5 Reasons Why Kitchenaid Dishwasher Is Leaking

Kitchenaid dishwashers use water to clean the dirty dishes that you load inside. Typically, these dishwashers have no problems keeping all of the water and suds contained inside the appliance. So, why would a Kitchenaid dishwasher be leaking onto your kitchen floor?

The most likely reason for a Kitchenaid dishwasher to leak is a faulty water inlet valve. Water could be leaking from the valve itself, or it might be stuck in the ‘open’ position causing an overflow inside. Damaged seals or gaskets on the diverter motor or around the door could also let water through. The same could also happen from the drain pump or its hose.

Let’s take a closer look at the possible reasons your Kitchenaid dishwasher is leaking, and what you can do to fix it.

Before performing any kind of repairs on your dishwasher, be sure to disconnect the appliance from its power supply and shut off its water supply as well. That will prevent electrocution while reducing the risk of injury. Shutting off the water supply will also prevent flooding of your kitchen floor.

Be sure to keep your dishwasher user manual and any available technical sheet nearby. These documents will be helpful as a quick reference to help you identify and locate essential parts.

The water inlet valve on your Kitchenaid dishwasher is responsible for controlling the appliance’s water supply. That’s the part of the dishwasher that’s connected directly to your household water supply, and it’s controlled by the appliance’s systems.

When you load the dishwasher and start a new cycle, the water inlet valve will open and allow water to fill up the appliance. Once there’s enough water, the valve will shut and prevent the dishwasher from overflowing.

The water inlet valve repeats this process several times throughout the dishwashing cycle whenever the appliance requires a fresh water supply to be let in.

How it fails:

If you notice your Kitchenaid dishwasher leaking, particularly from underneath, then the most common reason is that the water inlet valve is faulty. That’s because the valve is located on the bottom of the appliance, hidden behind the toe panel (i.e. the front-facing removable panel right at the bottom).

When this happens, water will leak out from the inlet valve itself and flow directly onto the floor underneath.

Alternatively, a faulty water inlet valve can also be stuck in the ‘open’ position. That will cause far too much water to flow into the dishwasher, causing water to leak from around the door.

How to fix:

A faulty water inlet valve cannot be fixed, so you will need to replace it entirely. You can do this by first gaining access to the component, which is located at the bottom of the dishwasher.

• Next, remove the toe panel and locate the water inlet valve.
• Prepare a towel to catch any spills as you disconnect the valve’s electrical and water connectors.
• Depending on the design of your dishwasher, you might need to unthread screws holding the valve in place. 
• Next, install the new water inlet valve the same way as the old one. Reconnect the water and electrical supply to the valve, and mount it back in place.

Inside your dishwasher is a diverter motor that’s responsible for directing the water into the various spray arms in the appliance. 

When it is in good working order, water will continuously pump out from those spray arms and keep them spinning. That will allow the streams of water to wash off all the food junk and any dirt off of the plates and other items inside the dishwasher.

The divert motor is located at the bottom of the dishwasher, and it has a rubber seal around its stem to prevent water from seeping out onto the floor.

One important thing to note is the size of the diverter motor seal. The diverter motor seal is very small and can probably fit on the tip of your finger at under an inch in diameter.

How it fails:

There are several seals on a Kitchenaid dishwasher, and like any of them, the diverter motor seal can wear out over time. When that happens, water can get past the seal during the dishwashing cycle and leak out onto your kitchen floor.

Related: Top 5 Reasons Why Washer Smells Like Burning Rubber

How to fix:

To fix this, you’ll need to replace the diverter motor seal with a new one. Then, you’ll be able to access that seal from inside the dishwasher.

• First, though, you’ll have to remove the diverter tube assembly that sends water to the various spray arms.
• Once you’ve taken that out, you can twist open the diverter cap and see the seal that you’re looking for.
• The seal will be wrapped around a white plastic stem.
• Remove the old seal and replace it with the new one. The seal has a flat side and an open side. The flat part is meant to face down when you push the seal into place.
• Lastly, reassemble the diverter tube assembly.

