Washing Machine · Leaking water
Washer Leaking Water on the Floor: Hoses, Inlet Valve, Pump, and Tub
Updated
To find a washer leak, find out when it leaks. Dry the floor completely, lay paper towels around the machine, and watch it through one cycle. Water that appears while the washer is off, while it fills, or while it drains each points at different parts.
Before you open anything: unplug the washer and turn off both water taps behind it. Water left in the tub, the pump and the drain hose comes out the moment you loosen any of them, so have towels and a shallow pan ready. Never defeat a lid or door lock to watch the washer run open: the drum spins fast enough to break an arm.
It leaks even when the washer is off
The washer is not running, so water is coming in under supply pressure:
- The fill hoses. Check both hoses at the taps and at the back of the washer. A drip at a connection is usually a worn rubber washer inside the hose end. A bulge or crack in the hose means replace it now — a burst fill hose floods a room. Rubber hoses should be replaced every five years or so; braided stainless hoses last longer.
- The inlet valve. Where the hoses connect, behind the washer. A cracked valve body leaks all the time; a valve that does not close fully lets water into the tub with the washer off.
It leaks while filling
- The hose connections and the inlet valve, as above, now under load.
- The fill path inside the cabinet. A split hose between the valve and the tub, or a loose clamp, drips inside the washer and shows up underneath.
It leaks while draining
- The drain pump. Look under the front of the washer (on front-loaders, behind the small panel at the bottom). A leak from the pump body, its seal or its hose clamps appears only when the pump runs.
- The drain hose and the standpipe. If water spills out of the standpipe the hose drains into, the house drain is slow or blocked — that is a plumbing problem, not the washer. The hose should be pushed only a few inches into the pipe, not sealed into it.
It leaks from under the middle of the machine
Rust stains on the floor under the tub, or water dripping from the center of the cabinet, point at the tub seal and bearings. On most washers that is a major repair, and on an older machine it often costs more than the washer is worth. Get a quote before ordering parts.
A leak only during the wash
If the floor stays dry while the washer fills and drains but gets wet during washing, especially at the front, look at the door boot, the detergent dispenser and the amount of suds. That pattern has its own article in our Repair Help.
Before you order the part
Washer parts are model-specific, and manufacturers revise them during a production run — two washers with the same name on the console can take different pumps, locks and boards. The model plate is your only reliable source. On a top-loader it is usually under the lid or on the back of the control console; on a front-loader, around the door opening or on the inside of the door. If you are not sure where to look, our model number guide shows each spot.
Ask before you install. Not sure it fits? Check your model number for free before you buy. Our fit check is optional; if it does not come back as a clear match, send us the full model number through Contact us before you order. Once a part has been installed we can only take it back if it arrived defective, we shipped the wrong item, or the listing was wrong on our end, and it has to come back in the condition it went out in. Checking first is faster than returning.
