A dishwasher of course uses water to clean your dishes. That being said, the water is supposed to stay inside of the dishwasher. If your dishwasher is leaking, you’ve obviously got a bit of a problem.
A leaking dishwasher can damage your floors and more. Over time, even a small leak can also lead to big issues, mainly mold and structural problems. If your dishwasher is leaking, you absolutely have to fix the problem right away. However, dishwashers may leak due to a variety of reasons.
Therefore, before you can get to fixing the problem, you first need to diagnose it. Let’s take a look at all the different reasons why your dishwasher might be leaking. We will then also look at all of the possible fixes for these problems.
Leaking Dishwashers: Causes & Solutions
The fact of the matter is that there are actually a few different issues that may lead to your dishwasher leaking. Let’s take a closer look at all of these possible causes, and what you can do to stop it from occurring.
1. Improper Dishwasher Detergent
Needless to say, for a regular dishwasher, you need regular dishwasher detergent. In other words, you need to be using dishwasher detergent that is specifically designed for this purpose. You never want to use any other kind of soap other than that which is specially designed for these machines.
This is especially the case with something like dish soap. Dish soap produces a whole lot of foaming and bubbling action. If you put too much dish soap inside of a dishwasher, it can bubble and foam up.
This then creates a whole lot of pressure inside of the machine. All of that pressure will then press against the seal of the door, and eventually cause it to leak.
Moreover, when pressure gets put on the door and causes a leak, it can actually cause permanent damage to the seal of the door.
If this happens, you’ve got a much bigger problem on your hands, one that will require professional maintenance. Therefore, never use anything but dishwasher specific detergent.
2. Not Sitting Level
Another common cause of a leaking dishwasher is if it is not sitting level on the ground. Your dishwasher should sit on the ground perfectly level. If one side of the dishwasher is higher than the other side, it can cause water to gather in one area and eventually leak out.
Generally speaking, all appliances, whether dishwashers or otherwise, need to sit at ground level. Therefore, if you notice that your dishwasher is leaking, try using a bubble level to see if it is level. If the dishwasher is not level, you will need to take the appropriate steps to straighten it out.
Of course, you probably aren’t going to remodel your whole house and replace the floor. This means that you need to place a shim under the dishwasher to straighten it out. You need to adjust that dishwasher until it is 100% level on the ground below.
3. The Door is Not Watertight
One of the most common issues of a leaking dishwasher is if the dishwasher door doesn’t create a proper seal between it and the tub anymore. One of the issues that might be the cause here is if the latch is broken or damaged. The latch is the part of the door that hooks into the main body of the dishwasher.
If this latch is broken or loose, it may not hold onto the tub 100%. This may lead to there being a small space between the door and the main body of the dishwasher. This can then cause water to leak out. You want to inspect the latch to see if it is working properly.
If you notice that it is very loose or damaged, you will need to take the appropriate steps to replace or repair it. If you notice that your dishwasher door shakes and wobbles, then this is likely the case. You may be able to use a screwdriver to simply tighten the latch to the point where it creates a good fit once again.
The other issue that may cause your dishwasher to leak in this sense is if the gasket is damaged or broken. To be clear, the gasket is that rubber sealing on the door that goes all away around the perimeter of it.
This is designed to create a watertight seal between the door and the main body of the dishwasher. If you see that this gasket has any cracks in it or is missing anywhere, then this is the issue. If this is the case, you will need to remove the old and damaged gasket and replace it with a new one.
Installing a new dishwasher gasket is generally something that you want a professional to do, although it is doable on your own. Just make sure to heat up the new gasket to the point where it is flexible enough to install.
4. A Broken Dishwasher Tub
Yet another issue that may be causing your dishwasher to leak is if the main body or the tub itself is broken. This is generally something that will happen with older machines that have seen their fair share of use.
The fact of the matter is that the bottom of your dishwasher may have corroded to the point where it has developed a hole in it. In other words, it might have a rust hole in it.
If you notice that your dishwasher has water leaking directly out of the bottom of it, this might be the case. Now, this is actually one of the biggest and most severe problems.
The fact is that while it might be possible to fix some tubs to the point where they become functional once again, most are not. If you have a hole in the bottom of your tub, it is very likely that you will need to replace the dishwasher.
5. A Broken Float Switch
A float switch or float assembly is something that is contained inside of a dishwasher. This is a mechanism designed to ensure that there is always the proper water level inside of the machine. This is not unlike the inside of a toilet. There is a little ball that can float on top of the water.
Once that ball reaches a certain height due to the water level, it hits a switch which signals the machine to not let any more water in. However, if this float switch assembly is broken, it may not turn off when the machine has enough water in it.
In other words, if this assembly is broken, your machine will just keep filling up with more and more water. If way too much water fills into the machine, then it may leak out. If you notice that the water level is way above the heating elements during a cycle, then this is likely the issue.
If you notice that this is the case, it is likely that you will need to replace the float switch. You may be able to replace this float assembly by yourself with an appropriate model. With that being said, this is one of the harder fixes. In all reality, you will probably need to call in a professional for this problem.
6. A Malfunctioning Water Inlet Valve
Another issue that may be causing your dishwasher to leak is if the water inlet valve is not closing properly. The water inlet valve is the mechanism that allows water to get into your washing machine. Once your washing machine has a certain amount of water in it, this water inlet valve should automatically close.
However, if this inlet valve doesn’t open and close properly, it can cause your dishwasher to overfill. Once your dishwasher has way too much water in it, it will then most likely start leaking. If you see that your dishwasher is still filling with water once the door is open, it is very likely that the inlet valve is broken.
The issue here is that an inlet valve cannot be repaired. It will need to be replaced. Once again, just like with the above problem, this is not an overly easy task. Generally speaking, although it is doable to replace it yourself, you will likely need to call in a dishwasher professional or a plumber.
7. A Clogged Dishwasher
The other thing that may be causing your dishwasher to leak is if the drain is clogged. If your dishwasher does not drain properly, then the water has nowhere to go. Although a clogged dishwasher will not always leak, it is certainly a possibility.
If you suspect that your dishwasher is clogged, then you need to unclog the drain. Generally speaking, the drain could be clogged, the filter could be clogged, or the drain hose behind the unit could be clogged.
Signs of a clogged dishwasher are if your dishes are still dirty when the cycle is done, especially at the bottom rack. Moreover, if there is standing water in the bottom of the machine once a cycle is done, then it is likely clogged. Please refer to this article here for tips on how to unclog a dishwasher.
Conclusion
Now that you know all of the possible causes of a leaking dishwasher, you should be able to take care of the issue. Remember that you really can’t let your dishwasher continue leaking. It’s not good for your dishwasher, and it’s definitely not good for the surrounding area either.
Moreover, if you’re not confident in your own abilities to repair the issue yourself, you want to call a professional. If you don’t know what you’re doing, fiddling around with your dishwasher might just create an even bigger problem.