Dishwasher is leaking in front onto floor. Water level during washing seems too high. Float is not obstructed by any object. What can I do next?

You will find that the flood switch will be operating due to the leak, it will most likely be from one of 2 places:
1. Around the door seal, Give it a clean and check for splits/damage, and make sure screws on door hinges are tight.
2. Check the rollers that screw onto the inside of the dishwasher cabinet, The screws on these can come loose and cause water to run down into the base, check they are tight.
Hopefully this helps.

I think you most likely have a basin Float water level sensor that is no working correctly, the door seal is not water proof, if the water level gets over the lip of the basin it will leak on the floor.

you could be usiong way to mauch soap try filling only one of the soap trays or even try doing one wash without any soap at all
this unit tends to do this if you have to much soap in the unit left over from the last load...
beyond that your machine is proibaly tilted to far forward you can lift it, by lowering the front legs begind the toekick

It could be as simple as the float switch inside the wash tub. Usually they are located just inside the bottom front edge of the dishwasher. Some of these are loose and others are enclosed inside another cover.

You may have to remove a cover to get at the float. Basically, the float is designed to float up when enough water has flowed into the dishwasher. Sometimes thou, gunk can get built up inside the bottom of the float and cause it be heavier than it should be, which causes the float (water level) switch to not shut off the water until too much water has been drawn into the dishwasher.

If a good cleaning of the float doesn't solve the problem, you can get at the float switch by removing the front lower access panel and reposition the switch to cause the water to shut off sooner.

Another problem could be that the dishwasher isn't level and the front is set lower than the rear and that is causing erratic operation of the float and causing the water to leak out the front. Check to make sure the dishwasher is properly level front to back and side to side.

Lastly, check the drain hose to be certain that is doesn't have any obstructions as any partial blockage could be preventing a complete pump out of the water in the tub, since many discharge cycles (pump out) are timer based and don't actually know if all the water has been pumped out before the next cycle starts adding in fresh water, etc.

Check the entire drain hose from the dishwasher to the air break (if you have one at the sink top) to the drain tap either on a disposal (could have partial blockage inside the drain port on the disposal) or the drain fitting that ties into the sink drain, etc. Check everything to make sure it isn't clogged or blocked anywhere along the drain path.

Sometimes it's the simple things that cause appliances to not function properly. Without you model number, I couldn't pull up the drawing to check what type of water level float your unit has, etc., so I provided you with generic solutions to try out.

Hope this helps, best regards!

Without knowing the model number of this Sears Kenmore dishwasher, it is difficult to be specific in a solution.
There is a float/switch that controls the amount of water added before each wash or rinse cycle. Replacing that float would be the first step.
Can not be more specific without knowing the model number.

I have the same problems. I've noticed that the Electrasol tablets do create a fair amount of suds, so I switched back to powder.

I determined that the suds were rising up under the float and leaking around the shaft. Do not remove the float! I tried and broke the float trying to unscrew the nut. Fortunately, the new float was only a few dollars, but replacing the float did not change anything.

I solved the issue by placing a shallow plastic box under the float. I think it was the top of a box that candy came in. The amount of water that leaks is small enough that it evaporates before leaking out onto the floor.

The solution below applies to a Powerpoint dishwasher but is probably a generic one for E4 problems - given that brandnames are frequently badges of convenience for made-in-china products.


The problems cause and solution goes as follows:

Problem:
Any water that leaks (for whatever reason) from the internals of the machine finds it's way down to the lowest point of the machine - down under the washzone and into the area where all the workings of the machine are located. There's a sensor there (a polystyrene float operated switch in fact) that detects this water - causing the machine to empty and go into error 4 (E4).

The solution will depend on the nature of the leak. If it's due to one of the various seals on the floor of the washer leaking or there is some problem with water level controls then that will have to be repaired first - otherwise you'll keep on getting the error. In my case however, the "leak" was actually a design feature of the machine and is easily rectified.

Open the dishwasher door fully and look at the floor of the machine where it meets the bottom of the door. You'll see a couple of plastic tubes protruding from the floor by about 12mm - one to the left and one to the right. Their function appears to be to act as an overflow if the water level in the machine gets too high (for whatever reason). This excess water is directed down these tubes and into the bottom of the machine where it can be detected - rather than letting it spill out onto your expensive floor. The weakness in this system is that it only takes a soup spoon of water to produce the error - something which might accidently happen during the course of a normal wash.


Options:

1) Leave the machine idle for a few days until the water evaporates. The sensor switch will reset and the error will be gone when you switch on.

For either of the following solutions, turn off the power to the machine by unplugging it or tripping the relevant switch at your fuse board

The stainless steel washcabinet is only slightly thicker than aluminium kitchen foil. Handle the machine gently and never force it otherwise you're in danger of distorting the cabinet.


2) Tilt the machine right the way forward so that the water leaves the area of the sensor. It'll flow back again once you level the machine but in wetting the floor area of the machine, the level at the sensor will be a little lower than before - permitting the sensor to reset. Switch on and the problem should be gone.

3) Pull the machine out from the built in unit to gain access to the right hand panel. Remove it (just a lot of philips screws holding it on) and you can just about see the polystyrene float (near the front) and the slightly depressed area underneath it - in which the water accumulates. You can poke a stick in with some tissue taped to it to mop up the water. Be careful not to disturb or damage the float.


note:

I've had this problem occur twice in as many years. If it keeps on occurring then you likely have a genuine problem with water level controls during filling or a leaking internal seal dripping water into the bottom of the machine.

Don't be tempted to block the overflow tubes - a genuine overflow could destroy your kitchen!

pump is working water is only a trickle coming out so wont final spin

There should be a screw on the top center where the door latch engages. You can just loosen it with a screwdriver and slide it back and re-tighten. If this doesn't solve the problem, it may be a problem with the water level float assembly. Go to the GE website to look up your model.

You may be getting too much water in the tub. The float assembly signals the system to stop adding more water. If this gets obstructed, the valve will continue to add water. Start a cycle and wait to hear when the water valve closes. Carefully open the door to see how much water is in the tub. It should not be up to the door. If it is clean up the float. Let me know how you made out or if you need more help.

 I know how it is when a dishwasher breaks down. I've had my share of water damage. Not to mention the pain of washing dishes by hand.(We're so spoiled. I'm guilty as well.)

Regards,

John

Typically the machine only uses 5-6 quarts of water, If you're floor is getting 1 or 2 quarts check for a loosly connected intake or drain hose. I've never seen any overflow drain on a Miele. It only fills the bottom of the tub. The machine uses a logic program that continuously checks the level of fill and drain by water pressure weight so it always runs with proper amount, even if your intake pressure is weak. Now, If you add too much soap then the bubbles can carry a few ounces over a worn door seal. If the seal is damaged then more spray arm water can run down the front of the machine into the float pan. But after it gets less than a pint of water the drain float will start thr drain pump and shut-off the machine controls and alert you. It won't let you run the machine until the water ( and the problem) is gone. Call Miele for help.