Address
Unit 8, Meerzicht Business Park, 33 Kelly Road, Jet Park Boksburg, 1459
Work Hours
Monday to Friday: 8AM - 5PM
Municipal Backup Water Storage Systems
EMERGENCY WATER STORAGE
Ever worry about having your water cut off due to unexpected disruptions? A municipal backup water storage system provides peace of mind by ensuring you have a reliable source of clean water during emergencies like water shedding, infrastructure failures, or power outages. It’s your safety net for everyday living!
Why Do You Need a Municipal Backup System?
Imagine the worry and frustration of not being able to maintain hygiene, prepare meals, or simply use your bathroom during a water outage. These disruptions happen unexpectedly and more often than you think! By having a backup system, you gain peace of mind and are prepared for:
Water Shedding
South Africa faces scheduled water cut-offs. A backup system ensures your water needs are met, regardless of these shortcomings.
Infrastructure Failure
Pipes break, treatment plants have issues – unforeseen events can disrupt your water supply. A backup keeps you going.
Power Outages
Many water systems rely on electricity. A backup system with independent power guarantees water even during loadshedding.
How To Plan Your System
Choosing the right size tank is crucial for your backup system. Follow the 5 steps to ensure your system is perfect for your need:
Overview: Understanding Municipal Backup Systems
Key Components:
The sturdy foundation of your water storage, choose from various sizes and materials to suit your needs (e.g., above-ground or underground).
Ensures your tank stands strong and secure. We’ll guide you on the right base type based on your soil and location.
Delivers water from your tank to your home. We offer traditional or VSD pumps for optimal pressure and efficiency.
Simplifies connection between your tank and pump, ensuring a seamless and secure installation.
Important: Always use approved connection methods. Contact us for specific advice.
Connect your system’s components. We recommend using galvanized pipes for durability.
5a. House Connection:Delivers water from the pump to your home (¾-inch minimum diameter).
5b. Municipal Feed: Supplies your tank with treated municipal water (connected to the float valve).
Change pipe direction as needed for your specific installation layout.
Automatically fills your tank and shuts off when full. Connect it to your municipal line for a convenient and reliable refill system.
Strategically placed throughout the system to isolate components for easy maintenance and control. We recommend valves between your municipal feed, tank, pump, and house connection.
Prevent backflow into the municipal supply, ensuring system integrity.
Tank Size and Shape:
Tank Size
Choosing the right size tank is crucial for your backup system. Consider these important factors:
- Family size and daily water usage: The average person uses approximately 150 liters of water per day. Multiply this by your household size to estimate basic needs.
- Desired backup duration: Determine how long you’d like your water supply to last in an emergency (e.g., 3 days, 1 week).
- Space availability: Consider where you’ll locate your tank and the physical space you have available.
Size Calculation:
To get the precise tank size for your installation, follow this formula:
Number of people in household x Desired backup days x 150 liters/person/day = Recommended tank size
Example:
For a 4-person household wanting a 3-day backup of emergency water: 4 people x 3 days x 150 liters/person/day = 1800 litre tank at the minimum.
Traditional Round Water Tanks
Slim Line Water Tanks
Tank Shape
Traditional Round Tanks: The Storage Workhorse
- Pros: Maximize water storage per square foot, making them the most cost-effective option for larger backups. Ideal if you have ample yard space or a dedicated storage area.
- Cons: Their wider diameter can make placement a challenge in some properties. Aesthetics might be less appealing for those wanting a discreet solution.
Slimline Tanks: Space-Saving Solution
- Pros: Designed specifically for compact spaces. They can tuck into side yards, next to buildings, or even blend into landscaping with the right placement.
- Cons: You often sacrifice some storage capacity compared to a similar priced round tank. Better suited for shorter outages or smaller homes unless you invest in a taller model.
Finding the Right Fit:
- Smaller Households + Shorter Outages: A slimline tank might offer the perfect balance of space and capacity.
- Larger Homes + Longer Outage Prep: A traditional round tank may be the better value if space allows.
- We Can Help: Our experts assess your space and water usage to recommend the best tank type, ensuring you don’t overpay for storage you won’t use, or end up with a tank that’s too small.
Common Tank Size Examples & Capacity Breakdown:
- 1 000 litre: Family of 2 | 3 Days Supply
- 5 000 litre: Family of 4 | 1 Weeks Supply
- 10 000 litre: Family of 6/Business | 1.5 Weeks Supply
Tank Placement
Placing your tank strategically ensures safety, compliance and functionality. We’ll guide you through:
- Choosing the right location on your property, considering access, sunlight, and drainage.
- Foundation requirements (concrete slabs or other support structures).
Choosing a Pump:
Finding the right pump is crucial for optimal water flow and pressure. Here’s a quick breakdown of your options:
Centrifugal Pumps:
- Affordable: Ideal for occasional pressure boosts.
- Simple: Easy installation and minimal maintenance.
- Consider: Pressure fluctuations and higher noise levels.
VSD Pumps:
- Smart: Maintains constant pressure, saving energy and working well with solar.
- Quiet: Runs quietly (around 60 decibels).
- Consider: Higher upfront cost.
Traditional Centrifugal Booster Pumps
- Budget-Friendly Boost: Affordable option for occasional pressure increase.
- Simpler Design: May require more frequent maintenance and experience pressure fluctuations.
