There’s truly almost nothing worse than walking into your kitchen, only to find a large pool of water on the ground, steadily leaking from your dishwasher.
But not only is it inconvenient and messy, but a leaking dishwasher or kitchen appliance can also even cause structural damages to your home if not addressed properly.
So, with that in mind, we thought it’d be a good idea to put together the following guide on how to repair a leaky dishwasher.
Keep reading, and we’ll go over a few simple ways to try and diagnose why your appliance might be leaking, as well as what you can do to stop and prevent it from happening again.
Why Is My Dishwasher Leaking?
Unfortunately, there’s no cut and dry answer as to why your dishwasher might be leaking.
However, there are a few culprits that are more common than the rest. Below, we’ll take a look at the most likely areas where your unit might leak.
That being said, if you have a serious leak, the first thing to do is to shut off the water at your home’s main valve, which will stop and water flow in the house until you can find and fix your leak.
Door Won’t Close Snuggly
Broken Gasket
Dishwasher Drain Is Clogged
Aside from loose connections, we often repair dishwashers that have doors that have either become loose or are simply not closing properly, in turn, causing a leak.
In some cases, this might be because your door hinges have worn out or become loose. Also, make sure that no objects have become lodged in the hinge area. Even a buildup of nasty food particles might prevent the door from closing properly.
The door on your dishwasher has a gasket or seal, which helps prevent water from leaking out while the unit is in operation.
Therefore, when this gasket either wears out or becomes damaged, it could cause the unit to leak.
To troubleshoot the door gasket, inspect it visually for any signs of damage, wear, cracks, splits, or missing areas. Even if the gasket is simply old and has become hard, it could cause a leak.
So, if you note any damage to your door gasket, you’ll need to replace it.
During a wash cycle, food particles from your dishes will often get washed off and then start to build up in the unit’s strainer basket. This is precisely why it’s important to scrape off food and rinse your dishes before placing them in your dishwasher.
Often when you leak, it’s simply because the drain strainer is clogged up with food.
Fortunately, you can remove the strainer, clean it out and replace it, which should stop water from building up and leaking out while the unit is in operation.
Alternatively, you could have a more serious clog further down the unit’s drain line. In this case, you might need to use a snake to remove the obstruction. Or, feel free to contact Littleton Appliance Pros for professional help.
Damaged Waterline
Your leak might also be coming from one of the unit’s waterlines. After the initial installation, this isn’t usually a very prevalent problem. But if you’ve recently installed your appliance on your own or have moved it around, you may have pinched or damaged a line.
You can typically tell you’ve got a broken water line if your leak is coming from underneath or behind the unit.
To fix this, turn the main water supply off to your home, pull your dishwasher out from under the counter and inspect the water lines for the leak. If you find any holes or leaks, you’ll likely need to replace the entire water line.
Leaking Water Inlet Valve
If you’ve only recently had your dishwasher installed, it’s common to find a leak at the connection points where the water lines connect to your dishwasher.
In most cases, if this is where your leak is coming from, you’ll need to tighten the connection. However, if the connection or valve is broken or faulty, you’ll need to replace it completely.
Dishwasher Maintenance Tips
Regularly cleaning and maintaining your dishwasher is vital in ensuring that the unit will last for as long as possible.
One awesome maintenance tip is occasionally running an empty wash cycle by first adding about half a cup of borax into the dishwasher. During the wash cycle, the borax will clean and disinfect the appliance, ensuring that no mould or mildew is building up anywhere inside.
Besides that, you should always rinse your dishes before placing them into your dishwasher, and you should never overload the appliance. Overloading will often cause the unit to struggle to clean your dishes.
