The short answer
When the Caf CDT family puts water on the floor, look at the door line before pulling the machine out. With eight model tags in the matrix below, this family covers several passes of the same platform, and a cause that is a running change on one group can be absent on another. A seal that has hardened, a door that sits proud of the cabinet, or a load that blocks the door from closing square will all leak in the same place and none of them needs the appliance moved.
What you can observe on these models
- Rust or a water stain under the toe kick — An old, slow leak. The stain shows where the water lands, not always where it starts.
- A leak that appears during the fill only — That is the inlet side: the fill hose connection, the inlet valve body or the fitting at the shutoff.
- Water appears when the door is opened mid-cycle — Normal carry-over from the door panel, not a leak. Let a cycle finish before judging.
- The door does not sit flush with the cabinet front — A hinge or spring out of adjustment loads the seal unevenly, so it leaks at one corner only.
- NEAR MISS — water at the sink base rather than the machine — A shared supply or waste connection under the sink leaks in the same room and is not an appliance fault.
Causes, most likely first on this family
- Detergent type and dose — First on a floor with foam on it, because no seal on any platform is designed to hold back suds and no repair will change that.
- Door seal condition and contact — Second, and the most likely part to need replacing on an older machine of this family.
- Door hinge tension and panel alignment — Third: a door that has dropped needs the springs or cables looked at, and it leaks at the bottom corners first.
- Tub-to-sump seal or a loose clamp — Fourth, and the point at which most owners stop.
- Fill-side fitting weeping — Last of the list but first in urgency if found: mains pressure behind a cabinet does damage on a different scale from wash water.
Check in this order, and why
- Close the hot water shutoff under the sink — If the leak stops or slows immediately, it is supply-side and the machine can stay where it is until it is fixed.
- Check the door alignment against the cabinet front — A door proud at one corner loads the gasket unevenly and leaks there and nowhere else.
- Watch a short cycle with the toe kick removed — With the power on this is a look-only step: find the drip path before anything is dismantled.
- Level the machine in both directions — Do this last. It will not fix a real leak, but it stops a small one from being routed onto the floor.
Before you open anything
Safety
Power off at the breaker first; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. A leaking machine on a wooden floor is a slip hazard and a structural one — dry the area before moving anything heavy, and support the door so it cannot drop while the machine is being worked on.
Models in the CDT family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| CDT800**N*** | caf:dishwasher:cdt |
| CDT805**N*** | caf:dishwasher:cdt |
| CDT828**V*** | caf:dishwasher:cdt |
| CDT84***N*** | caf:dishwasher:cdt |
| CDT858**V*** | caf:dishwasher:cdt |
| CDT858**Z*** | caf:dishwasher:cdt |
| CDT87***N*** | caf:dishwasher:cdt |
| CDT888**V*** | caf:dishwasher:cdt |
When to call a technician
Anything reachable with the door open is yours: seal, latch face, detergent, loading, levelling. Anything that needs the machine pulled out with the supply closed — sump seal, pump housing, hose clamps, inlet valve — is a service call on these models. Stop using the machine in the meantime rather than running it over a wet floor.
Other faults covered for this family
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