Variable Speed Drive (VSD) Booster Pumps
- Smart and Efficient: Adjusts speed for constant pressure, saving energy and working well with solar.
- Quiet Operator: Runs at lower speeds, keeping noise levels low (around 60 decibels).
Water Filtration:
While municipal water is generally safe, adding filtration to your backup system offers several benefits:
- Improved taste and odor: Filters can remove chlorine and other substances that may affect water’s taste and smell.
- Peace of mind during extended storage: Filtration reduces the risk of bacteria or sediment buildup in stored water, particularly over longer periods.
- Addressing specific water quality concerns: If you have well water or are aware of particular contaminants in your area, filtration provides targeted solutions.
The Two Most Common Filtration Solutions
3-Stage Big Blue Whole House Filter with UV
Why It Works: Filters sediment & chemicals, UV kills bacteria for cleaner, safer water.
When It’s Ideal: Taste, odor, and basic health safety for stored municipal water.
Ultrafiltration (UF) Water Filter
Why It Works: Advanced filter removes bacteria, viruses, and cysts for maximum protection.
When It’s Ideal: Homes prioritizing health safety or facing potentially contaminated sources.
Do I Need Filtration?
It depends. Here are three considerations you should keep in mind when deciding weather or not to use filtration:
- Water Quality: Test or check your local municipality reports for local variations in water quality. Based on the concerns that are listed one should address specific concerns (lead, minerals) if needed.
- Water Source: Municipal water is generally safe; however, this has been slowly changing in recent years. Consider filtration if you want to improve taste or odor. One should test borehole water for safety and filtration needs.
- Budget: Choose a filtration method based on your concerns and desired level of filtration (basic to multi-stage). We have multiple options available to suit your pocket, from low to high budgets and levels of filtration.
Installation & Maintenance:
Installation: The Essentials
- Planning is Key: We carefully assess your space for tank placement, ensuring a stable base, and design the system layout for optimal flow and efficiency.
- Safety & Compliance: Features like bypasses with non-return valves protect your home and ensure your system adheres to all local regulations, giving you peace of mind.
- The Flow: Water enters your tank from the municipal line, a float switch controls filling, and a pump provides the right pressure. Filtration (optional) adds an extra layer of water quality. Everything integrates seamlessly with your home’s plumbing.
- Expert Advantage: Our experience ensures code compliance, longevity, and headache-free installation. We handle the details so you don’t have to.
Maintenance: Keeping Your System Strong
- Prevention is Key: Regular visual inspections catch potential leaks or malfunctions before they become costly problems.
- Filter Care: If you choose filtration, timely filter changes are crucial for clean water and preventing strain on your pump.
- Peace of Mind: Our maintenance plans take the worry out of upkeep. We offer annual checkups, filter replacements, and address any issues for long-term system reliability.
Cost of Equipment and Installation:
Estimated Cost Ranges for Tanks, Pumps, & Basic Filtration:
The cost of your system depends on various factors like size, pump type, and filtration needs. Here’s a general idea:
- 1 000 litre system with traditional pump and no filtration: R14 880.00 Ex Vat
- 5 000 litre system with traditional pump and no filtration: R19 161.25 Ex Vat
- 10 000 litre system with traditional pump and no filtration: R31 250.00 Ex Vat
Factors Affecting Installation Costs:
- Tank size and location
- Complexity of plumbing connections
- Need for additional permits or inspections
Financing Options
We understand that installing a backup system can be an investment. We offer flexible financing options to make it more accessible.
- Payflex: We have partnered with Payflex to offer you interest free purchase across 4 interest-free payments, over 6 weeks. Apply in minutes for your Payflex account on their website, application or via checkout.
FAQs
Backup systems have three main components – water storage tanks, advanced filtration, and automated delivery pumps. During supply disruptions, the pumps automatically switch to deliver filtered water from the storage tanks directly to your taps and appliances. Seamless and automatic – the only difference you notice is uninterrupted flow!
Our systems are designed to be fully automated and require minimal maintenance. The filters have an annual cartridge change, and we recommend a yearly system checkup to optimise things. We handle everything and provide supply reminders and support.
Water is pre-filtered as it fills the storage tank during regular operation. The integrated filtration system then re-purifies it immediately before being supplied to the taps. This ensures the continuity of clean, fresh water even when offline.
We customise your storage capacity based on household size and expected demand. Typically, 1,000 – 5,000 litres is recommended to maintain a 1-3 week supply. Rainwater harvesting can supplement capacity as needed.
Installation is simple and seamless. The storage tank, filters, and pumps are easily integrated with your existing plumbing and require only minor modifications. Our technicians handle the complete professional installation and provide ongoing service and support.
Our systems start at around R15,000 for a basic unit for smaller households. Costs scale up from there based on the system size required for larger homes with increased capacity and flow rates.
Factors that determine overall system costs include:
- Household size and daily water requirements
- Desired storage capacity
- Number of bathrooms and water outlets
- Whether rainwater harvesting is integrated
- Type of filtration systems installed
- Customizations and accessories
When you have a free consultation, we’ll assess your household’s unique needs and provide a tailored quote with transparent pricing. We also offer flexible payment plans to help spread out costs over time.
While the upfront investment may seem high, the system pays for itself through utility savings and avoiding expensive water deliveries whenever the main supply fails. The peace of mind of guaranteed water security is priceless.