My Frigidaire Dishwasher Heater Seal is Leaking

Leaking

• One of the most visible results of a casing crack around the heating element is leaking from the bottom of the dishwasher. The heating element, an electrified metal rod shaped around the edge of the dishwasher, is located slightly beneath the bottom of the washtub. Beneath this heating area is the mechanism that channels electricity into the metal rod and beneath that is the floor. If water breaks through the seal protecting the dishwasher’s inner workings, it will also find the floor and leak out underneath the dishwasher during cycle.

Dirty Dishes

• Another result of a failure in the heating element seal is a lack of hot water making it into the dishwasher washtub. As the water leaks out underneath, the dishwasher cannot channel enough water into the washtub during the cycle. The result is dirty dishes. This problem is usually accompanied by water leaking onto the floor during a wash.

Short Circuit

• As water finds its way through the heating element seal to the inner workings of the dishwasher, it will invariably reach electric power wires. If unprotected portions of the wires are exposed to water, the dishwasher could short circuit or even blow out the house fuse that provides power to the dishwasher. In this case, remove the dishwasher from the power source and repair it before reactivating the fuse.

Heating Element Failure

• Of course, water dripping through the heater seal may find its way to the heating element power system long before it makes contact with the main power system. This will cause the heating element itself to burn out and stop providing heat altogether. As with the main power system, remove the washer from power before working on a broken heater element.

Perpetual Cycle

• If the heating element is burned out by a casing breach, the dishwasher may not cycle past the point where the heating element heats up the water. Many Frigidaire dishwashers feature a thermostat that tells the main cycle control when to switch to the next cycle. This thermostat will not approve the next part of the wash if the water is not heating.