"Ended up adding some foam padding around the pipes to absorb vibrations, and it's been bone-dry ever since."
Interesting fix, hadn't thought about vibrations causing leaks. But honestly, wouldn't foam padding just be a temporary solution? I mean, if the dishwasher's shaking things loose, maybe it's not leveled properly or something else is off balance. Did you check if adjusting the dishwasher itself might solve the root issue? Seems like that could save you from having to replace padding every few months...
Had a similar issue a couple years back—thought I'd solved it with some foam padding too. Worked great for a while, but eventually the leak came creeping back. Turns out the dishwasher wasn't sitting level, and every time it ran, it was shaking the pipes just enough to loosen the fittings over time. Took me forever to figure that out, because who thinks about leveling a dishwasher, right?
Anyway, once I adjusted the leveling feet underneath (which was surprisingly easy, just needed a wrench and some patience), the vibrations stopped completely. Haven't had to mess with padding or towels under the sink since. Might be worth checking yours out too, just to save yourself the hassle down the road. Plus, foam padding isn't exactly expensive, but hey, every little bit counts when you're trying to keep home repairs budget-friendly...
Had a similar dishwasher leveling issue once, but honestly, leveling alone didn't fully fix it for me. Pipes still loosened up after a while. Ended up swapping out the cheap plastic fittings for brass compression fittings—haven't had a drip since. Leveling definitely helps with vibrations, but sometimes the hardware itself is just too flimsy to hold up long-term. Might wanna check your fittings too, just in case...
Had a similar headache myself a while back—leveled the dishwasher, tightened everything up, and still ended up with puddles under the sink. Turns out those plastic fittings just aren't built to last. Switched mine out for brass compression fittings too, and it's been bone-dry ever since. If you're gonna swap them out, make sure you shut off the water first (learned that one the hard way...). Also, double-check your washers and seals while you're at it—sometimes they're sneaky culprits behind leaks. Good luck!
- Definitely second the brass fittings—plastic ones seem designed to fail right after the warranty ends, lol.
- Also, check your drain trap connections...mine looked fine but leaked like crazy til I replaced the gasket.
- And yeah, water shut-off is key. Ask me how I know...
