Water showing up at the control panel on a shower cabin or steam shower is usually coming in through the panel's own seal, but the water itself can be arriving from higher up the column, an internal hose or a loose mixer connection tracking down and finding its way out at the panel. Isolate the power and trace the leak before assuming the panel needs replacing.
Applies to: shower cabins and steam showers
If your shower cabin is leaking from the control panel, this is not normal and should be treated as a priority issue.
Water should never come through the control panel under any circumstances. If it does, it means water is entering the unit from elsewhere and finding its way out through the panel housing.
Before doing anything else, you should turn off the power immediately at the wall spur or RCD, as water entering electrical components can cause serious damage or a short circuit.
Compatible with many shower cabin brands including
Quick diagnosis
If your shower cabin is showing these symptoms:
- Water visibly dripping from or around the display area
- The leak appears during or shortly after use, not constantly
- Water is coming from behind the panel rather than on top of it
- Buttons and lights still work even though the panel is wet
- The leak gets worse the longer the shower runs
Likely causes, most likely first
- A perished or poorly seated panel seal. The seal or gasket behind the panel is the most direct route in, if it’s perished or was never fully seated, water reaches the electronics straight through it.
- A loose or worn internal hose higher up the column. The flexible hoses feeding the mixer, overhead shower or hand shower can leak higher up and track down inside the column, coming out at the panel because it’s the lowest point.
- A loose connection at the mixer. A fitting at the valve itself that’s never been fully tightened can leak into the column and find its way down to the panel the same way.
Likely cause
Any leak inside the column, a loose hose, a worn joint at the mixer, a fitting that's never been fully tightened, will run down and find its way out wherever it can, and the control panel is often the lowest point it reaches. That can make the panel look like the source when the real fault is higher up. Water getting in directly through the panel's own seal is a real cause too, not just water passing through from somewhere else.
Check this first
- Turn off the power before touching anything, since you’re working near a wet electrical panel.
- Check whether the leak only happens on steam sessions, which points more toward condensation than a hose leak.
- Look for wet patches higher up the column, which show roughly where the water is entering before it reaches the panel.
Which part fits your cabin
| Brand | Model / range | Part | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vidalux | Essence 800, Essence 900, Essence 1000, Essence Classic 800, Essence Classic 900, SS80, SS90, SS1000, SS1200 Left, SS1200 Rectangular, SS1200 Right | Water Shower Hose 50cm – 100cm -150cm with Single Fitting | Checked against Vidalux’s own product records |
This is a floor, not the full list, the same hose is used more widely across the range than this list covers.
How to identify your part
Internal shower hoses come in two fitting types. The single-fitting version has a 90-degree 15mm fitting at one end and a blank end held on with a jubilee clip, sold separately. The double-fitting version has a 15mm screw fitting at both ends, one 90-degree and one straight. Measure the old hose and check which ends it has before ordering, both are sold in 50cm, 100cm and 150cm lengths.
Parts that fix this problem
This issue is usually caused by an internal leak rather than a failed panel. The priority is to locate the source of the water before replacing any components.
If water is coming through your control panel, send us a photo and we’ll help you identify the source of the leak and the best way to fix it safely.
How to fix it
- Turn off the power to the unit straight away and don’t use the shower until you’ve found the source
- Pull the unit away from the wall to reach the internal connections behind it
- Check every internal hose and fitting feeding the mixer, the overhead shower and the hand shower for drips or looseness
- Turn off the water supply, then tighten or replace whatever hose or fitting is found to be leaking
- Check the seal behind the panel once the other connections are confirmed dry, and reseal it if that’s where water is still getting in
Also described as
- Water leaking from control panel
- Shower panel leaking
- Water coming through shower display
- Leak behind shower panel
- Water from shower control unit
When to call a professional
Call a qualified electrician if you're not confident isolating the power yourself, or if water has visibly reached inside the panel housing, don't reconnect power until you're sure everything is dry.
