Why is My Dishwasher Leaking? | Houston Appliance Repair

Coming downstairs only to discover an ominous puddle on the floor is never a great to start the day.

Fortuitously, most commonplace causes of dishwasher faults are comparably easy to determine and mend by yourself. Meaning you may not need to hand wash the dishes for too long, stay at home waiting for an repair person or have to pay the call-out fee.

So, grab the manual if you know where it is, clean up the mess and get something soak up any further spills and so find out if you can diagnose the fault. If you aren’t able to call us for local dishwasher repair.

Everyday Causes of Dishwasher Faults as well as How to Resolve Them

A lot of the more simple causes of dishwasher faults aren’t in fact due to a broken dishwasher . Before you start preparing yourself for an engineering task and looking at numerous online videos there are a number of issues you can troubleshoot first.

Investigate to see whether your dishwasher is level. If your dishwasher is not level water will easily puddle and spill out even if the dishwasher is working perfectly.
Check you are using the correct detergent. You could have seen this with your washer. Too much soap or the wrong variety can lead an excess of bubbles, the soap suds bubble over resulting in a spill.
Check your dishwasher door fully closes. If there’s a gap there may be an obstruction, or you could need to replace the door fixings.
Test the filter located in the bottom of the tub for any easy to see obstructions as if your dishwasher isn’t draining effectively this can result in fill too much and leak.

When you have looked at these possible causes it’s time to get ready and begin a thorough check.

To make your life easier start with the door and test for any visible problems in the interior of the machine before you move on to the underside. If you can identify and fix the issue before you have to pull out the dishwasher so much the better.

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

Door Gasket

The most commonly seen place for leakage is around the door, luckily it is also one of the simplest issues to solve.

If the leak is intermittent the problem may be as easy as an oversized dish or something else pushing into the door and stopping it from shutting correctly.

Else-ways the door gasket could have been dislodged or been cracked.

Inspect the door gasket and also check for any brittleness, mineral deposits or other gunk, or any areas where the gasket might have separated from the door.

Taking off the seal and also giving it a good scrub has been known to help in some cases or you might have to purchase a new seal and change it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The inlet valve can be a further everyday problem. The Valve is generally situated under the machine and so you may have to remove the kick plate and might need to remove the door cover.

The water inlet valve opens and closes to allow water into the machine at varying times in the programme. The water inlet valve might be showing a leak, demonstrated by a slight drip, or it may be damaged and so not functioning properly during the cycle.

When the inlet valve fails to close properly this can mean that the dishwasher overfills, causing a leak.

Usually fill valve are not able to be fixed unless it is only the rubber seal that is broken, and so the whole part would need to be replaced.

Leaking Hoses

Hoses are needed to fill, drain and redistribute water along the programme.

Two problems can present themselves where hoses are concerned.

The seals may get damaged or the contact points may work loose meaning it’s worth having a look at all the connection points first.
The alternative fault than may easily develop over time is that hoses may be degraded or cracked.

If you are able to see that the leakage is a result of a faulty hose this will be relatively simple to replace and replacement hoses are readily available.

Pumps and Seals

You can visually test the rubber seals around the water pumps or motor to determine whether there is a leakage and also change them if that’s the case.

The Float Switch

Either the float or the float switch might be broken resulting in the dishwasher overfilling.

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

Checking the switch would need a multi-meter but it could be obviously damaged in which case getting a new one should fix the leak.

Alternative Components that May Result in Leakage

A cracked wash arm or support could causing a leak. This will likewise often result in your dishes not being cleaned as effectively as they should.

Broken or faulty tubes may likewise cause this fault as could a loose pump cap if your dishwasher has one.

The motor shaft gasket might have come loose resulting in leakage. This will generally show as a leak coming from underneath the dishwasher.

Top Tips to Fix Your Machine

Spend less by replacing the seal instead of the entire part. In many cases, you can acquire the gasket without the rest of the part which saves time as well as money.
Investigate the easy resolutions first. There’s no point pulling the whole machine out if it’s the soap that’s making the leak.
Take pictures at each step. This can assist you to put the machine back together, show the component you are looking for to a sales person, 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 get in the professionals.

What To Do Next If Your Initial Investigation Doesn’t Identify or Resolve the Leakage

If the root of the leakage remains a mystery the thing you can do is to pull out the machine to get a better look underneath it and also fill it with water to see whether the leakage becomes visible.

If this gives no further clues your dishwasher may only show a leakage if it’s running. If this is the case, you may wish to employ a dishwasher repair person to pinpoint as well as mend the problem as there are safety risks of checking for faults with electrical components uncovered.