The short answer
On the WFTV family water on the floor comes from the front or from the back, and those are different faults. The brand-generic page treats a washer leak as one problem; separating the two is what this page is for.
What you observe
- Water running from the detergent drawer — A blocked drawer or siphon rather than a machine fault.
- Damp behind the machine only — A hose connection, and it will be wet with the machine idle if it is on the supply side.
- A trickle that appears only at the spin step — Water forced past a seal at pressure, which points at the sump hose or the drum seal.
- Damp under the machine with the taps off overnight — Rules out the supply side and points at residual water in the tub or the pump.
- NEAR MISS - water only when the sink is used — A shared waste problem rather than a washer fault.
Causes, most likely first on WFTV
- Supply hose connections or the taps — Ranked first on the WFTV family: the supply connections are under pressure whenever the taps are open, so a weep behind the machine runs down the wall long before it reaches the floor at the front. The table above is one platform, so a weakness in the drain path appears on every code in it. This moves above door seal torn, folded or holding debris, which leads the brand-generic order, because this family is a single build with fixed access points.
- Door seal torn, folded or holding debris — Second: the seal sits at the lowest point of a horizontal drum, so grit, hair and coins collect in its fold and cut it over the years.
- Drain hose connection or the pump filter seal — Third: a filter cap that was not seated square after a clean leaks at every drain, which makes this the fault to suspect after recent maintenance.
- Detergent drawer blocked or over-dosed — Fourth: a drawer caked with detergent overflows at fill, and from the front that looks exactly like a machine leaking.
- Outer tub, sump hose or the drum seal — Last: last, and the one that means the machine comes apart; it shows as water that only arrives at the wash step.
Check in this order, and why
- Dry the floor, run a cycle and watch which point wets first — The sequence tells you the source; the puddle alone does not.
- Turn the taps off overnight and check for damp in the morning — It splits a pressurised supply leak from everything else with no dismantling at all.
- Check the pump filter is seated square after any recent cleaning — A filter cross-threaded or left loose leaks at every drain and is a recent-maintenance finding.
- Pull the drawer right out and check the siphon — This is the answer when the water is at the front and the seal itself looks sound.
Before you open anything
Safety
Isolate at the breaker and shut both taps before anything is disturbed, and expect water behind the filter hatch: put a tray down before opening it.
When to call a technician
Shut both taps the moment a supply-side leak is confirmed. Seals, drawers and the filter cap are owner work; a sump hose or a drum seal is a service job and often a decision about the machine.
Other WFTV pages
SC
Sarah Chen
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
EPA 608 UniversalNASTeC Certified
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
