What to Check When Your Dishwasher Door is Leaking

When your dishwasher is leaking, it is important that you do your troubleshooting quickly to prevent an appliance problem from turning into a home problem as the water creates mold and other water damage. However, while there are several parts in a dishwasher that can leak, if you have deduced that the water is coming from your door, here is what you need to check.

Gasket

Your first step is to check the gasket that runs around the interior of the door. This piece of rubber is located on the edge of the tub rather than the door. It should be firmly attached and pliable to the touch. If your door gasket is hard or has detached from your appliance, you will need to replace it.

Keep in mind that a door gasket will not cover the bottom run of your door panel. This is normal.

Check the Float Switch

Every dishwasher comes with a float switch to detect when there is enough water in the dishwasher. When detected, it stops the water flow. However, if it has been bumped, damaged, or has otherwise fallen out of alignment, it can cause the dishwasher to overflow. Your dishwasher typically never fills up past the bottom of the door because your door isn’t designed to be water tight to standing water, just water splashing during the wash cycle. So if the float switch tells it to keep filling, that standing water will start leaking out.

Check The Detergent

If you are not using dishwasher specific detergent, this may be the cause of your problem. If you are using dish soap or any other detergent than dishwasher detergent, it will cause over foaming. This will then cause leaking as the pressure builds up. If you are having a foam disaster, add some vinegar and run a rinse cycle. It is a mistake that happens, but one you only make once. You will also need to rewash your dishes as they will have soap residue.