A leaky dishwasher, but only when inside, not outside.

[difflock]

So one morning I came through to a puddle of water eminating and growing, from below the dishwasher. Turned the water off and took it outside, plumbed it in with the mains pressure garden hose, wired it up, ran a cycle.

Zero leak.

So I refitted it.

Connected the water first, then was rewiring it to the spur point, when I saw a small but growing puddle.

Out to the step again, back onto the mains via the hose reel.

Zero leak!

WTF!

And I poked and prodded and disturbed every hose and fitting I could see or find in about the works, both times when outside.

With the mains connected.

Obviously impossible to see where the leak is coming from when installed.

And I did carefully check that the water was not running down the supply pipe from the finger tight connection.

Nope, it was perfectly dry.

And he Scratches his head in dispair.

P.S.

Ages ago I asked about why an oil burner unit would cut out when short cycling?

Turned out to be the bearings, I noticed a screedle one morning, so Istripped and replaced both bearings. And all was well ever since. One of them must have semi seized when hot, enough to trip the motor out.

Sometimes it is the simple things.

Edited March 11 by difflock

[Squaredy]

28 minutes ago, difflock said:

So one morning I came through to a puddle of water eminating and growing, from below the dishwasher. Turned the water off and took it outside, plumbed it in with the mains pressure garden hose, wired it up, ran a cycle.

Zero leak.

So I refitted it.

Connected the water first, then was rewiring it to the spur point, when I saw a small but growing puddle.

Out to the step again, back onto the mains via the hose reel.

Zero leak!

WTF!

And I poked and prodded and disturbed every hose and fitting I could see or find in about the works, both times when outside.

With the mains connected.

Obviously impossible to see where the leak is coming from when installed.

And I did carefully check that the water was not running down the supply pipe from the finger tight connection.

Nope, it was perfectly dry.

And he Scratches his head in dispair.

P.S.

Ages ago I asked about why an oil burner unit would cut out when short cycling?

Turned out to be the bearings, I noticed a screedle one morning, so Istripped and replaced both bearings. And all was well ever since. One of them must have semi seized when hot, enough to trip the motor out.

Sometimes it is the simple things.

I feel your pain.  So many jobs would be simple if only the access was easy.  

 

Are you wanting suggestions or just wanted to have a whinge?  Either is fine by me, just not sure if you want 'helpful' suggestions!

[skc101fc]

Fear of confined spaces?  It wants to be free and bound gracefully, as a gazelle, across the glorious savannah.

 

Damaged flexible tail pipe, only leaks when under pressure and turned on

[skc101fc]

Given both alternatives here 😁

[sime42]

42 minutes ago, difflock said:

So one morning I came through to a puddle of water eminating and growing, from below the dishwasher. Turned the water off and took it outside, plumbed it in with the mains pressure garden hose, wired it up, ran a cycle.

Zero leak.

So I refitted it.

Connected the water first, then was rewiring it to the spur point, when I saw a small but growing puddle.

Out to the step again, back onto the mains via the hose reel.

Zero leak!

WTF!

And I poked and prodded and disturbed every hose and fitting I could see or find in about the works, both times when outside.

With the mains connected.

Obviously impossible to see where the leak is coming from when installed.

And I did carefully check that the water was not running down the supply pipe from the finger tight connection.

Nope, it was perfectly dry.

And he Scratches his head in dispair.

P.S.

Ages ago I asked about why an oil burner unit would cut out when short cycling?

Turned out to be the bearings, I noticed a screedle one morning, so Istripped and replaced both bearings. And all was well ever since. One of them must have semi seized when hot, enough to trip the motor out.

Sometimes it is the simple things.

 

Is your "mains pressure" garden hose actually mains pressure? I know that ours is far from it, there's a considerable drop, due to fittings and internal diameters etc.

 

Maybe your leak only becomes active under the higher pressure. 

 

 

[difflock]

Well (i) the machine has been installed since 1996 without a hiccup and nothing has changed, except

(ii)our mains pressure is  now piss poor,

But that is actually  irrelevant since our domestic hot water, which supply is being used for the dish washer, is fed from the cistern, way up below the apex of the roof.

Near enough 8m of a head.

That has not changed in 30 years.

And (ii) I have been reliably informed that the mains operated soliniod valve,  that isolates the supply to the  dish washer, when not "on" requires something like 20psi to properly work.

So, actually, LOW water pressure could be a likely problem or cause.

But I have now swopped the water supply to being fed from the hot tap at the sink, while the machine sits on the step outside.

So, in the absence of any flow, exactly the same feed pressure as that pertaining when the machine is installed.

Zero leaks.

 

Edited March 11 by difflock

[Squaredy]

58 minutes ago, difflock said:

Well (i) the machine has been installed since 1996 without a hiccup and nothing has changed, except

(ii)our mains pressure is  now piss poor,

But that is actually  irrelevant since our domestic hot water, which supply is being used for the dish washer, is fed from the cistern, way up below the apex of the roof.

Near enough 8m of a head.

That has not changed in 30 years.

And (ii) I have been reliably informed that the mains operated soliniod valve,  that isolates the supply to the  dish washer, when not "on" requires something like 20psi to properly work.

So, actually, LOW water pressure could be a likely problem or cause.

But I have now swopped the water supply to being fed from the hot tap at the sink, while the machine sits on the step outside.

So, in the absence of any flow, exactly the same feed pressure as that pertaining when the machine is installed.

Zero leaks.

 

I suspect it is that when the machine is being pushed into it's home, a pipe somewhere is being pushed at an angle enough to make a joint leak.

[Steven P]

The supply solenoid, 20PSI would only be letting water into the machine - you'd see that leak inside and not outside it?

 

I'd be going with Squaredy perhaps, 20 year old pipes and fittings eventually given up and cracked where they are bent when the machine goes back in. When machine is out this crack 'seals' itself? Or an O ring gone.

 

Can you wrap towels around everything at the back, push it back in again for a while and then out - where the towel is wet gives a clue where the water is coming from? (I'll often do that with paper towels and suspected leaks in the plumbing - shows up the wet parts)

[skc101fc]

Our dishwasher is similarly plumbed in to hot water system (solar water heating so frequently an excess of "free hot water), -very low pressure.  Our water into house comes from a gravity supply hose buried in river bed higher up mountain behind us. Hot water is similarly supplied from a header tank in loft. Dishwasher has been in place for 25yrs.  No solenoid issues apart from peat that gets through outside filters sometimes building up and blocking filter in end of flexy feed pipe, so don't believe thats your problem. If solenoid was leaking past, there'd always be a considerable amount of water in the bottom of the washer that you'd spot instantly. 

If you block off the end of the feed pipe and turn on the tap you should see if pipe at tap end is leaking, or is damaged along its length, that you wouldn't be able to spot. If you can't block it, try reversing the pipe,  reconnecting,  and then feel again at the point you can reach to see if its wet 

[difflock]

I brought her back into the kitchen, connected the supply back to below the sink, plugged the power in and tried  a wash cycle, but now the solinod in not functioning/no water being admitted ( but she was working 100% outside just before) but I then kept the machine out in the body of the  kitchen, disconnected the end of the flexible hose at the soliniod, filter was spotlessly clean, and then when I held the disconnected hose-end over the sink and turned the  water on again, a very good supply indeed!

BUGGER!

next step is to see if the solinod is getting power?

But later, I quit for today.

P.S.

All hoses and fittings are 100% perfect looking and leak proof. 

Btw. They look like new, despite being 30 years old.

 

Edited March 11 by difflock