Dishwasher leaking in Ottawa? What to do

Even a slow drip can cause mould, warp your floor and damage cabinetry, and much of it happens out of sight under the unit. Stop using the dishwasher and book a diagnosis; the repair is quoted in writing before any work starts.

• Worn or torn door gasket. The most common cause: the rubber seal cracks and lets water escape.
• Faulty door latch. The door doesn’t compress the seal fully, so water escapes at the front.
• Cracked or loose drain hose. Water pools under the dishwasher and seems to leak from the bottom.
• Failed water inlet valve. The valve doesn’t close fully after the fill, and the dishwasher overfills.
• Damaged spray arm. Water sprays at the wrong angle and hits the door seal under pressure.
• Loose internal hose clamps. Connections inside the unit loosen over time.
• Oversudsing. Too much or the wrong detergent creates foam that leaks out.
• Cracked interior tub. Rare, and usually a repair-or-replace assessment.

Door gasket (seal) replacement

A gasket leak shows up at the door: drips running down the front panel, a wet kick-plate, or a small puddle at one of the bottom corners after a wash. Over the years the rubber hardens and flattens from heat and detergent, and tears often start where a rack or a long utensil has caught it. Before blaming the seal, the technician checks the latch and hinges, because a door that no longer pulls tight leaks in the same place. A fill test confirms the water is escaping at the seal; then the replacement gasket for your model number is fitted, and a full cycle is run to check that the door stays dry.

Dishwasher overflowing

If water rises above its normal level and spills out at the door, or the tub keeps filling with the dishwasher switched off, one of three faults is usually behind it:

• Inlet valve not closing. Water that still trickles in with the power off usually means the valve is stuck open; close the supply valve under the sink until it is replaced.
• Float switch. On many models a small plastic float in a front corner of the tub shuts off the fill if the water gets too high. Check that it lifts and drops freely and that nothing is holding it down; if it moves but the overfill continues, the switch itself is tested.
• Too much foam. Hand dish soap, spilled rinse aid or too much detergent fills the tub with foam that pushes water past the door seal; the foam question below has the check.

The cost of fixing a dishwasher leak in Ottawa depends on which part is letting the water out, such as a door gasket, a drain hose or an inlet valve, and on the labour needed to reach it. The residential diagnostic is $89 + tax, and the repair is quoted in writing before any work starts. More detail in our dishwasher repair cost guide.

Water under a dishwasher rarely shows where it started. The technician removes the kick-plate, inspects the drain hose, the pump connections, the inlet valve and the internal clamps, checks the door gasket, latch and spray arms, and runs a fill to watch for drips, so the quote covers the part that is actually leaking. If the tub also holds water, see dishwasher not draining.

Kanata, Barrhaven, Orléans, downtown Ottawa, Nepean, South Keys, Gloucester and Gatineau, with same-day visits when the schedule allows. See all service areas.