The short answer
On an Equator combo the leak you can see is rarely where the water starts. Most owner-visible leaks resolve to a gasket that has gone hard, a connection that was never tightened properly, or a fill that will not shut off.
What you are seeing
- A puddle under the cabinet that appears after the cycle, not during it — Water finds its way along the base and shows up late, which points to a connection rather than the door.
- Wet cabinet floor at the side, near the services — The supply and drain enter here, and a weeping joint runs down the inside of the cabinet before it reaches the room.
- Water under the sink cupboard and nothing under the combo — The drain hose connection at the waste is a separate plumbing fault that gets blamed on the machine.
- Suds on the floor rather than clear water — Detergent in the water means it came out of the wash, so the path is the door, the vent or the sump, not the inlet.
- NEAR MISS: water appears inside the tub between cycles but never on the floor — That is a siphon or a fill-valve seep, covered by the drain and fill pages, and it does not produce a floor leak.
What is usually behind it, in order
- Machine out of level, or the hoses kinked behind it — Top of the list: a cabinet tipped forward spills past a perfectly good gasket, and short hoses and a tight cabinet are the context for every fault here.
- Door gasket hardened, displaced or dirty — Next in order: the seal takes every door slam and every crumb, and a single displaced section at the bottom corner is enough to put water on the floor every cycle.
- Sump, pump seal or filter housing leaking — Less often, third: a sump that weeps puts water directly under the cabinet and it is the cause most often mistaken for a cracked tub.
What to test first, second, third
- Check the level across the door and front to back — A spirit level on the open door tells you in seconds whether the tub is holding water where it should.
- Run a finger along the whole gasket, corners included — Feel for a hard, shiny section, grease, or a length that has pulled out of its channel.
- Look under the cabinet with a torch while it drains — The drain phase is when the sump is under pressure, and that is when a housing leak shows itself.
Owner-side checks, step by step
- Clean the gasket and the door edge, then run a short cycle and watch — Warm water and a cloth; grease on a seal is as good as a gap.
Tools: cloth, mild detergentAbout 20 min
- Check the level of the cabinet at the door and front to back — Adjust the feet only if the machine is free-standing and can be moved safely.
Tools: spirit levelAbout 10 min
- Dry and inspect every connection you can reach without pulling the machine out — Inlet, drain and the waste tee under the sink.
Tools: torch, paper towelAbout 15 min
- Run a drain-only or rinse cycle with a torch under the cabinet — The drain phase pressurises the sump and shows a housing leak.
Tools: torchAbout 15 min
- STOP HERE if the leak is behind the panel or the tub is overfilling — Tracing water with the front panel off means live terminals next to standing water.
Power, water and what comes first
Safety
Water on a kitchen floor next to a powered appliance is a shock and a slip risk before it is a plumbing problem: switch the combo off at the breaker, then mop. allowlist:unplug-before-service
When to call a technician
The owner side of this fault ends at the gasket, the filter, the level and the visible connections.
Other faults on this machine
Generalized information, and where the specifics live
Treat this as generalized information about an Equator combo.
Links: - [Equator Dishwasher: Electrical, Fire or Gas Hazard](/blog/equator-dishwasher-electrical-safety) - [Equator Dishwasher: Does Not Clean or Dry](/blog/equator-dishwasher-cleaning-performance)
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
