Leaky Dishwasher Fix: How To Replace A Dishwasher Bottom Door Seal (With Video!)

Is your dishwasher turning your kitchen floor into a small lake? Don’t rush to call an expensive repair technician just yet! Often, a simple fix like replacing a worn-out bottom door gasket does the trick, and with our step-by-step guidance—complete with a handy how-to video below—you’ll have your trusty dishwasher back to normal in no time.

Need a replacement bottom door seal for your dishwasher fix? Search below using your specific dishwasher model number to identify the exact part needed:

Leaky dishwasher? Okay, step one: shut it off, and after you’ve mopped up that mess, don’t stress! You don’t need to call a professional repair technician right away. Chances are, a leaky dishwasher is something you can fix yourself with a few minutes and the right replacement part. Whether you’re a seasoned do-it-yourselfer, or a first timer trying to stop an appliance disaster, we’ve got you covered. In this article, we’re walking you through how to repair one of the main causes of a dishwasher leak – a damaged or worn out bottom door gasket. Grab your tools and the right replacement part, and let’s get started!

Symptoms Of A Damaged Bottom Door Seal

If your dishwasher is leaking during the wash cycle, there’s a very good chance that the door’s seal, or gasket, is to blame. When the bottom door seal is damaged, you’ll notice water pooling on the floor at the front of the appliance. You can verify that the door seal is the culprit by opening up the dishwasher door, taking the lower dish rack out, and checking along the base. The bottom door seal will stick out a few centimeters, and if you see or feel any sections that are ripped, worn out, or brittle, then your door seal is the problem. Luckily, this is a cheap and fairly easy repair that you can take care of yourself.

If the gasket looks fine, you may be dealing with another problem – like a faulty door latch, door panel, damaged hoses, clogged drains, or a worn out pump seal. We’re focusing on the bottom door seal for this tutorial, but you can check out our YouTube channel for guides to fixing other dishwasher components!

Finding The Right Replacement Part

To track down a compatible part, you’ll need to know the model of your appliance. Need help finding the model number or manufacturer part number? If you don’t have access to the manual, the model number should be on a label sticker somewhere on the appliance. On dishwashers, check for the label inside the door. You might find it on top or side of the door itself or somewhere on the door jam.

Once you’ve got that, type the model number into our search bar. We’ve got genuine OEM parts for every major brand, and they’ll be delivered to your door in just a few days. While you’re there, you can check out tips and advice from both our experts and other do-it-yourselfers.

How To Replace A Dishwasher Bottom Door Seal

For this tutorial, we replaced the lower door gasket on a Frigidaire/Electrolux dishwasher. Plenty of brands – White Westinghouse, Gibson, Kelvinator, Tappan, and more – use identical parts installed in the exact same way, so you should be able to follow these steps to get your new bottom door seal installed.

If some part of these instructions isn’t lining up for you, consult your appliance’s manual. You can also check out our YouTube channel for more video how-tos. We may already have instructions for your exact brand and model of dishwasher!

Tools for the job

This quick and easy job requires only a few basic tools:

• A compatible replacement dishwasher door gasket
• Phillips screwdriver
• Needle nose pliers
• A couple of towels
• Work gloves

Before you begin…

As always, disconnect your appliance from its power source, either at the wall outlet or circuit breaker, to protect yourself from electrocution. Additionally, you should temporarily shut off the water supply to the dishwasher and drain or bail out any water that may be standing in the bottom of the appliance.

Replacing A Dishwasher Door Gasket

1. Open up your dishwasher door and gain access to the bottom seal. To do this, you will need to loosen or remove some screws. Don’t forget to check out our YouTube video if you need more detail for any of these instructions! A few inches down from the top of the door, there are a couple of screws holding the control panel in place. Loosen these – don’t remove them. Halfway down the door, another set of screws are on either side of the door lining. Remove these.
2. Remove the stainless steel front panel from the door. Lift the door enough that you can grip the bottom of the front panel. Pull it down to dislodge it, and remove it.
3. Remove the dishwasher racks. You can probably get away with just removing the lower rack. The lower rack should come away easily. Just pull it out as you would when loading or unloading, and then lift it up.
4. Remove the old door gasket. You’ll find the old door gasket tucked into the bottom of the door. It probably won’t be sticking out very much. Use a pair of needle nose pliers to carefully remove the old gasket, working your way down from one end to the other.
5. Wipe down the area around the door to clear away any debris that might’ve been dislodged when you removed the old seal. A dry towel should be enough.
6. Time to install the new bottom door seal.
   1. One end of the seal will have a small notch in the side. This is the side that needs to go on the right with the notch going into the door.
   2. Lay the new seal down at the bottom of the door and ensure the end is properly lined up.
   3. Work the new seal under the door by hand, starting from the right hand side. There’s a lip that you’ll need to get the gasket started on, and you may meet some resistance, but you need to make sure that the seal is properly seated all the way across.
      1. You can lift up on the door’s inner lining carefully to give yourself a bit more room to work with.
      2. The seal should be even across the bottom of the door once it’s properly installed.
7. Put the dish racks back in place.
8. Close the dishwasher door and inspect the new door seal. Check at the point near the bottom of the door where the silver panel meets the plastic tub. The seal should be hooked into the groove and evenly distributed across the bottom of the door. No bunching or twists.
9. Reinstall the front panel. You’ll need to line the panel up with two sets of locking tabs before lifting it up into place beneath the control panel.
10. Open the door back up and reinstall all of the screws. Start by reinstalling the two screws you removed completely, and then tighten down the control panel screws.
11. Time for a test run! Restore power to your dishwasher and turn the water supply back on. Just to be on the safe side, set a few towels out before you run the dishwasher. You’ll know pretty quickly whether there are any leaks.

Wrapping Up

If you need any replacement parts for your appliances, you can enter your model number at AppliancePartsPros.com to locate and order them quickly. Most orders arrive in just two business days, and we have tons of great information in our repair help section and YouTube videos to help you troubleshoot.

Stay connected with the latest DIY tips, tutorial videos, and repair guides by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We love hearing about your repair stories and successes. If you need more help or want personalized guidance, feel free to contact or call us at 877-477-7278. We’re ready to help you take on your next project with confidence!

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