Why is My Dishwasher Leaking? | College Station Appliance Repair

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

Luckily, most simple sources of dishwasher faults are relatively straightforward to diagnose and mend yourself. This means you may not be required to wash the dishes by hand for more than a day or two, call an engineer or have to pay the call-out charge.

So, find the operating manual if you have it, grab a towel to clean up the mess and so get a towel soak up any further spills and so see if you can find a do it yourself solution. If you aren’t able to call us for local dishwasher repair.

Commonplace Causes of Dishwasher Faults and How to Resolve Them

Some of the more everyday sources of dishwasher faults aren’t really due to a broken dishwasher . Prior to starting getting the tools out as well as watching numerous youtube tutorials there are a number of things you might want to take a look at first.

Investigate to see whether your dishwasher is level. If the dishwasher isn’t level water will quickly puddle as well as leak regardless of whether or not the dishwasher has a fault.
Check you have been using the correct soap. You may be aware of this problem with your washer. An excess of detergent or the wrong type may result in to too many suds, the soap suds deluge resulting in a spill.
Investigate your dishwasher door closes fully. If it does not you may have something blocking it, or you might need to adjust the hinge or the locking mechanism.
Check the filter located at the bottom of the tub for any easy to see obstructions as if your dishwasher isn’t emptying correctly this will cause it to overfill and so leak.

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

To make your life easier start with the door as well as investigate for any obvious problems inside of the machine prior to moving on to the underside. If you can identify and so fix 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 Gasket

The most commonplace place for a dishwasher to leak is on the door, luckily it is likewise one of the simplest issues to solve.

If the leak is intermittent the issue could be as easy as a large plate or something else pushing against the door thus preventing the door from shutting fully.

Else-ways the door seal could have come loose or been split.

Check the door seal and also check for any cracks, a build-up of limescale or other debris, or any tracts in which the seal might have separated from the door.

Removing the seal and allowing it a good wash might improve the situation in some cases or you might need to purchase a new gasket and replace it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The water inlet valve can also be a commonplace issue. This is generally located on the underbelly of the machine which means you will need to take off the kick plate and could need to remove the door cover.

The inlet valve opens and closes to allow water into the machine at different times during the cycle. The fill valve might be leaking, shown by a slight drip, or it may be damaged thus not functioning correctly while the dishwasher is running.

If the water inlet valve fails to close fully this can result in the dishwasher overfilling and cause a leakage.

Usually these valves are not able to be fixed unless it is just the rubber seal that is faulty, thus the whole part would need to be replaced.

Leaking Hoses

Your dishwasher uses hoses to fill, drain as well as recirculate water during the programme.

Two issues can arise when it comes to hoses.

The gaskets might break or the contact points may work loose thus it’s worth having a look at all the connection points .
The alternative problem than can easily develop over time is that hoses can be damaged or cracked.

If you are able to determine that the leakage is a result of a faulty hose this should be relatively easy to replace and new hoses are easy to procure.

Pumps and Seals

You are able to visually investigate the rubber seals surrounding the water pumps or motor to ascertain if there is a leak and also replace them if there is.

The Float Switch

The float itself or the float switch might be not working correctly causing the dishwasher to overfill.

A working float will lift up as the water level goes up until it reaches the maximum fill level. The end piece of the float will then activate the switch. If something is blocking this or the float is broken this could be your issues.

Checking the switch will require a multi-meter although it might be obviously damaged in which case getting a new one should stop the leak.

Other Parts that Might Lead to a Leak

A broken wash arm or support may causing leakage. This can also often result in your dishes not being cleaned as effectively as they should.

Broken or faulty lines could likewise cause this fault as may a cracked pump cover if your dishwasher has one.

The motor shaft seal might have cracked causing a leak. This generally presents as a leak coming from the underside of the appliance.

Top Tips to Fix Your Dishwasher

Save money by checking the seal instead of the entire component. In many cases, you are able to acquire the gasket without the rest of the part which saves you having to replace the entire part.
Investigate the easy solutions first. There’s no point pulling the entire machine out if the problem is the soap.
Take photos at each step. This could assist you to reverse the process, describe the component you need in a shop, as well as explain the fault to a repair person if required.
Stay safe. Water and electricity are not good friends so turn off the power first.
If in doubt get in a professional.

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

If the cause of the leakage is still a mystery the next step you might take is to pull the dishwasher away from the wall to get better access underneath it and also add water to the tub to find out if the leakage presents itself.

If you are still in the dark your machine may only leak if it’s running. In this case, you may wish to find a service engineer to determine and also fix the fault due to the safety risks of running the dishwasher with electrical elements exposed.