Answer first
On a White-Westinghouse dishwasher a leak is usually oversudsing from the wrong detergent rather than a failed seal deep in the machine. Where the water appears is most of the diagnosis. Most of this is owner work, and all of it starts with finding where the water appears.
The symptoms, and their near misses
- A damp patch that only appears during the cycle — A pressure leak: it only leaks when the pump is running.
- Water appearing from under the machine, not the door — That is a hose, the pump housing or the tub, not the door.
- NEAR MISS: water is inside the machine at the end of a cycle — That is a drainage fault, and it belongs on the drainage page.
The ranking: most likely cause first
- Oversudsing from the wrong detergent — Washing-up liquid, or far too much powder, produces suds that climb the tub and out of the door. It looks exactly like a seal failure and is not one. Ranked first on this unit: it is the cause that is free to rule out and is genuinely common in a household that has run out of tablets, which counts for more here because this is a familiar nameplate that gets repaired rather than replaced, so the parts you meet are the parts that wear.
- A door gasket that is dirty, set or displaced — The gasket runs round the door or the tub opening. Second on this unit, because it is the only seal on the machine that is opened and closed every day, and it is the one that collects food.
- A machine out of level or a misaligned door — A dishwasher leaning forward puts the water line above the bottom of the door seal. Third, once the two above are clean: it explains a leak from one corner rather than all round, and it is an installation fault rather than a failure.
- A failed tub, sump or pump seal — The seal where the motor shaft enters the sump, or a split in the tub itself, leaks only when the machine is running and under pressure. Last, and that is the point of this order: everything above it is free, visible and far more likely, and this one is the only parts job on the list.
Check in this order, and why
- Ask what went into the dispenser on the load that leaked — Hand dishwashing liquid in a dishwasher leaks every time.
- Run a finger right round the gasket and look for debris or a section out of its channel — Grease and soil on the sealing face is the commonest single cause.
- Put a level across the top of the door frame and along the tub — A leak at one corner with a machine off level has explained itself.
The checks you can make yourself
- Run a rinse cycle with nothing in the dispenser and watch for suds — If the suds go, so does the leak.
About 20 min
- Wash the door gasket and the face it seals against with warm soapy water, and press any displaced section back into its channel — Check the whole run, including the bottom corners where it always starts.
Tools: warm soapy water, a clothAbout 15 min
- STOP HERE if the next step needs a meter on live terminals — That is where an owner check ends and a service call begins.
Before you open anything
Safety
Water and mains electricity are together in this fault. Switch the dishwasher off at its breaker or unplug it before pulling it out, and shut the supply valve under the sink before touching a hose. Dry the floor before you kneel on it, and do not run the machine with the kick plate off. If water has reached a socket or the machine trips a breaker, leave it off and call.
Where an owner check ends
Call once the gasket is clean and seated, the detergent is right, the machine is level and the hose connections are dry, because what is left is the sump or the tub. Call straight away if the machine trips a breaker, if water has reached a socket, or if the plinth and floor are already swollen.
Nearest pages of this class
Scope of this page, and where to go for more
This page covers the White-Westinghouse dishwasher as a class, not one family or model line. Where a family- or model-specific page exists it is linked here. Deliberately not here: seal part numbers, torque figures and any pump removal sequence, all of which differ by family and belong on the page for that family.
Links: - [A White-Westinghouse dishwasher that will not begin a cycle](/blog/white-westinghouse-dishwasher-wont-start) - [Why a White-Westinghouse freezer has started making a noise](/blog/white-westinghouse-freezer-abnormal-noise) - [Water escaping from a VIVOHOME dishwasher, and where it comes from](/blog/vivohome-dishwasher-water-leak)
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
