Most washing machine leaks come from the detergent drawer, the door seal, or the hose connections — check these before assuming an internal fault.
Likely causes, ranked
- Leak at the hose connections Most likely — Inlet and drain hose nuts work loose; hand-tighten and check for drips.
- Over-foaming from too much detergent Likely — Excess detergent pushes foam and water out of the drawer or seal.
- Door seal damage or debris Likely — Metal items caught in the seal fold cause tears and leaks at the door.
- Internal leak triggering water-in-base detection Less likely — Many machines show a leak code (Bosch E13) when the base tray collects water.
First checks
- Dry the area under and behind the machine completely, then run a short cycle and watch where water first appears.
- Hand-tighten both hose nuts at the back.
- Wipe the door seal fold and remove any trapped items.
- Run a cycle with no detergent to see if foaming was the cause.
Safety
Unplug before touching the machine. If water is near electrical connections or the machine trips the RCD, stop and call a professional.
Call a professional when…
Call a professional if the leak is from the drum/tub area, if water collects in the base, or if the machine trips the electrics.
Error codes that point here
- Bosch washing machine E18
- Bosch washing machine E17
- Bosch washing machine E16
- Bosch washing machine E02
- Bosch washing machine E13
- Hotpoint washing machine F05
- Hotpoint washing machine F01
- Hotpoint washing machine F03
- Hotpoint washing machine F06
- Hotpoint washing machine F15
- Beko washing machine H5
- Beko washing machine H3
- Beko washing machine H1
- Beko washing machine E01
- Beko washing machine H2
- Samsung washing machine LE