The answer, before the detail
Short answer: door, hose, suds or sump, in that rough order of likelihood on this machine. Start with door seal perished, dirty or dislodged. Two of the four are free to fix and need nothing more than a cloth and a look.
What you observe
- A leak that only happens on full loads — Overfilling, or an item deflecting spray straight at the door seal.
- Foam escaping around the door — Suds rather than a leak: too much detergent, or something in the load that foamed.
- Rust or staining on the floor of the cabinet beside it — A long-standing slow leak, which matters as much for the cabinetry as for the appliance.
- NEAR MISS — the machine will not drain and the tub holds water — Standing water inside the tub with a dry floor is a drainage fault, and that page covers it.
Causes, most likely first on a Kova Select dishwasher
- Door seal perished, dirty or dislodged — A door that has dropped on its hinges, or a machine that is no longer level in its housing, puts uneven pressure on that seal, so the leak appears at one corner rather than all round. Ranked first: the failure rate is highest here and the test is free, so it is where the diagnosis starts. The platform behind a smaller badge is usually a common contract build, so the causes that lead here are the generic ones that class is known for.
- Machine not level in its housing — Machines move: floors settle, feet vibrate down, and a machine pulled out for cleaning rarely goes back exactly as it was. The leak then starts weeks after anyone touched it. Second, because it produces the same complaint from the other side and is still an owner-side check.
- Inlet or drain hose connection weeping — Inlet-side leaks are the ones that matter most: they are under pressure whether the machine runs or not, and they can put serious water under a floor overnight. It ranks here because it is genuinely less common, not because it matters less when it happens.
- Water escaping below the tub floor — It is last because it is the least common and the only one that needs the machine out and partly dismantled, which is where an owner check ends. Last, because the three above explain most of what actually comes in on this fault.
What to check first, second, third
- Shut the door on a strip of paper at several points and pull — Uneven resistance around the door shows where the seal is not being loaded properly. Begin with this one; everything after it depends on what you find.
- Check each foot is taking weight and the machine does not rock — A machine rocking in its housing works its door seal every cycle. Next, because it takes the same few minutes and covers the other likely half.
- Lay dry kitchen paper under the machine and run a full cycle — Where the paper wets tells you whether the source is at the front, the back or the middle. Third, and only if the two above found nothing.
The checks you can make yourself
- Clean the gasket and the door edge with hot soapy water and dry it — Work right into the channel; that is where the grease collects.
Tools: cloth, detergentAbout 20 min
- Adjust the levelling feet until the tub base reads level and the machine sits firm — Adjust in small steps and re-check with the door open and shut.
Tools: spirit level, adjustable spannerAbout 30 min
- Tighten the drain hose clamp at the waste connection — Snug is enough; over-tightening a plastic spigot cracks it.
Tools: screwdriverAbout 20 min
- STOP as soon as the fault is narrowed to a part rather than a condition — Naming the part is the useful outcome of an owner check. Fitting it is the other half, and it is not the same job.
Before you open anything
Safety
Switch the dishwasher off at its socket or isolator before reaching into the sump or moving the machine — there is mains voltage inside the door panel and water in the tub, and the two only stay apart while the power is off. Wear a glove in the sump: broken glass collects there and it is not visible under standing water.
When to hand it over
Shut the water off and call the same day if the leak is on the supply side or if water is reaching cabinetry. A slow drip from a fitting is a this-week job; a pressurised leak behind the machine is not.
Other pages for this dishwasher
Scope, and what is missing from it
A note on scope: this page treats Kova Select dishwashers as one class. A page written for your specific family or model line will carry what this one deliberately leaves out — component locations, fastener sizes and the disassembly order — and it takes precedence over this page for your unit.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
