Washing Machine · Leaks water during wash cycle
Washer Leaks During the Wash Cycle: Door Boot, Dispenser, and Too Many Suds
Updated
A washer that stays dry while it fills and drains, and leaks only while it washes, is leaking from something the wash water reaches as it moves: the door seal, the detergent dispenser, or water pushed out by too much foam. These are different from the hose, valve and pump leaks that show up when the washer is filling or draining.
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.
Too many suds
Start here, because it costs nothing. High-efficiency washers use very little water, and regular detergent — or too much HE detergent — makes foam that pushes out through the door seal and the dispenser. Use detergent marked HE, measure it, and cut back if you see foam pressing against the door glass. If the leak goes away with less detergent, nothing is broken.
The door boot (front-loaders)
The door boot, or bellows, is the rubber seal between the door and the tub. Open the door and pull back each fold of the boot all the way around:
- Debris. Coins, hair pins and lint caught in the folds hold the seal open. Clean them out.
- A tear or hole. Often at the bottom, where items rub during spinning. A torn boot leaks every wash.
- A loose clamp. Wire clamps hold the boot to the tub and the cabinet. A clamp that has slipped lets water run behind the boot.
Replacing a door boot means removing those clamps and, on many models, the front panel. It is a moderate job; take photos as you go.
The detergent dispenser
If water runs out of the dispenser drawer or down the front under it, the dispenser is overflowing. Pull the drawer and clean out the softener and detergent residue, including the siphon caps in the softener compartment. A clogged dispenser, low water pressure or a split dispenser hose inside the washer all cause it.
Overloading
On a front-loader, too large a load presses clothes into the door seal. On a top-loader, an unbalanced load can splash water over the tub during agitation. Run a smaller load and see whether the leak stops.
Leaks while filling or draining
If water also appears while the washer fills or drains, the hoses, the inlet valve or the drain pump are the more likely sources; our Repair Help has a separate article on leaks in general.
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.
