Why is My Dishwasher Leaking? | Greeley Appliance Repair

Entering the kitchen only to find an ominous puddle on the floor is no-one’s favorite way to start the day.

Fortuitously, most commonly seen explanations of dishwasher leaks are comparably straightforward to determine and mend by yourself. This means you could not have to wash the dishes by hand for too long, call an engineer or have to pay a high call-out fee.

So, get out the manual if you have it, find a towel to clean up the leak and so get a towel soak up any additional leaks and so find out whether you can find a DIY solution. If you aren’t able to call us for local dishwasher repair.

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

A lot of the more common causes of dishwasher faults are not in fact a result of a dishwasher issue at all. Prior to starting preparing yourself for an engineering task and looking at endless youtube videos there are a few problems you should rule out first.

Test to see whether your dishwasher is aligned. If your dishwasher is misaligned water will easily pool and leak regardless of whether or not the dishwasher has a fault.
Check you are using the proper soap. You could have seen this with your washer. An excess of detergent or using the incorrect type may lead to too many bubbles, the bubbles spill over resulting in a leak.
Investigate your dishwasher door closes properly. If it does not there may be a blockage, or you may need to adjust the door fixings.
Test the filter located in the bottom of the machine for any obvious drainage issues as if your dishwasher isn’t draining properly this is likely to cause it to fill too much and spill.

If none of the above issues apply it’s time to get ready and begin a thorough check.

The easiest place to start is the door as well as investigate for any obvious issues in the interior of the machine before you move on to the underside. If you can identify and so resolve the issue without pulling out the dishwasher so much the better.

Before you do anything else make sure you disconnect the appliance.

Door Gasket

The door is no doubt the most commonly seen area for a dishwasher to leak and one of the quickest issues to solve.

If the leak is periodic the problem might be as straightforward as an oversized dish or another object pushing into the door thus stopping it from sealing correctly.

Otherwise the door seal may have come loose or become cracked.

Check the door gasket and also check for any degradation, a build-up of limescale or other deposits, or any parts where the seal has come away from the door.

Taking off the seal and also giving it a thorough clean might improve the situation in some cases or you might have to purchase a new gasket and replace it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The fill valve can be another simple fault. The inlet is in most cases located on the underbelly of the machine so you may need to take off the kick plate and could have to remove the door cover.

The fill valve opens and also closes to allow water into the tub at varying times during the cycle. The inlet valve might be damaged, demonstrated with a slow drip, or it might be broken thus not operating fully while the dishwasher is running.

If the water inlet valve fails to shut fully this can result in the dishwasher leaking.

Often fill valve can’t be refurbished, which means the whole component would have to be replaced.

Leaking Hoses

Hoses are needed to supply, drain and recirculate water within the programme.

Two issues could develop where hoses are concerned.

The seals can go or the connections can come loose so it’s worth checking all the connection points .
The other problem than may often happen as time goes by is that hoses may be damaged or cracked.

If you are able to determine that the leakage is coming from a hose this will be relatively easy to replace and replacement hoses are easy to procure.

Pumps and Seals

You can visually investigate the rubber gaskets surrounding the water pumps or motor to see whether there is a leakage and change them if there is.

The Float Switch

The float itself or the float switch might be faulty resulting in the dishwasher overfilling.

When working correctly the float will go up as the water level goes up until the optimum or highest water level is reached. The tag of the float should then turn on the switch. If something is blocking this or the float is broken this could be causing your problem.

Testing the switch would need electrical equipment but it might be clearly damaged in which case replacing it should stop the leak.

Alternative Parts that Might Lead to Leakage

A damaged wash arm or support could force water under the door resulting in a leak. This could also often affect how well your dishes are being cleaned.

Broken or faulty lines may likewise result in this fault as may a loose pump cover.

The motor shaft seal could have degraded causing leakage. This will generally show as a puddle coming from underneath the dishwasher.

Top Tips to Fix Your Dishwasher

Save money by checking the gasket instead of the entire part. In many instances, you are able to purchase the gasket without the rest of the part which saves time as well as money.
Check the easy solutions first. There’s no point pulling the whole thing away from the wall if the problem is the soap.
Photograph your progress. This can help you put the machine back together, describe the part you are looking for in a store, and explain the issue to an engineer if needed.
Be careful. Water and electricity are not good friends so turn off the power first.
If you’re not sure get in the professionals.

What To Do Next If Your Initial Investigation Fails to Disclose or Resolve the Leak

If the cause of the problem remains a mystery the next step you can take is to pull the dishwasher away from the wall to get better access beneath it as well as fill it with water to see if the leakage can be seen that way.

If this gives no further clues your dishwasher might only show a leakage if the pump is running. In this instance, you should get a qualified technician to pinpoint and resolve the fault due to the safety risks of checking for faults with electrical elements uncovered.