The Nebia Spa Shower – all you need to know

For all the crazy technology we have at our disposal these days, the way we bath and shower every morning is still pretty archaic. We’ve got robots on Mars and computers in our pockets but we still wash ourselves in the same way that people did a century ago — under a wasteful, inefficient shower head.

That would be fine if we had tons of water to waste. But the fact is, we don’t. In fact only 2,5% of all the water on earth is freshwater.

This, added to the ever more frequent droughts the earth is experiencing, is prompting us to look at technology for ways to keeping (and in the case of Nebia, improving) our habits and lifestyle, but using fewer limited resources.

In 2010, water scarcity in Mexico City was so serious that the government launched an advertising campaign titled “February 2010: The City May Run Out of Water”.

That same year, the first Nebia prototype was invented in the same city as a response to reducing the water used in a national health club that had 25,000 daily visitors

The Nebia Spa Shower atomizes streams of water into millions of tiny droplets saving up to 70% of water compared to conventional showers. It has established an entirely new standard in shower usage, using just 2,5 litres of water per minute. The savings in both water and energy translate to a lower environmental footprint and lower utility bills. At the same time it provides a luxurious, innovative spa shower experience.

In a city like Cape Town where water restrictions have been the norm for quite some time, Nebia allows you to take guilt-free, luxury showers whilst still saving huge amounts of water.

Nebia is built with long-term sustainability in mind. 95% of the components are sourced in the US and close to the manufacturing partner and the shower is made from recyclable aluminium, PVC free plastic and recycled plastic. The Spa Shower System is Nebia’s first step in a greater movement towards innovation in using our planet’s resources more efficiently.

It is innovative, luxurious, efficient and quite simply; beautiful.

• 

“The lavish, hyper-efficient Tesla of shower heads”

DIGITAL TRENDS

Table of contents:

1. What is a Nebia Spa Shower and how does it work?
2. What’s in the Nebia Spa Shower box?
3. How much water does the shower use?
4. Why would you choose a Nebia Spa Shower?
5. What is the optimal bathroom for a Nebia?
6. Do I need a plumber to install the Nebia Spa Shower?
7. What water temperature is required for a Nebia?
8. Does it take longer for the water to heat up?
9. What water pressure is required for the shower to work at its best?
10. Is the water in my geyser warm enough?
11. I have very thick hair. Will I be able to rinse shampoo and conditioner properly?
12. What is I have very hairy legs and need more water to rinse out the soap?
13. What about lime residue and hard water?
14. What colours does the shower come in?
15. How do I uninstall the Nebia Spa Shower?
16. Is the hand shower glued to the wall?
17. How stable is the shower shaft?
18. If I have a shower that comes from the ceiling, can I use the Nebia shower?
19. Where should I place the hand shower?

1. What is a Nebia Spa Shower and how does it work?

Despite the technological advancements in almost all aspects of modern life, our daily shower has had no significant development in the last 100 years.

Nebia has taken on this challenge and has combined quality craftsmanship, innovation, design, engineering and manufacturing into a unique shower experience.

The core technology is called atomization. This technology has been used in rocket engines, internal combustion engines and agricultural sprays, but it is the first time this technology is applied on a shower. Atomization in this context means taking streams of water and turning them into millions of tiny droplets, that are much smaller than the average droplet. This creates a surface of water that is ten times greater compared to a regular shower. This is what makes using Nebia such an enveloping experience.

The design is part functional and part to look modern and to show this is a truly new shower experience. It has few functionalities built into it: it can slide up and down about sixty or seventy centimeters; the hand shower can be sprayed at the same time as the top shower –  in most of the shower system with dual spray you can only have one functioning at the time, in the case of Nebia you can have both working together – and still saving a tremendous amount of water.

There are four different settings:

1. Standard mode
2. Boost mode
3. Standard + hand shower
4. Boost + hand shower

The angle of the shower head can be adjusted as can the height. Not only can children use the shower but it can also be used effectively by people that need to sit and shower.

2. What’s in the Nebia Spa Shower box?

Receiving your Nebia shower is a delight! In the fully recyclable packaging, you receive the following items :

• Shower head
• Shaft
• Hand shower
• Magnetic hand shower holder
• Hose
• Cleaning cups
• Tool kit to fit most showers
• Installation guide

3. How much water does Nebia actually use?

Conventional shower heads in South Africa use between 10 and 15 litres of water per minute. New water by-law amendments, however, stipulate that the maximum flow rate from any showerhead may not exceed 10 liters per minute.

A Nebia Spa Shower uses between 2,5 and 4,9 litres of water per minute (depending on mode).

Mode	Water consumption
Standard	2.5 litres per minute
Boost	3.4 litres per minute
Standard + hand shower	3.8 litres per minute
Boost + hand shower	4.7 litres per minute

(This may vary slightly due to incoming water pressure).

Doing some basic calculations, the investment in a Nebia Spa Shower will be paid off in approximately 24 months in a 4 -person household at today’s water prices (Cape Town).

4. Why would you choose a Nebia Spa Shower?

Yes, there are plenty of shower heads on the market. Why would you choose Nebia?

For starters, Nebia is not just a shower head, it is a shower system complete with

• Shower head
• Hand shower
• Hand shower magnetic holder
• Shaft
• Hose
• Cleaning cups
• Tool kit

In addition, it is a quality product made of responsibly sourced components with long-term sustainability in mind.

The shower itself is made of aluminium which is one of the most sustainable metals. It can be remelted and reused repeatedly. Recycling aluminium takes just 5% of the energy needed to mine and process new aluminium.

