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Borehole repairs and servicing
By BoreholePro. Updated 12 October 2026.
Most borehole problems are the pump, its cable and control box, or a falling water level, not the hole itself. Send us what’s happening on WhatsApp with a photo of the control box and the tank, and we’ll tell you the likely cause before anyone drives out. Repairs are quoted after diagnosis. A replacement pump costs R8,000 to R13,000 depending on depth.
Why is my borehole not giving water?
| What you see | Likely causes | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| No water at all, pump silent | Tripped breaker, failed control box or pressure switch, burnt pump motor, broken cable | Power at the box, the box itself, then the pump on its cable |
| Pump runs but little or no water | Water level dropped below the pump, worn pump, blocked intake, split pipe in the hole | Water level, then pull the pump to inspect it and the pipe |
| Water comes and goes | Pump out-pumping the borehole, faulty pressure switch or tank | Running time against recovery, the switch and the pressure tank |
| Brown, black or sandy water | Iron or manganese, silt coming in, damaged casing | A water test, then a camera or a clean-out if silt is coming in |
| Low pressure in the house | Pressure pump, pressure tank or a blocked filter, not the borehole | The pressure side before the borehole |
Can a borehole run dry?
Yes. In a drought, or when nearby boreholes pump hard, the water level can drop below the pump. Water levels rise and fall with the rain, so a pump set close to the water in a wet year can end up above it in a dry one. The fix may be as simple as lowering the pump, or the hole may need cleaning or deepening. Drilling a new hole is the last option, not the first.
What a borehole service covers
- Measure the water level and compare it with the last reading.
- Check the control box, pressure switch, cable and earth.
- Pull the pump if output has dropped, inspect it and the pipe joints.
- Clean out silt and iron build-up if the hole is clogging.
- Re-test the flow so you know what the borehole can give now.
- Test the water if it looks, smells or tastes different.
A yearly check is sensible for a household borehole, and sooner if the flow drops or the water changes. Farms and businesses that pump hard benefit from more frequent checks.
How do you clear a blocked borehole?
Silt, sand and iron build-up slowly choke the slots in the casing and the cracks feeding the hole. The pump is pulled and the hole is cleaned out, usually by blowing compressed air down it to lift the silt out, and sometimes with a brush or a treatment for iron. Afterwards the flow is tested again.
Questions people ask
Why is my borehole pump running but no water is coming out?
Usually the water level has dropped below the pump, the pump is worn, or a pipe joint has split inside the hole. Measuring the water level first tells which.
How much does a borehole repair cost?
It depends on the fault, so we quote after diagnosis. A failed pump is the most expensive common repair: a replacement costs R8,000 to R13,000 depending on the depth it hangs at.
How often should a borehole be serviced?
Once a year for a household borehole is sensible, and straight away if the flow drops, the pump starts cycling on and off, or the water changes colour or taste.
Can a dry borehole be fixed?
Often. Lowering the pump, cleaning the hole or drilling it deeper can bring the water back. A new hole is the last resort.
Related
Where these numbers come from
- Current price lists from borehole drillers in Limpopo, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, checked 12 October 2026
- Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS): National Groundwater Archive, GRIP borehole records, groundwater-level monitoring and water-quality results supplied to us by DWS GeoRequests, September and October 2026
Get a price for your borehole
Type your address and see the price line by line, with the water records around your plot. A site visit confirms the spot, the depth and the final price before any drilling starts.