As an appliance repair technician with more than three decades of experience, I’ve seen many dishwashers that eventually leak from the bottom corners of the door. I love receiving this repair request. It’s almost always caused by the same problem, and I can fix it within 10 minutes with a few supplies.
Eventually, all dishwashers end up with a dribbling leak from the lower corner of the door. If left untreated, it can warp and discolor the kitchen floor — a costly repair. Here, I’ll share all the possible causes of a dishwasher door leak and some easy DIY fixes.
About the Expert
Scott Flint (aka Scott the Fixit Guy) has spent more than 30 years as an appliance tech and teacher, repairing washers, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, stoves and ovens. He operates three YouTube DIY channels with more 60,000 subscribers and an average of 1,000,000 views per month.
Why Does a Dishwasher Leak From the Bottom of the Door?
In most cases, it’s because of a dirty or compressed black rubber door seal. It can also come from a bent door or a stuck dishwasher water fill valve.
Over time, detergent and food debris build up on the door seal. When it dries out, it creates a film that makes the seal no longer watertight.
During the hot wash cycle, water shoots out of the holes in the spray arms. If the rubber seal isn’t watertight, some of the water dribbles down the side of the door, usually from the right or left lower seal.
How To Stop a Dishwasher From Leaking in the Front
When homeowners see this problem, they instinctively suspect the door seal has failed. In all my years of fixing dishwashers, I’ve never had to replace the bottom door seal. It’s easily fixed by thoroughly cleaning the door seal attached to the front of the dishwasher tub.
All you need is a bowl of hot water, an old toothbrush and some liquid detergent.
Clean the door seal
- Add one teaspoon liquid detergent to a bowl of hot water.
- Scrub the entire length of the black rubber door seal with the toothbrush and the cleaning solution to remove debris.
- Wipe the seal with a wet paper towel.
- Dry the seal with new paper towels. The seal should now be clean and supple.
- Close the door and run a cycle for at least 10 minutes.
- If there’s no more leak, you’re done.
If it still leaks …
Adjust the door seal
- Pinch the black rubber seal between your thumb and index finger and lightly pull it toward you about one-quarter inch. Friction pushes the seal into a metal or plastic channel. Over time, the seal can become compressed so it’s no longer watertight. Pulling the seal slightly out of the channel brings it into contact with the door again, re-establishing a watertight seal.
- Go around the entire seal, slightly pulling it out one inch at a time.
- This procedure works on all brands of dishwashers.
Straighten a bent door
It’s also common for dishwasher doors to get slightly bent out of shape. When this happens, the upper corner of the door doesn’t seal anymore and the door won’t close all the way.
Luckily, it’s possible to bend the door back with a simple wash cloth. Here’s how:
- Fold the wash cloth in half, then fold it one more time.
- Put the folded wash cloth between the door and the tub by the hinge on the side of the bent door.
- With the wash cloth in position, push in at the top corner of the bent door with three pulses, pushing a little harder each time. The wash cloth will act as a soft raised surface, helping bending the door back to being straight.
- Remove the wash cloth and check if the door is now closing correctly. You may need to repeat the process until the door is straight.
Remove a large item
Sometimes a dishwasher leaks because a large item, like a cookie tray, is loaded vertically, and the water coming out of the spray arm deflects and finds its way past the door seal. Simply removing the large item fixes this problem.
Replace a broken fill valve
Occasionally, a door leaks because a water fill valve is stuck in the on position. This causes water to enter the dishwasher, even when’s off or unplugged. If you open the dishwasher door and water pours out onto the floor, it’s probably the fill valve.
The solution? Turn the water off under the sink and replace the fill valve.
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