The hose is the first in the industry free of PVC. Despite its prevalence in the plumbing industry, PVC is one of the most environmentally harmful plastics. Its production and disposal releases toxic contaminants to the environment.

Packaging waste makes up one third of all rubbish. Nebia has design their packaging to be entirely recyclable with the exception of a handful of small pieces to protect the product in shipping.

Nebia’s cleaning caps are made from rPET, a plastic made from recycled bottles.

Thirdly, depending on which mode you use and due to its unique and innovative design, you can save up to 70% of the water you use compared to conventional shower heads. This translates to not only monetary savings, but also to reduced environmental impact.

Lastly, it provides a luxurious shower experience like no other, right there, in the comfort of your own home.

If you’re a discerning water warrior with an eye for quality, innovation, design, functionality and sustainability, then Nebia is for you.

5. What is the optimal bathroom for Nebia?

The shower can be installed everywhere, but for the best experience it needs the following:

1. A closed shower space (preferably no shower curtain).
2. The water temperature must be a minimum of 47’C at the shower head (preferably a few degrees higher). Please note that this is at the shower head, and not at the geyser.
3. The existing shower head outlet must be wall mounted at a height of 180-215cm.
4. The minimum clearance from the ceiling to the water outlet must be 10cm.
5. The minimum clear wall from the water outlet downwards must be 68 cm (for the shaft).
6. The wall surface cannot be slate or made of pebbles. The surface should be smooth.

See the installation guide for more details.

6. Do I need a plumber to install Nebia?

Nebia can be installed in 15 minutes without the need of a plumber and without needing to break any tiles.

7. What water temperature is required for a Nebia?

The technology in the Nebia Spa Shower atomizes streams of water into tiny droplets.

Since small water droplets lose heat quicker than larger water droplets, it may be necessary to increase the temperature of the water so that it is a minimum of 47’C at the shower head.

8. Does it take longer for the water to heat up?

In any shower, the cold water in the pipe must be flushed out before hot water enters the system. Due to the low consumption of water through the Nebia Spa Shower, this may take a little longer. This however, does not mean that you are wasting any more water than in a conventional shower since the same volume of cold water in the pipes needs to be flushed out irrespective of shower head.

This problem can be solved both for the Nebia and any other shower head by installing a geyser/water heater closer to the shower.

Quick fact : “The amount of water on earth is constant and cannot be increased or decreased, but it is unevenly distributed across the earth. South Africa receives an annual rainfall of 492 millimetres whereas the rest of the earth receives 985 millimetres. This is nearly half the earth’s average. Thus South Africa is classified as a water-stressed country”. (Source : Water Wise)

9. What water pressure is required for the shower to work at its best?

Nebia has an inbuilt pressure regulating valve. This means that the nozzles perform in the same manner in all bathrooms with water pressures from 2.5 – 6.9 bar.

10. Is the water in my geyser warm enough?

In order to get the best Nebia shower experience, the water at the shower head (not at the geyser) must be a minimum of 47’C.  

11. I have very thick hair. Will I be able to rinse shampoo and conditioner properly?

This is a question that arises often, but we can categorically say that there is no problem to rinse long, thick hair in this shower. Either use the inbuilt booster settings or/and use the hand shower.

12. What if I have very hairy legs and need more water to rinse out the soap?

In South Africa, a hand shower is not a common shower appliance. It is however, very common in Europe and in the US. It is also an effective way of rinsing soap from your body because you can direct it exactly where you need the water. So, if you have extra hairy legs, simply use the hand shower (or the razor :))

13. What about lime residue and hard water?

The shower comes with a kit of cleaning cups for the nozzles and the hand shower. The cleaning cups are made of rPET, a plastic made form recycled bottles.

14. What colours is the shower available in?

Brushed aluminium only.

15. How do I uninstall the Nebia shower?

It is almost as easy to uninstall as it is to install except that you will have to remove the adhesives which take a little longer than during installation.

Uninstalling the Nebia Shower System from Nebia on Vimeo.

16. Is the hand shower glued to the wall? How strong is the glue? Will it break the tile when we remove it?

The magnetic holder for the hand shower is glued to the wall with a special adhesive. It will never fall off. If you need to remove the hand shower or would like to move its position, use a hobby knife and remove it from the wall (it will not break the tile). Any bits left on the wall can be removed with methylated spirits.

Remove the used adhesive from the hand shower and use a new one (included in the box).

17. How stable is the shower shaft? How long will it last?

The shaft has undergone extensive testing. An automatic load test, tested moving it up and down 10000 times after which the test was stopped. The shaft was intact.

18. If I have a shower that comes from the ceiling, can I use Nebia?

No. The shower can only be installed on wall mounted showers.

19. Where should I place the hand shower?

Showering in a Nebia shower is a very personal and individual experience. With 4 modes, it caters to most individual needs. The hand shower can be used either propped up on the magnetic holder or as a hand shower. We recommend that the magnetic holder be installed at waist height and facing away from the entrance of the shower. Most photos of an installed Nebia shower system will show the hand shower placed on the same wall as the main shower, but this is not a requirement. The magnetic holder and hand shower can be installed on either side of the main shower depending on your individual preference.

Sustainability is not only about saving water, but also about using quality products that last.

A water-saving shower like Nebia is one of the few investments in a home that will pay back itself in the long term. If you were re-doing your kitchen, you would buy an energy and water-efficient dishwasher. Why wouldn’t you do the same for your bathroom?

“Your shower will never be the same.”

JOE GEBBIA, CO-FOUNDER AIRBNB