Why is My Dishwasher Leaking? | Santa Maria Appliance Repair

Entering the kitchen only to step in an ominous puddle coming from the dishwasher is never the best to start the day.

Luckily, most commonplace causes of dishwasher faults are comparatively simple to determine and fix on your own. Meaning you might not have to wash the dishes by hand for more than a day or two, call an engineer or have to pay a high call-out charge.

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

Commonplace Sources of Dishwasher Leaks and How to Mend Them

Many of the more commonplace explanations of dishwasher leaks are not in fact because of a broken dishwasher at all. Prior to starting preparing yourself for an engineering task and looking at numerous online tutorials there are a number of problems you should troubleshoot first.

Check to find out if your dishwasher is aligned. If the dishwasher is wonky water can easily puddle and so spill out without there being anything that needs to be resolved or replaced.
Check you have been using the proper soap. You might be familiar with this fault with your washing machine. An excess of soap or using the wrong type could lead to too many soap suds, the bubbles spill over and you get a spill.
Check your dishwasher door closes fully. If there’s a gap there may be a blockage, or you may need to replace the door fixings.
Test the filter at the base of the tub for any obvious obstructions as if your dishwasher isn’t emptying properly this is likely to cause it to overfill and leak.

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

The easiest place to start is the door and investigate for any obvious problems in the interior of the machine prior to moving on to the underside. If you are able to find as well as mend the problem before you need to pull out the dishwasher so much the better.

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

Door Gasket

The most usual place for leakage is on the door, luckily it is likewise one of the quickest issues to solve.

If the leakage is intermittent the issue might be as simple as a large plate or another object putting pressure into the door and stopping the door from closing properly.

Otherwise the door gasket might have been dislodged or got split.

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

Extracting the gasket and also giving it a thorough scrub has been known to help in some instances or you may have to purchase a new seal and replace it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The water inlet valve can be a further commonly seen fault. The inlet is in most cases situated on the underbelly of the machine and so you will need to take off the kick plate and could need to unscrew the door cover.

The water inlet valve opens and closes to let water into the dishwasher at varying parts of the cycle. The fill valve might be showing a leak, evidenced by a slight drip, or it might be broken thus not functioning correctly while the dishwasher is running.

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

Generally inlet valve can’t be repaired unless it is just the rubber seal that is broken, which means the entire part would need to be changed.

Leaking Hoses

Your dishwasher uses hoses to supply, empty and also recirculate water within the programme.

Two complications could present themselves where hoses are involved.

The gaskets may break or the contact points might work loose meaning it’s a good idea to have a look at all the connections .
The other fault than could often develop over time is that hoses could be damaged or get a hole in.

If you can determine that the leak is a result of a faulty hose this should be relatively simple to replace and new hoses are easy to come by.

Pumps and Gaskets

You are able to visually test the gaskets surrounding the pumps or motor to determine if there is a leak and replace them if that’s the case.

The Float Switch

Either the float or the float switch may be not working correctly resulting in the dishwasher overfilling.

A working float will rise as the water level goes up until the optimum or highest water level is reached. The tail of the float will then activate the switch. If something is blocking this or the float is broken this could be causing your issues.

Checking the switch will require electrical equipment but it could be obviously damaged in which case replacing it should solve the problem.

Other Components that Might Lead to Leakage

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

Broken or faulty tubes might also result in this issue as could a broken pump cover if your dishwasher has one.

The motor shaft gasket may have come loose causing leakage. This will generally show as a puddle coming from the underside of the dishwasher.

Top Tips to Mend Your Machine

Spend less by checking the gasket instead of the entire part. In plenty cases, you can acquire the seal separately which saves time as well as money.
Investigate the easy fixes before you get more complicated. There’s no point pulling the entire dishwasher away from the wall if it’s the soap that’s causing the issue.
Take pictures as you go. This may help you put the machine back together, explain the part you need in a shop, and also explain the problem to an engineer if required.
Be careful. Water and electricity are not good friends so unplug the machine first.
If you’re not sure call a professional.

What To Do Next If Your Trouble Shooting Doesn’t Identify or Fix the Leak

If the cause of the leakage can’t be uncovered the next step you might take is to pull out the machine to get a clearer view of the underneath it and also add water to the tub to find out if the leakage can be seen that way.

If you are still in the dark your machine could only show a leakage when during a cycle. In this case, you should hire a dishwasher repair person to determine as well as fix the issue due to the safety risks of checking for faults with electrical components exposed.