Why is My Dishwasher Leaking?

Entering the kitchen to find an ominous puddle coming from the dishwasher is no-one’s chosen manner to start the day.

Thankfully, most common causes of dishwasher leaks are comparatively simple to pinpoint and resolve on your own. This means you may not be required to wash the dishes by hand that much, stay at home waiting for an repair person or need to pay a high call-out charge.

So, if you’re feeling up to it find the instruction manual if you can, grab a towel to clean up the mess and get a towel soak up any further leaks and so see whether you can’t fix the problem. If you aren’t able to call us for local dishwasher repair.

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

Many of the most commonly seen sources of dishwasher faults aren’t actually because of a broken dishwasher at all. Prior to starting preparing yourself for an engineering task and also looking at numerous youtube tutorials there are a number of problems you should rule out first.

Check to find out if your dishwasher is level. If your dishwasher is wonky water will quickly pool and so leak regardless of whether or not the dishwasher has a fault.
Test you have been using the proper soap. You might be familiar with this problem with your washing machine. An excess of detergent or using the incorrect type could lead to too many bubbles, the bubbles overflow resulting in a leak.
Investigate your dishwasher door fully closes. If there’s a gap there may be a blockage, or you might need to replace the hinge or the locking mechanism.
Check the filter at the bottom of the machine for any visible drainage issues because if your dishwasher isn’t draining effectively this can cause it to overfill and so spill.

If none of the above issues apply it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start a thorough check.

To make your life easier start with the door as well as check for any obvious issues in the interior of the machine prior to moving on to the underside. If you can find and so mend the problem without pulling out the dishwasher so much the better.

Before you do anything else make sure you unplug the dishwasher.

Door Seal

The door is seemingly the most commonplace area for a dishwasher to leak as well as one of the quickest issues to fix.

If the leak is occasional the issue could be as straightforward as a large plate or something else putting pressure against the door and preventing the door from shutting correctly.

Else-ways the door gasket might have come loose or been damaged.

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

Taking off the gasket and also giving it a good scrub has been known to improve the situation in some cases or you might need to purchase a new gasket and change it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The inlet valve can also be a simple problem. This is usually located on the underbelly of the machine therefore you may have to unscrew the kick plate and also could have to remove the door cover.

The inlet valve opens and closes to allow water into the machine at varying times in the programme. The water inlet valve may be showing a leak, shown by a slow drip, or it may be broken and not opening or closing properly while the dishwasher is running.

In the case that the inlet valve doesn’t close correctly this can mean that the dishwasher overfills, causing a leak.

Generally these valves can’t be fixed, thus the entire valve would have to be replaced.

Leaking Hoses

Your dishwasher uses hoses to supply, drain and also redistribute water during the programme.

Two complications may arise with hoses.

The gaskets could go or the contact points could work loose meaning it’s a good idea to check all the connections .
The alternative issue than might easily happen as you use the machine is that hoses may get degraded or cracked.

Luckily damaged hoses are easy to buy and replace, even for a novice.

Pumps and Seals

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

The Float Switch

The float itself or the float switch might be broken causing the dishwasher to overfill.

A working float will rise as the water rises until it reaches the highest fill level. The tail of the float will then activate the switch. If something is blocking this or the float is broken this could be your problem.

Testing the switch will require electrical equipment although it may be obviously damaged in which case replacing it should resolve the problem.

Other Components that Might Result in Leakage

A damaged wash arm or support can causing leakage. This can also often affect how well your dishes are being cleaned.

Broken or cracked lines may also cause this fault as may a loose pump cap if your dishwasher has one.

The motor shaft seal may have degraded resulting in leakage. This will generally show as a puddle coming from the underside of the dishwasher.

Top Tips to Mend Your Dishwasher

Spend less by checking the gasket in place of the entire part. In many cases, you can acquire the gasket separately which saves you having to replace the entire part.
Check the simple resolutions first. You don’t need to pull the whole machine away from the wall if the problem is the soap.
Photograph your progress. This might help you reverse the process, show the component you need in a shop, as well as identify the fault to a repair person if needed.
Stay safe. Water and electricity are not good friends so turn off the power first.
If you’re not sure call the professionals.

What To Do Next If Your Initial Investigation Fails to Identify or Fix the Leak

If the root of the problem is still a mystery the thing you could do is to pull the dishwasher away from the wall to get better access underneath it as well as add water to the tub to find out whether the leakage can be seen that way.

If this gives no further clues your appliance might only show a leakage if during a cycle. If this is the case, you may wish to find a service engineer to diagnose as well as resolve the issue due to the safety risks of running the dishwasher with electrical elements exposed.