Troubleshoot diswasher leak

Overview

Is your dishwasher leaking? This dishwasher repair guide will walk you though the steps in repairing your dishwasher. Read each section carefully for troubleshooting your problem.    
 

Resolution

SOAPSUD

A leaking dishwasher can be caused by excessive soapsuds.

THIS IS DEMO DATA.

Excessive soapsuds are the most common reason dishwashers leak. Excessive soapsuds will cause dishwashers to leak from the door. Good dishwasher detergent will have no more than ½ inch of suds on top of the water. So any time your dishwasher is leaking from the door open the door, if there is more than a ½ inch of suds your problem is in your soap. One drop of hand soap, hand dishwashing soap, or any other soap will cause dishwashers to leak. Now, I am not suggesting that you intentionally put this soap in the dishwasher because if you did the soapsuds would be from top-to-bottom of your dishwasher. Now if there are a lot of suds you can fix it by pouring vinegar or cold water into the dishwasher and running it, this will kill the subs.

A few years ago dishwasher detergent companies started making these three-in-one tablets or sometimes called three-in-one action packs for dishwashers and they will sometimes cause dishwashers to leak. At first, I only would see this problem with Electrasol three-in-one tablets but then Cascade started having the same problem. I hate to call these companies out, but I have gone on a lot of service calls because of their detergent. Don’t get me wrong, both companies have good powder and liquid detergent, just not the tablets. So if you have this problem, try changing back to the powder or liquid detergent and this may fix your problem.

DOOR

Often dishwashers leak through the door. The most common mistake people make when repairing leaking dishwashers is they automatically think if it’s coming from the door, it’s got to be the door gasket. In most cases, they are wrong because I have only seen three or four door gaskets bad since I have been an appliance repairman. I am not saying it can’t be your problem, but it’s unlikely. So if your door gasket is not ripped or torn off, look for other problems.

If the leak is coming through the door and you determined isn’t soapsuds, it can be leaking through the soap cup or rinse aid dispenser. To check this, first disconnect power from dishwasher. Then open the door and separate the inter door from the outer door by removing the screws that hold them together. Now hold the outer door down. If water has been leaking through the door the insulation will be wet. If so, replace the soap cup and the rinse aid dispenser.

If not the wash arm or wash arm housing may have a hole in them. This will causing water to spray under the door, replace both of them because you may not be able to see the hole. This part can be purchased at