than the whole component. In plenty cases, you can acquire the gasket separately which saves you having to replace the entire part.
Test the simple resolutions before you get more complicated. You don’t need to pull the whole dishwasher out if the problem is the soap.
Photograph your progress. This could assist you to put the machine back together, explain the component you need to a sales person, and also explain the problem to an engineer if needed.
Be careful. Water and electricity do not mix so unplug the machine first.
If in doubt get in a repair person.

The Next Steps You Should Take If Your Trouble Shooting Fails to Identify or Mend the Leakage

If the root of the leak can’t be uncovered the thing you could do is to pull out the machine to get better access beneath it as well as fill it with water to see if the leakage becomes visible.

If this gives no further clues your appliance might only leak if the pump is running. If this is the case, you should employ a dishwasher repair person to determine and also mend the problem as there are safety risks of checking for faults with electrical components exposed.