A leaking Amana dishwasher should be a cause for concern, even if it continues to work normally. Apart from being a symptom of worse faults in the long run, a leaking dishwasher can also create a big mess in your kitchen. With that said, why is your Amana dishwasher leaking, and how do you fix it?
The cause of the leak will depend on which part of the dishwasher is dripping water. If it’s leaking from underneath, you’re likely dealing with damaged or improperly installed hoses, but if the leak is from the door, it could be that the dishwasher is not level. Either way, there are easy DIY ways to fix it.
In this article, I’ll explain all the common reasons why your Amana dishwasher leaks and how you can fix it. Also, you’ll learn what causes this issue, so you can easily prevent any future reoccurrence. Without more ado, let’s jump in.
Why is my Amana dishwasher leaking from the bottom?
Amana dishwashers usually leak from the bottom, which is why the dishwasher manufacturer has a dedicated support page on its official website for bottom leaks. If your dishwasher leaks from the bottom, there are several reasons why that may be the case.
Here are some common reasons why Amana dishwashers leak from the bottom.
- Faulty or loose hoses
Like most other household appliances that use water, your Amana dishwasher relies on a couple of hoses to transfer water around the system. The water inlet hose brings water from your plumbing system into the dishwasher, and the drain hose disposes of the used water to the drainage system.
Each hose must be undamaged and properly connected for the dishwasher to keep working. When there’s a loose or punctured hose, you’ll start to notice leaks, and since the hoses come from underneath the dishwasher, the water will appear to be dripping from the bottom of your appliance.
Fixing this issue is pretty simple and doesn’t require you to be an expert technician or plumber. You can reconnect the hoses if they’re loose, and in the case of damage, it’s best to replace them. Amana sells replacement hoses for all its dishwasher models on its official parts website. You can get to the hoses in the dishwasher by removing the plastic fasteners on the lower kick panel using a screwdriver.
When your Amana dishwasher leaks from underneath, the problem is almost always a faulty or loose hose. If the problem persists after trying this fix, it may be time to check the next section for some general reasons why your dishwasher leaks.
What is the most common cause of a dishwasher leaking?
Of course, dishwashers don’t only leak from the bottom; door leaks are also quite common in some Amana dishwasher models. When you start noticing leaks, it’s crucial to find out the causes and how you can go about fixing them.
Like most other faults in a dishwasher, a leak is almost always the result of a faulty or non-functional part. With that said, here are the most common faults that will make your Amana dishwasher leak.
- Faulty door gasket
Next to faulty hoses, a door gasket that no longer creates a waterproof seal can also cause your Amana dishwasher to leak. However, this leak won’t be from the bottom; instead, it would be from the door, which is logical, as the problem is from the door gasket.
Since the gasket isn’t an electrical component, it’s not very hard to replace. You can get official replacement parts online, and you don’t need a technician to help with the repair. The entire process involves peeling off the faulty door gasket and installing a replacement; anything outside that is just an extra touch.
If you have no experience with such procedures, you can refer to the guide that usually ships with replacement parts. You should see detailed steps and diagrams that explain how you should go about it, essentially making the entire process a walk in the park.
- A faulty float switch
The float switch performs a crucial job in the dishwasher but doesn’t get enough credit. A float switch is a component that keeps track of the water level in the dishwasher and alerts the water inlet valve when there’s enough water in the system.
When your dishwasher has a faulty float switch, it will read wrongly, resulting in the water inlet valve supplying too much or too little water to the appliance. If it’s the former, you start experiencing leaks from the dishwasher due to excess liquid in the system.
When that happens, there are two ways to correct it. For one, you can check for any obstruction to the float switch’s movement; if there is any, eliminating it should fix the problem. If there are no obstructions, it may be time to get a new float switch. You can get a new replacement part from Amana parts or some other local or online store for a few bucks.
- A faulty water inlet valve
From the explanation of how the float switch works, you may have noticed the mention of the water inlet valve. The water inlet valve is the part of the dishwasher that supplies water for washing cycles, and it relies on the float switch to measure the water level and regulate how much water the dishwasher should get.
However, a fault with the float switch isn’t the only way to get the water inlet valve to malfunction. Since it’s a mechanical device, it has its set of annoying flaws that pop up now and then. Before trashing your leaking dishwasher, you should consider taking a second look at the valve.
Sometimes, you might be able to get it to work after a simple cleanup, but that’s rare. In some unfortunate cases, you’ll have to replace the component to get your Amana dishwasher working again. Sadly, the water inlet valve is one of the more expensive components, so pray a repair suffices.
- An unbalanced dishwasher
If your dishwasher starts to leak earlier in its lifespan, the problem is usually not from any internal component. Instead, the problem is likely from the installation. The dishwasher will certainly leak if it isn’t on a level surface.
As we all know, water is a liquid, and liquids flow. If the dishwasher was positioned in a way that lets water flow out easily, there’s no way to stop the physics. However, you can help yourself avoid getting a leaking dishwasher by installing the device in a balanced position.
You may want to refer to the device’s manual and take it apart to achieve that. However, I’ll bet my last penny that you’ll break something if you attempt to do it yourself without experience. To make the process easier, you may want to seek the help of a technician or Amana representative; rebalancing your unbalanced dishwasher shouldn’t cost you anything too excessive.
What do you do when your dishwasher leaks from the bottom?
If you’ve been following this post carefully, you should know what causes your dishwasher to leak from the bottom and what you can do about it. However, I’ll quickly summarise the process for those landing here directly from somewhere else.
When your dishwasher starts leaking from the bottom, you almost can never go wrong blaming it on loose or damaged hoses. In short, you should start examining and fixing the hoses bringing and draining water to and from your dishwasher to check which one is faulty.
Once you get the damaged one, try to determine if a simple repair will work or if you’ll need a replacement. Either way, you should be able to do it yourself, as fixing leaking hoses on an Amana dishwasher doesn’t require a Ph.D. in plumbing and pipes.
How do I stop my dishwasher from leaking?
At this point, the best advice to stop your dishwasher from leaking is to go back to read everything I’ve recommended in this article. So far, I’ve explained most of the reasons why Amana dishwashers leak from different places and what you can do to tackle each of those leaks.
A list of the things you can do to stop your dishwasher from leaking is tightening or replacing the hoses, replacing the door gasket, fixing the water inlet valve, and replacing the float switch. If any of these fixes don’t work on your dishwasher, it’s time to have a specialist from Amana check it out for you.
Also, it’s crucial to note that you shouldn’t attempt fixes on your dishwasher if it’s still under warranty. You can void your warranty by trying basic repair, and if those repair procedures fail, Amana will force you to pay several hundred dollars to fix what you could’ve done for free.
Conclusion
While Amana is undoubtedly one of the top dishwasher brands out there, a few problems may pop up now and then. One of the most annoying issues associated with the Amana brand of dishwashers is leakage, and this article has explained how you can deal with it like a pro.