Kitchenaid dishwashers use water to clean the dirty dishes that you load inside. Typically, these dishwashers have no problems keeping all of the water and suds contained inside the appliance. So, why would a Kitchenaid dishwasher be leaking onto your kitchen floor?

The most likely reason for a Kitchenaid dishwasher to leak is a faulty water inlet valve. Water could be leaking from the valve itself, or it might be stuck in the ‘open’ position causing an overflow inside. Damaged seals or gaskets on the diverter motor or around the door could also let water through. The same could also happen from the drain pump or its hose.

Let’s take a closer look at the possible reasons your Kitchenaid dishwasher is leaking, and what you can do to fix it.

Before performing any kind of repairs on your dishwasher, be sure to disconnect the appliance from its power supply and shut off its water supply as well. That will prevent electrocution while reducing the risk of injury. Shutting off the water supply will also prevent flooding of your kitchen floor.

Be sure to keep your dishwasher user manual and any available technical sheet nearby. These documents will be helpful as a quick reference to help you identify and locate essential parts.

The water inlet valve on your Kitchenaid dishwasher is responsible for controlling the appliance’s water supply. That’s the part of the dishwasher that’s connected directly to your household water supply, and it’s controlled by the appliance’s systems.

When you load the dishwasher and start a new cycle, the water inlet valve will open and allow water to fill up the appliance. Once there’s enough water, the valve will shut and prevent the dishwasher from overflowing.

The water inlet valve repeats this process several times throughout the dishwashing cycle whenever the appliance requires a fresh water supply to be let in.

How it fails:

If you notice your Kitchenaid dishwasher leaking, particularly from underneath, then the most common reason is that the water inlet valve is faulty. That’s because the valve is located on the bottom of the appliance, hidden behind the toe panel (i.e. the front-facing removable panel right at the bottom).

When this happens, water will leak out from the inlet valve itself and flow directly onto the floor underneath.

Alternatively, a faulty water inlet valve can also be stuck in the ‘open’ position. That will cause far too much water to flow into the dishwasher, causing water to leak from around the door.

How to fix:

A faulty water inlet valve cannot be fixed, so you will need to replace it entirely. You can do this by first gaining access to the component, which is located at the bottom of the dishwasher.

• Next, remove the toe panel and locate the water inlet valve.
• Prepare a towel to catch any spills as you disconnect the valve’s electrical and water connectors.
• Depending on the design of your dishwasher, you might need to unthread screws holding the valve in place. 
• Next, install the new water inlet valve the same way as the old one. Reconnect the water and electrical supply to the valve, and mount it back in place.

Inside your dishwasher is a diverter motor that’s responsible for directing the water into the various spray arms in the appliance. 

When it is in good working order, water will continuously pump out from those spray arms and keep them spinning. That will allow the streams of water to wash off all the food junk and any dirt off of the plates and other items inside the dishwasher.

The divert motor is located at the bottom of the dishwasher, and it has a rubber seal around its stem to prevent water from seeping out onto the floor.

One important thing to note is the size of the diverter motor seal. The diverter motor seal is very small and can probably fit on the tip of your finger at under an inch in diameter.

How it fails:

There are several seals on a Kitchenaid dishwasher, and like any of them, the diverter motor seal can wear out over time. When that happens, water can get past the seal during the dishwashing cycle and leak out onto your kitchen floor.

Related: Top 5 Reasons Why Washer Smells Like Burning Rubber

How to fix:

To fix this, you’ll need to replace the diverter motor seal with a new one. Then, you’ll be able to access that seal from inside the dishwasher.

• First, though, you’ll have to remove the diverter tube assembly that sends water to the various spray arms.
• Once you’ve taken that out, you can twist open the diverter cap and see the seal that you’re looking for.
• The seal will be wrapped around a white plastic stem.
• Remove the old seal and replace it with the new one. The seal has a flat side and an open side. The flat part is meant to face down when you push the seal into place.
• Lastly, reassemble the diverter tube assembly.