Dishwasher Leaking From Bottom Of Door – How To Fix?

If you find water leaking from the bottom of your dishwasher door, most likely the door seal gasket is the cause. The door seal may be ripped, has food particles stuck on it, or has lost its original shape. You will usually notice a water leak around the sides of the door or at the very bottom of the dishwasher door. When you see water coming from the door of your dishwasher, here is what to check…

Dishwasher leaking water from door

Dishwasher Door Gasket Causes Leak

The most common reason a dishwasher leaks water from the front door is the door seal (gasket). The door seal may have particles of food or broken glass on it near the bottom or sides and therefore cannot make a tight seal. Open the dishwasher door and check the dishwasher door gasket for any type of food, broken glass, or gunk buildup with baking soda and clean if necessary.

If you find the door gasket to be damaged, it will need to be replaced. Your dishwasher door seal gasket can be purchased online. Make sure you have the correct make and model number of your dishwasher when you order a new door seal gasket.

FYI: Some dishwashers have the door seal gasket mounted on the tub and some door seal gaskets are mounted on the door. (The door seal may be able to be repaired with a gasket making product if your dishwasher door gasket is not readily available or is unavailable)

Dishwasher Door Seal GasketDishwasher Door Seal Gasket

Here is a video to show you How to replace the door seal on your dishwasher…


Dishwasher door seal gasket replacement

Dishwasher Inner Door Causes Leak

If your dishwasher door seal gasket is NOT damaged, you may have loose screws on the door. The screws on the inner door may be loose and thus causing leakage. Use the proper screwdriver and tighten the screws hand tight. If you find that the screws are tight but one or two are missing, you can order new dishwasher screws and parts online.

Check dishwasher door for loose or missing screws

Check dishwasher door for loose or missing screws


Here is a video to show you How to tighten loose screws on a leaky dishwasher…


How to fix a leaking Dishwasher Door that has loose screws

Wrong Soap Added To Dishwasher?

If your dishwasher is leaking, it may be because dish soap was added instead of normal detergent. Use a detergent made for dishwashers to avoid this issue. If dish soap was already added, open the dishwasher and remove some of the soap. Check for any soap residue around the door seal and wipe it away with a damp cloth. Run the dishwasher on a normal run cycle to clean out the dish soap.

What Else Can Cause Dishwasher To Leak?

If your dishwasher gasket is in good shape, no missing or loose screws, then the door itself may have an issue. Check to be sure the dishwasher door closes properly, makes a contact that seals, and latches when you shut it. If the dishwasher door does not latch, then either the door latch assembly, door frame assembly, or the door itself may be faulty, bent, or damaged. Troubleshoot the problem and find out what part needs to be replaced, tightened, realigned, or cleaned.

You may also have a leak from another area of the dishwasher and it MAY SEEM like it is coming from the door. Other parts inside your dishwasher may leak water and the water will come out on the floor in front of the dishwasher. If this is the case, then another part besides the door gasket is leaking. See below for the other parts that may make it look like the dishwasher is leaking water from the door.

After checking the dishwasher door seal gasket, check for a leaking water inlet valve, faulty water pump, bad pump seal, broken float switch, stuck float, damaged water line, or loose water line. These parts can leak and make it seem like the dishwasher is leaking from the door. Check all these parts to be sure they are not damaged, loose, and leaking. Here is a page to show more detail on How to fix a leaking dishwasher.

BRAND NEW DISHWASHER LEAKING?: If your dishwasher is brand new and leaking water from the door, this is because the door seal is not properly seated. This is normal. Your new dishwasher will have to go through a few wash cycles before the door seal is perfectly seated. The leaking will stop after a few uses.

Note: Some model dishwashers will have a main dishwasher door seal gasket IN ADDITION TO other smaller gaskets in the corners of the door. It will depend on the model of your dishwasher if it has these smaller seals or gaskets. If your dishwasher has these smaller gaskets, they will be located in the lower corners of the dishwasher tub. If your dishwasher has the corner tub gaskets, make sure they are not missing or damaged. If so replace them with the correct OEM part.

Dishwasher Door Seal Replacements

Dishwasher Door Seal Replacements

The dishwasher door leaking repair methods above will work on the following dishwasher makes and models: Electrolux, Amana, KitchenAid, Samsung, LG, Kenmore, GE, General Electric, Tappan, Maytag, Hotpoint, Whirlpool, Bosch, Siemens, Frigidaire, Estate, and Sears.

2 thoughts on “Dishwasher Leaking From Bottom Of Door – How To Fix?”

  1. Hi
    My Beko dishwasher started leaking from side of door. But when you look at the top of door ,even though it latches on .It looks like the top part of door is not a close fit compared to the bottom.
    I used electrical tape to close it tighter and it worked no water came out ,but when I took tape off ,water came out of bottom sides of door ,when wash cycle was on .
    I have ordered new seals ,in a hope that this is the problem .

  2. Mary Onyskevitch

    Is it normal for a dishwasher to leak from the vent when the door is opened after each load?
    Since it was new, my current kitchen aid dishwasher has leaked about a tablespoon to a tablespoon and a half of water from the vent each time I unloaded the dishwasher.
    I contacted the seller, who contacted the manufacturer, who sent a repairman.
    The repairman changed the vent but the problem continued.
    I contacted them again and after contacting their technical support people the repairman changed a control panel but the problem continued.
    The repairman then talked to their technical support people who had me…
    (1) run the dishwasher empty in case I was loading it improperly and blocking the vent – problem continued.
    (2) turn my hot water heater down from 130 degrees to 120 in case it was an inlet water temperature problem.

    The leak still happened.
    The repairman just contacted their technical support who have told him to tell me that this is normal operation to have a bit of water leak onto the floor after each load and that they are not going to have him do anything further.
    Having had several dishwashers previously without this problem, I am wondering if there is a standard amount of water spill that is common or “normal operation”.

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