Why is My Dishwasher Leaking? - Hawthorne Appliance Repair

Coming downstairs 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 comparatively straightforward to determine and fix yourself. This means you might not need to wash the dishes by hand that much, take a day off waiting for an repair person or have to pay a high call-out fee.

So, if you’re feeling up to it grab the operating manual if you have it, get a towel to clean up the mess and get a towel clean up any additional spills and see whether you can diagnose the issue. If you cannot call us for local dishwasher repair.

Everyday Explanations of Dishwasher Leaks as well as How to Fix Them

Some of the more simple causes of dishwasher leaks aren’t actually due to a dishwasher fault at all. Before you start getting the tools out and watching numerous online tutorials there are a few issues you might want to troubleshoot first.

Check to find out whether your dishwasher is aligned. If the dishwasher isn’t level water can easily pool and so spill out even if the dishwasher is working perfectly.
Test you are using the proper detergent. You might be aware of this problem with your washing machine. An excess of detergent or the incorrect variety could result in an excess of suds, the bubbles spill over resulting in a spill.
Investigate your dishwasher door fully closes. If it does not there may be an obstruction, or you may have to fix the hinge or the locking mechanism.
Investigate the filter at the bottom of the tub for any easy to see obstructions as if your dishwasher isn’t draining correctly this will result in overfill and so leak.

If none of the above issues apply it’s time to roll up your sleeves and really begin a thorough check.

The easiest place to start is the door as well as check for any obvious damage within of the machine prior to moving on to the underneath. If you can identify as well as fix the issue before you have to pull out the dishwasher you’ll save yourself a lot of hassle.

And make sure you disconnect the appliance first by either unplugging it or turning off the circuit breaker for the dishwasher.

Door Gasket

The door is probably the most commonplace area for leakage and also one of the simplest issues to resolve.

If the leakage is occasional the fault could be as easy as an oversized dish or another object pushing against the door thus preventing it from sealing fully.

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

Examine the door gasket and check for any brittleness, mineral deposits or other deposits, or any parts where the gasket has come away from the door.

Extracting the gasket and allowing it a comprehensive scrub has been known to help in some instances or you could be required to buy a new seal and change it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The fill valve can be a further commonplace problem. The Valve is usually situated on the underbelly of the machine which means you may need to remove the kick plate and may need to take off the door cover.

The fill valve opens and also closes to let water into the machine at various times in the cycle. The water inlet valve may be damaged, demonstrated by a slight drip, or it might be damaged and not opening or closing fully during the cycle.

In the case that the inlet valve doesn’t shut fully this can lead to the dishwasher overfilling and result in a leakage.

Usually water inlet valve are not able to be fixed unless it is only the rubber gasket that is broken, thus the entire component would need to be changed.

Leaking Hoses

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

Two complications may develop where hoses are concerned.

The gaskets can get damaged or the contact points might come loose meaning it’s worth checking all the connections first.
The alternative fault than may easily develop as you use the machine is that hoses may get damaged or cracked.

Luckily damaged hoses are easy to buy as well as replace.

Pumps and Seals

You can visually investigate the rubber gaskets that are part of the pumps or motor to ascertain whether there is a leakage and replace them if that’s the case.

The Float Switch

Either the float or the float switch might be faulty causing the dishwasher to overfill.

A working float will lift up as the water rises until the optimum or highest water level is reached. The tag of the float should then activate the switch. A blockage or breakage could be causing your problem.

Checking the switch will require electrical equipment although it could be clearly broken in which case getting a new one should fix the problem.

Alternative Parts that Might Result in a Leak

A cracked wash arm or support might puch water under the door resulting in leakage. This will also often affect how well your dishes are being cleaned.

Broken or faulty lines might also cause this issue as could a damaged pump cover.

The motor shaft gasket could have degraded causing a leak. This will generally show as leakage coming from underneath the appliance.

Top Tips to Mend Your Machine

Save money by checking the gasket in place of the whole part. In plenty instances, you can purchase the seal without the rest of the part which saves time as well as money.
Check the simple resolutions first. There’s no point pulling the whole machine out if the problem is the detergent.
Photograph your progress. This might make your life easier when you come to reverse the process, show the component you need in a store, and also explain the problem to a repair person if required.
Be careful. Water and electricity are not good friends so turn off the power first.
If in doubt call a professional.

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

If the root of the leak can’t be uncovered the next step you might take is to pull the machine away from the wall to get a clearer view of the beneath it and also add water to the tub to find out whether the leakage presents itself.

If you don’t discover any leaks with this method your dishwasher may only show a leakage if during a cycle. If this is the case, your best bet would be to hire a qualified technician to pinpoint and also resolve the problem due to the safety risks of checking for faults with electrical components uncovered.