Dishwashers: Dishwasher repairs How to repair a leaking dishwasher door

Just because water is leaking from your dishwasher, it doesn't always mean you'll need to buy a new machine or hire a professional to take a look at it.

Check out our video to see how to repair a leaking dishwasher door:

Turn off your dishwasher before starting work

If your dishwasher door is leaking there are a few quick and easy checks you can make before calling in a professional or buying a new dishwasher. But before you start any work, always make sure that your dishwasher is switched off at the mains.

Check the spray-arms

If water is leaking from the front of the dishwasher, check that the spray arms aren’t blocked and are able to spin properly. If they’re blocked or stopped from spinning by large dishes, water may spray towards the door seals and leak out. Remove the spray arms and check them for blockages which can be removed with a needle. And check they can spin when the dishwasher is loaded. 

If you need a new spray arm, you’ll be able to find one online for between £10 and £30.

Check the upper door seal

The next thing to check is the upper door seal – this is the one that goes around the side and the top of the door. Check that it’s clean, hasn’t perished and the door closes properly. Upper seals are easy to replace – the old seals just pull-out and new ones can be pushed into place without much effort. 

They cost around £30 and you can buy them from the manufacturer of your dishwasher and online retailers such as Espares and Partmaster. When ordering parts online, you’ll need the model number of your dishwasher. If you don’t know this, you can find it along the inside of the door.

If the lower door seal is leaking you’ll need to remove the door, which is quite a complicated job, so call a professional for this.

Which? Local

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If you want to choose a dishwasher from a reliable brand to avoid problems in the future, check out our dishwashers reliability survey to find out which dishwasher brands are the most reliable.