--- title: "Washer leaking" description: "Kenmore washer leaking — the useful question is not where the water is but when it appears." url: "https://kenmoremiami.support/symptoms/washer-leaking/" date_modified: "2026-09-01" Appliance type: "Washers" --- # Kenmore washer leaking ### Turn the water off at the faucets A machine that keeps taking water while it is switched off, or one that has shown an overflow code, needs both faucets behind it closed before anything else happens. A valve that will not seat does not recover on its own, and replacing a laundry room floor costs many times what the valve does. ### What it usually means, by the company that built it Kenmore manufactures nothing, so the same behavior points at different things depending on who made the appliance. The three digits before the period on the rating plate are what tells them apart. - **110 Whirlpool** — Overflow shows as F8 E3 — too much water or too much foam. Whirlpool also flags reversed inlet hoses as HC, which is worth knowing after any installation. - **796 LG** — LG publishes FE, OVERFLOW ERROR, and AE for a leak detected inside the appliance. On a front-loader the door gasket fold is where lint and small items collect and where weeping starts long before anything tears visibly. ### Why we look at the fill hoses even when they are not the leak Because a fill hose is under mains pressure every hour of every day, and when one lets go it does not drip. It is thirty seconds to look at them while we are behind the machine and it is the cheapest insurance in the house. ### The gasket, humidity and a closed door A front-loader in a warm humid house, with the door shut on a wet seal after every load, ages its gasket faster than the same machine in a dry climate. The habit that prevents it is free: leave the door ajar and wipe the fold occasionally. The repair that follows ignoring it is not free. The door gasket On a front-loader. The fold catches lint and coins and starts weeping before it visibly tears. Checked as a matter of course. A burst fill hose is the single most damaging thing a laundry room can do. The dispenser A blocked drawer overflows behind the panel and appears on the floor at the front. The drain path Pump housing, clamps and the connection at the standpipe. Too much detergent Foam finds its way out of places water does not. It is a real cause and it is free to correct. The tub seal Last, and a serious job. Everything above is cheaper and more likely. Which part of the cycle Fill, wash, drain or spin. This is the most informative thing you can tell us. Run the fold of the door gasket with a cloth All the way round. You will find things in there. Look at the fill hoses Bulges, rust at the couplings, or a date more than five years old. Check the detergent dose Against what the machine asks for rather than what the bottle suggests. Water on the floor, and rarely from where it looks What it usually means When it leaks matters more than where Fill hoses are checked every visit The gasket fold is a local suspect Turn the water off at the faucets A machine that keeps taking water while it is switched off, or one that has shown an overflow code, needs both faucets behind it closed before anything else happens. A valve that will not seat does not recover on its own, and replacing a laundry room floor costs many times what the valve does. What it usually means, by the company that built it Kenmore manufactures nothing, so the same behavior points at different things depending on who made the appliance. The three digits before the period on the rating plate are what tells them apart. 110 Whirlpool — Overflow shows as F8 E3 — too much water or too much foam. Whirlpool also flags reversed inlet hoses as HC, which is worth knowing after any installation. 796 LG — LG publishes FE, OVERFLOW ERROR, and AE for a leak detected inside the appliance. On a front-loader the door gasket fold is where lint and small items collect and where weeping starts long before anything tears visibly. Why we look at the fill hoses even when they are not the leak Because a fill hose is under mains pressure every hour of every day, and when one lets go it does not drip. It is thirty seconds to look at them while we are behind the machine and it is the cheapest insurance in the house. The gasket, humidity and a closed door A front-loader in a warm humid house, with the door shut on a wet seal after every load, ages its gasket faster than the same machine in a dry climate. The habit that prevents it is free: leave the door ajar and wipe the fold occasionally. The repair that follows ignoring it is not free. ### It only leaks on spin. That points at the drain path or at the tub seal rather than at the fill side, and it narrows the visit usefully. ### Could it be the floor rather than the machine? It can. A washer that is not level walks, and a machine that has moved can pull on a hose or sit on its own drain. We check that before assuming a part. --- **[Read full article: Washer leaking](https://kenmoremiami.support/symptoms/washer-leaking/)**