Jojo tank installation and maintenance

A garden rainwater setup with a 2,500L tank typically lands between R7,500 and R12,000 all-in, while a whole-house municipal backup with a 5,000L tank, pump, and automatic switchover runs R18,000 to R30,000. The tank itself is often the smallest part — the base, pump, and plumbing quality carry the system.

For municipal backup, 2,500 to 5,000 litres covers most households comfortably through multi-day outages — a family uses roughly 400 to 800 litres a day with normal habits, far less when conserving. For irrigation and serious harvesting, bigger pays. An honest plumber sizes from your usage and outage pattern, not the biggest tank on the truck.

Absolutely — a full 5,000L tank weighs over five tons, and it needs a level, compacted, properly sized base: paving on compacted fill, a concrete plinth, or an engineered stand for elevated tanks. Tanks on bare or unlevel ground settle, stress their fittings, and fail early. The base is the least glamorous and most important line on the quote.

No — integrating a tank with your municipal supply is regulated plumbing work requiring a qualified plumber and proper backflow prevention, which protects the public water network from contamination. Garden-only rain tanks are simpler territory, but the moment the system touches the house supply or a pump circuit, it’s professional work — the pump’s electrical side needs a registered electrician too.

An annual rhythm: clean the leaf filters and first-flush diverter, check fittings and the overflow, inspect the base for settling, and have the tank interior cleaned every one to two years (R650 to R1,500) to clear sediment — more often if it feeds the house. Pumps appreciate an annual check as well. It’s light upkeep for a system that should last 15 to 20 years.