Borehole Installation South Africa

• Borehole Installation South Africa: one free request, quotes from independent borehole contractors.
• Describe the job once: drilling, pump, repair, testing, storage or treatment, and where it is.
• Relevant contractors come back with their own quotes, and you compare them yourself.
• This website does not drill boreholes, own rigs or install pumps.
• The contractor you appoint surveys, quotes, drills, equips, tests and repairs.

What Borehole Contractors Quote For

Not every contractor does every job, so say exactly what you need when you request quotes.

How Borehole Installation Works

1. Site check. The contractor looks at access for the rig, the position of septic tanks and services, and any municipal rules.
2. Siting. A position is chosen from local knowledge, nearby boreholes or a geophysical survey.
3. Drilling. The rig drills to water-bearing rock, and casing is installed where the hole could collapse.
4. Yield test. The borehole is pumped and measured so the pump can be sized to what it can sustain.
5. Equipping. Pump, rising main, cable, controls and pipework are fitted, often with a tank and pressure system.
6. Water test. A laboratory test shows whether the water suits drinking, irrigation or other uses, and what treatment it needs.

Ask each contractor which of these steps their price covers, and in writing.

Types of Borehole Quote

• Drilling only. Drilling and casing at a rate per metre, with the pump quoted later or by someone else.
• Drill and equip. One contractor drills, tests and installs the pump system for a combined price.
• Equip an existing hole. A pump, controls and pipework for a borehole that is already drilled.
• Repair and service. Fault finding, pump work, cleaning and planned maintenance.

Borehole or Wellpoint

• Borehole. Drilled by a rig, often 40 - 120 m deep, into fractured rock or deep aquifers. Suits household supply, farms and businesses.
• Wellpoint. A shallow pipe jetted into sandy ground with a high water table, with a surface pump. Cheaper, but only works where the ground and water table allow, and usually suits garden watering.

Borehole Prices at a Glance

Ballpark prices so you can sanity-check a quote. They are not quotations and no contractor is bound by them.

Depth, geology, casing, access and the pump system set the final price.

What to Include in Your Request

• Your town or suburb, and whether it is a home, smallholding, farm or business.
• The service: new borehole, pump, repair, test, tank, filtration or irrigation.
• For new drilling: what the water is for and roughly how much you need.
• For existing boreholes: depth if known, pump type and what has gone wrong.
• Rig access: gate width, slopes, walls and overhead cables.
• Photos of the site or equipment, if the form lets you add them.

Availability

Requests come from across South Africa. Contractors are independent and decide which jobs and areas they take on, so availability depends on your location and the service you need.

Comparing Borehole Contractors

Whoever you consider, compare like with like:

• Rate and depth. Price per metre, and the maximum depth you agree to before they stop and consult you.
• Casing. Type, diameter and how many metres are included.
• Dry hole terms. What you pay if there is no water or too little.
• Testing. Whether a yield test and water quality test are included, and how long the yield test runs.
• Equipment. Pump brand, size, controls, cable and pipe, and their warranties.
• Payment. Deposit, balance, site establishment fees and whether VAT is included.

Frequently Asked Questions