Your Dishwasher Is Leaking Underneath

Your dishwasher is leaking and you don't know why? To make it easier to find out why, it is best to find out where the leak is coming from and when it happens exactly. We are going to explain the possible causes for this and how to fix these issues.

THE POSSIBLE CAUSES FOR THIS FAULT :

• There is an issue with the plumbing

• The spray arms are obstructed or clogged up

• There is too much rinse aid

• The seals are worn out

• The drain pump is leaking

• The pressure switch is faulty

• The pressure chamber is blocked

• The timer is broken

• The wash pump is leaking

• The water distributor is blocked

• The float switch is activated

• The tub has a hole in it

• The screw on the lower spray arm has come undone

WARNING
Before you do anything to your appliance, make sure you disconnect it from the power supply.
There is a risk of electric shock.

There is an issue with the plumbing

Check the water supply pipe on your dishwasher You can wipe down all the fittings by hand with a paper towel to track down traces of water more easily. You can then look at the waste water drain pipe, because if this is set too deep into the standpipe, you may get a backflow leak. To be compliant, your drain pipe inlet needs to be 65cm above ground level and the pipe should be set into the standpipe at a maximum of 15cm. If the water is flowing out of the trap, we advise you to call a plumber.

The spray arms are obstructed or clogged up

The spray arms spray jets of water onto the the washing up in your dishwasher. Check they aren't obstructed by turning them by hand. If the spray arms are damaged because they are open lengthwise or if they are clogged up, the water will spray onto the wrong place, towards the door corners for example, causing your dishwasher to leak. First you can try to put them back in the right place and clean them. If you still get the same problem, you should replace them.

Purchase spray arms for your dishwasher

There is too much rinse aid

Rinse aid is used to rinse off detritus during the rinsing phase and to speed up the process of drying your washing up. Take care though, because rinse aid tends to foam up. This foam can overflow and thus create a leak. Check your rinse aid dispensor settings by consulting the appliance's instruction manual. We advise you not to spill any rinse aid or let it overflow when you fill up the container and to wipe off any surplus.

The seals are worn out

The seals on the door and at the bottom of the door make your dishwasher watertight. If either of the two seals is dirty, torn or displaced, a leak may occur. Clean these seals regularly and replace them if they're faulty.

Purchase door seals for your dishwasher

The drain pump is leaking

The drain pump drains the water out of your dishwasher. If the drain pump is faulty and is no longer draining the water, your appliance may overflow in some instances. If you think the pump is the cause of the leak, you can dismantle it and check if there aren't any little seeds or bits of glass stopping it from working. If the pump is ever leaking from its axle, you must replace it.

Purchase a drain pump for your dishwasher

The pressure switch is faulty

The pressure switch checks the water level in your dishwasher. If it is faulty and no longer responding, your dishwasher may overflow. You can easily test it using a multimeter set to ohmmeter mode. You should put both of the tester's tips on the pressure switch's terminals and check the continuity. You can then lightly blow inside to toggle the pressure switch contacts on and off; they should turn off and on again with every breath and absence of breath. Check that the pressure switch goes into one of the two positions. Please note however that, if you have a very recent dishwasher, it may not have a pressure switch. In such cases, any checks are managed by an electronic system.

Purchase a pressure switch for your dishwasher

The pressure chamber is blocked

Your dishwasher's pressure chamber fills with water and forces air into a tube to turn on the pressure switch. This is how the appliance knows when the right water level has been reached. Over time, the pressure chamber can get clogged up because of impurities in the wash, which prevents the pressure switch from telling the appliance that the water level is right. When this happens, the appliance may overflow. You can easily clean the pressure chamber. You must unplug the tube that runs to the pressure switch (the round, coloured device), then get a big syringe filled with water and insert it into the tube in the direction of the tub. If you don't have a syringe, just fill your mouth with water. Blow very hard or push the plunger of your syringe down very hard in the direction of the pressure chamber to clean it. Repeat several times. You can then drain your appliance and finish by drying the tube out properly by blowing into it. Next put all these parts back in place and try again. Please note, if you try to clean the pressure chamber by just blowing, you may not be successful in fixing the issue.

The timer is broken

Old dishwashers often have a mechanical timer. This can get stuck during the filling stage and the appliance will then take on too much water and overflow. If you spot this fault, you need to consider replacing this part.

Purchase a timer for your dishwasher

The wash pump is leaking

The wash pump supplies water under pressure to the spray arms. If it is leaking through its axle, you need to replace it. It is located behind the access cover on the underside of the appliance. Before carrying out any work, we advise you to put gloves on because the edges are very sharp.

Purchase a wash pump for your dishwasher

The water distributor is blocked

The water distributor is designed to supply the salt container with water to switch on the water softening, but also to fill the tub with water. The distributor can end up clogging due to limescale, which can cause a leak at the bottom of the appliance. You can check its status by removing the appliance's left or righthand panel. If you see the distributor leaking water when you turn the appliance on, you must replace it.

Purchase a water distributor for your dishwasher

The float switch is activated

Most appliances are fitted with a sensor to prevent flooding. If this is activated, then your dishwasher will go into fault mode and stop the cycle. Some models even keep draining constantly. If your appliance has this issue, it's probably because the float switch is on safety mode, which indicates the presence of a leak. You should take the dishwasher's walls off to find out where the leak is coming from.

The tub has a hole in it

Sometimes the stainless steel tub can have a hole in it. The salt deposits from filling up the regeneration tub can end up eating through the tub because they are corrosive. Over time, this creates a small hole that water leaks through. To avoid this issue, you must always make sure you wipe away any excess salt after filling the tub and then start a wash immediately, without leaving the salt to sit around. It is possible to fill in the holes by cold welding.

The screw on the lower spray arm has come undone

The bracket for the lower spray arm can unscrew over time. If this is the case, it will create a leak that runs straight onto the dishwasher motor. We advise you to check it and tighten it if necessary.