NEMO Helio LX review: a pressurized shower when the well pump or water heater is down

This is a research-based review, based on manufacturer specs and published data. We do not test products. Specs come from NEMO's product page for the Helio LX Portable Pressure Shower, checked November 1, 2026. Hygiene and water guidance comes from the CDC, and scald guidance from the CPSC.

An outage hits showers in two ways. Homes on private wells lose pressure as soon as the pump stops, and almost every home loses hot water when an electric heater, heat pump or electronically ignited gas heater goes dark. Bag showers solve part of that with sunlight and gravity, but they need a hook above head height and a sunny afternoon.

The Helio LX takes a different route. It sits on the ground, you pump it with your foot, and the pressure pushes water through a 7-foot hose to a nozzle you hold overhead or aim where it is needed. NEMO says one fill gives 7 to 10 minutes of continuous spray.

Who should buy it

• Homes on private wells, where an outage stops all running water.
• Households with older adults, children or anyone who needs help washing, where a hand-held nozzle is easier than a bag overhead.
• Anyone who wants a shower that works in shade, at night or in winter with water warmed on a stove outdoors.

Who should skip it

• Anyone counting on free solar heat. NEMO describes no heating function; it sprays whatever temperature you put in. A sun bag such as the Advanced Elements Summer Shower warms water on its own in direct sun.
• Tight storage. Even packed it is about 6.5 × 10.5 in, larger than a rolled bag shower.
• Households on city water where the shower still runs and only heat is missing. A kettle and a basin may be all you need.

Strengths

• No hanging, no gravity. The foot pump pressurizes the tank, so it works on a porch floor, in a tub or beside a well head.
• Long spray. 7 to 10 minutes of continuous spray per fill, per NEMO, which is enough to rinse more than one person if they are quick.
• Top-up safe. NEMO says the tank cannot be overinflated, so you can add pressure during use.
• Hand-held nozzle. Trigger or continuous mode, on a 7-ft hose, for washing children, hair or dishes.
• Easy to clean and dry. The large screw-cap opening helps empty, clean and fully dry the interior, which matters for a tank stored for months.

Drawbacks

• No heating. Warm water has to come from somewhere else: a kettle on an outdoor stove, a tank water heater with a standing pilot, or the sun.
• Bulky. Larger to store than a flat bag shower.
• Water hungry. 5.8 gallons is close to six days of one person's CDC allowance for drinking and basic hygiene. Fill it from non-drinking water where you can.
• Heavy full. About 48 lb of water at 5.8 gallons, by our conversion; fill it where you will use it.
• Spray time only. NEMO does not publish a flow rate or pressure figure.

How it compares

NEMO sells a smaller Helio alongside the LX. Here is how the LX compares with it and with a sun-heated bag. Figures are from each maker's page.

Using it in a long outage

A warm shower with no power

1. 01Heat a pot of water on a camp stove used outdoors, never inside. Mix it with cool water in the tank until it feels comfortably warm, not hot.
2. 02Screw the cap down, then pump with your foot until the spray is steady.
3. 03Stand in a bathtub or shower so the drain catches the water.
4. 04Wet down, release the trigger while you soap up, then rinse. Top up the pressure with the foot pump as it fades.
5. 05Empty the tank fully and leave the cap off to dry, so it does not grow mildew before the next outage.

Where the water comes from

Keep stored drinking water for drinking. The CDC's 1 gallon per person per day covers drinking and basic hygiene, not showers, and a full Helio LX would use most of a week of one person's supply. Better sources for washing are tap water the utility says is fine for bathing, water drained from a tank water heater, rain barrels, or pool water, which the CDC allows for hygiene and cleaning but not drinking. Our guide can you shower during a power outage explains which water heaters keep working.

Other jobs it covers

NEMO markets the continuous-spray mode for camp dishes as well as showers. In an outage that makes it a pressurized sink for washing hands, rinsing pots and cleaning up after using an emergency toilet. For handwashing, the CDC says to use soap and clean water; when water is short, a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol is the fallback, though it does not work well on visibly dirty hands. See our guide to sanitation without power.