A borehole pump is a slim submersible pump that hangs inside the borehole casing, below the water, and pushes water up a drop pipe to a tank or the house. Most domestic holes take a 4 inch pump; narrow holes take a 3 inch pump and high yield holes a 6 inch pump or larger. The pump must match two things: what the hole can give and how high the water must go. This page covers the kinds of borehole pump, how to size one, what comes with it and what drives the price.
3 inch, 4 inch and multistage pumps
The pump size is the outside diameter that fits the casing. A 4 inch pump is the usual choice for houses and plots; a 3 inch pump suits narrow or older holes. Inside, a multistage pump has several impellers stacked one above the other, and each stage adds head, so a deep hole needs more stages. Stainless steel bodies resist corrosion and last well in hard or slightly aggressive water. For holes well over 100 m, see deep well pumps.
2 wire or 3 wire
Single phase motors need a capacitor to start and run. A 2 wire pump has the start gear inside the motor, so it needs only a switch and protection at the surface. A 3 wire pump (plus earth) needs a control box above ground holding the capacitor and relay, which makes those parts easy to reach and replace. Larger pumps run on three phase. Either way, ask for dry run protection and surge protection, and have a qualified electrician do the wiring.
Sizing to the yield test
The yield test done after drilling shows how many litres per hour the hole gives and where the water level drops to while pumping. The pump must deliver less than that yield, at a head made up of the pumping level, the height to the tank and the pipe friction. Many installers pump to a tank at a steady rate and let a booster handle the house, rather than sizing the borehole pump for peak demand. An oversized pump draws the hole down, runs dry and burns out.
The pump is set below the lowest pumping level and usually some metres above the bottom so it does not draw sand. No yield test yet? Ask the driller, or see borehole drilling.
What comes with a pump and what drives the price
A working borehole set has the pump and motor, the drop pipe, a safety rope, flat drop cable with a sealed joint, a borehole cap, a non-return valve, the control box or switch, and protection. Many quotes for a "borehole pump" cover the pump only.
The price rises with motor kW, number of stages, stainless parts, depth (more pipe and cable) and three phase. Compare quotes on the duty point, the setting depth, the pipe and cable sizes and what installation includes.
What to put in your request
- The yield test result in litres per hour
- Hole depth, casing size and pumping water level
- Height and distance to the tank or house
- Single phase or three phase power at the hole
- Details of any old pump being replaced
Borehole Pumps for homes, farms and businesses
- Homeowners: a 4 inch pump filling a garden tank or feeding irrigation during water cuts
- Smallholdings and plots: one pump for the house, the animals and the vegetables, sized to the yield
- Farms: larger pumps on three phase for livestock troughs, reservoirs and irrigation
- Complexes, estates and body corporates: a communal borehole pump feeding the complex garden system or a backup tank
- Offices, shops, hotels and lodges: backup borehole water for schools, lodges, hotels and office parks
- Factories, plants and depots: process and wash water from a borehole at a plant or depot
- Mines and quarries: water supply boreholes for mine camps, offices and dust suppression
- Municipalities, schools and clinics: village and town supply boreholes and replacements for failed pumps
- Contractors and drillers: drillers and installers fitting pumps to new or refurbished holes
Frequently asked questions
What size borehole pump do I need?
Why does my borehole pump run but give no water?
Do I need permission to use a borehole?
Will you fit the borehole pump for me?
Borehole Pumps by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg