Minor Dishwasher 'Leakage'

[codemonkey]

My 4 year old has fallen on the front right corner of our open dishwasher door twice in the last month.  Walking backwards is apparently a fun game to play while I'm trying to load/unload dishes.

There is now moisture escaping from the top right half of the dishwasher (From the middle all the way to the right corner, and then down the side).  Nothing is leaking on the floor, but the moisture is getting into the small exposed area of our wood counter top and it's starting to warp the wood.

I've installed a new circuit board in a dishwasher before, but I've never diagnosed leaking before and I'm at a loss of what to do.

Some brief googling suggested replacing the door hinge, but that runs $60-$70 on the couple of 'parts' places that I've visited and I'm hesitant do spend the money if there's something more simple I can try first.

The door can wiggle back and forth a bit, and I've tried putting more pressure on the right hand side in the hopes that it'll seal up again but I haven't had any luck.

Any thoughts would be helpful!  My wife called a local repair shop since she wants this fixed quickly, and it was going to be $100 just for a service visit and I'm not ready to shell out that kind of money.  She's given me a week to try and take care of it myself before she schedules an appointment.

[zolotiyeruki]

It sounds like the door may have gotten twisted from the falls.  Try this:

1) Use a strip of paper to see if the dishwasher is sealing when closed.  Put the paper over the corner where you see the leaks, and close the dishwasher on it.  If it's closing properly,it should take some effort to pull the paper out.  If the paper slides out with little or no resistance, you've definitely got a leak.
2) It sounds like the door may have been twisted out of shape from your 4-year-old.  put your eye right next to the edge of the door (looking across the edge that's at the top when it's closed) and see if you can see if it's straight.  Try to apply the opposite type of force from what your 4-year-old has applied

And in the worse-case scenario, you could just add a little bit of weatherstripping from your local hardware store to the inside of your dishwasher :)

[dycker1978]

you can also add a little bit of tin tape to the bottom of the counter to stop the wood from warping farther. 

http://www.globalindustrial.ca/p/hvac/hvac-r-tapes/foil-tape/foil-insulation-tape-2-inch-x-50-yards?infoParam.campaignId=T9F&gclid=CjwKEAjwucmoBRDmysGsgbDr5j0SJAAxL9abYiP97ASdBb2brjudErwyxLVnY5WcgQzZWnCFLZBFahoCp5Hw_wcB

I have found it much cheaper than this, this was just a quick google search.

[codemonkey]

Thanks for the replies!  I've ordered some tape to install this weekend and my wife is okay putting off the repairman since we've stopped the damage.  I'll do the paper test this evening when I get home and see what results from that.  Good idea about the weatherstripping if I can't equal the force and bend things back.

[Greg]

To agree with what others have said, the door is likely twisted and one corner isn't sealing anymore.  Do the paper slip test to make sure, then eyeball the door edge when it's close to closed and lined up with the counter edge, you may see the twist there.  Dishwasher doors are basically two shells that are screwed together around the edge. You can loosen the screws, straighten the door, and tighten the screws.  Keep trying and you'll get it.

[Sibley]

You might want to also work on the 4 year old so he doesn't do it again/something else. :p

[Spork]

What everyone said... fix the door...   

But, it's a really good idea to seal that countertop.  I used a clear lacquer finish on mine -- just that few feet above the dish washer.  Counter tops are notoriously made of plywood, chip board, mdf, or any sort of inexpensive lumber product that will swell like the dickens when it gets wet.  Even the normal steam from the dishwasher vent will swell it over time.

[codemonkey]

Thanks for the ideas once again.  I'm going to see if we have any lacquer finish in our basement.  The previous owners have a lot of cans on a shelf that we haven't gone through yet (moved in 6 months ago and just organized the storage room last weekend).  If not, I'll go out and get some.  You hit it spot on - the counter top is quite cheap and I can see it swelling and splitting and just soaking up any humidity that shoots it's way.