Why is My Dishwasher Leaking? | Duluth Appliance Repair

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

Luckily, most simple causes of dishwasher faults are comparably simple to diagnose and fix yourself. Meaning you may not need to hand wash the dishes for more than a day or two, wait for the repair man or need to pay the call-out charge.

So, if you’re feeling up to it find the instruction manual if you can, find an old towel to clean up the leak and so get something clean up any additional spills and see whether you can’t fix the problem. If you cannot call us for local dishwasher repair.

Simple Explanations of Dishwasher Faults and How to Fix Them

A lot of the most everyday causes of dishwasher leaks are not in fact because of a dishwasher fault at all. Prior to starting preparing yourself for an engineering task and also looking at endless youtube videos there are a couple of problems you might want to troubleshoot first.

Check to find out if your dishwasher is aligned. If the dishwasher is not aligned water will easily puddle and leak even if the dishwasher is working perfectly.
Investigate you have been using the right detergent. You might be aware of this fault with your washer. Too much soap or using the wrong variety may lead an excess of bubbles, the suds deluge resulting in a leak.
Investigate your dishwasher door closes properly. If it does not there may be a blockage, or you may have to adjust the hinge or the locking mechanism.
Test the filter at the base of the machine for any easy to see drainage issues because if your dishwasher isn’t draining properly this is likely to cause it to overfill and spill.

When you have ruled out these issues it’s time to roll up your sleeves and really begin a thorough check.

To make your life easier start with the door as well as investigate for any obvious issues in the interior of the machine prior to moving on to the underside. If you can identify as well as fix the leak before you need to pull 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 most commonplace place for leakage is on the door, luckily it is likewise one of the quickest problems to resolve.

If the leak is periodic the fault may be as straightforward as a large plate or another object putting pressure against the door thus preventing it from closing fully.

On the other hand the door gasket could have come out of place or got damaged.

Inspect the door seal and also investigate for any brittleness, mineral deposits or other debris, or any parts where the gasket might have separated from the door.

Extracting the seal and also allowing it a good wash has been known to help in some cases or you may need to purchase a new seal and change it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The fill valve can be a further commonplace problem. The inlet is generally found on the underbelly of the machine and so you will need to unscrew the kick plate and also could need to remove the door cover.

The water inlet valve opens and also closes to let water into the machine at different parts of the programme. The inlet valve may be damaged, demonstrated by a slow drip, or it could be broken and not operating properly while the dishwasher is running.

In the case that the water inlet valve fails to close correctly this can result in the dishwasher leaking.

Usually these valves cannot be repaired unless it is only the rubber gasket that is damaged, which means the entire component would need to be replaced.

Leaking Hoses

Hoses are needed to supply, drain as well as redistribute water within the programme.

Two complications can develop when it comes to hoses.

The gaskets could go or the contact points can come loose meaning it’s worth checking all the connection points .
The other problem than might easily happen as time goes by is that hoses may be degraded or get a hole in.

If you are able to determine that the leakage is a result of a faulty hose this will be easy to replace and replacement hoses are easy to come by.

Pumps and Seals

You are able to visually investigate the rubber gaskets around the pumps or motor to determine whether there is a leakage and replace them if that’s the case.

The Float Switch

The float itself or the float switch might be not working correctly resulting in the dishwasher overfilling.

When working as it should the float will go up as the water rises until it reaches the maximum fill level. The end piece of the float should then activate 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 obviously damaged in which case getting a new one should resolve the issue.

Alternative Components that Might Result in a Leak

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

Broken or faulty lines might also cause this problem as may a damaged pump cover.

The motor shaft gasket might have cracked resulting in leakage. This will generally show as a puddle coming from underneath the appliance.

Top Tips to Sort Out Your Machine

Save money by replacing the seal in place of the whole part. In most cases, you can buy the seal without the rest of the part which saves you having to change the entire part.
Check the simple fixes before you get more complicated. There’s no point pulling the entire thing away from the wall if it’s the detergent that’s causing the issue.
Photograph your progress. This can assist you to reverse the process, show the part you are looking for in a store, and also explain the fault to a repair person if required.
Be careful. Water and electricity are not good friends so turn off the power first.
If you’re not sure get in a professional.

The Next Steps You Should Take If Your Initial Investigation Fails to Disclose or Mend the Leakage

If the root of the leak can’t be uncovered the next step you may take is to pull out the machine to get better access underneath it and also fill it with water to see if the leak presents itself.

If this doesn’t shed any light your dishwasher could only show a leakage when during a cycle. In this case, you may wish to hire a dishwasher repair person to determine and mend the fault due to the safety risks of running the dishwasher with electrical parts exposed.