Water Storage & Backup Systems for Homes & Businesses
A reliable water reserve on your property — so that when the municipal supply fails, your taps keep running.
Municipal water supply is less reliable than it used to be
Burst pipes, pump station failures, load shedding cutting municipal pumping infrastructure, ageing distribution networks, and increasingly frequent water restrictions — the days of assuming water will simply be there when you turn on the tap are over for many South African households and businesses.
A water storage and backup system gives you a private reserve held on your property, filled during normal supply and available automatically when supply fails or is restricted. No disruption, no scrambling for alternatives, no relying on a municipality to fix the problem before you run out.
Whether you want a modest emergency reserve or a substantial backup capable of sustaining your household or business for days, we design and install water storage systems sized to your usage and your property.
What is a Water Storage & Backup System?
A water storage and backup system holds a reserve of water in one or more tanks on your property, kept filled from your municipal supply, borehole, or rainwater harvesting system. A pump and pressure system delivers water from your tanks to your taps, showers, and appliances at normal pressure — automatically switching when municipal supply drops or fails.
Used as a standalone backup, tanks fill from the municipal supply during normal operation and discharge during outages. Combined with rainwater harvesting or a borehole, they form the storage layer of a fully independent water supply — holding what is collected or extracted until it is needed.
The result:
- Continuous water supply through municipal outages and restrictions
- A buffer against pressure fluctuations and supply interruptions
- The storage foundation for rainwater harvesting and borehole systems
- Reduced dependence on an increasingly unreliable municipal network
- Peace of mind that water will be there when you need it
Is a Water Storage System Right for You?
Water storage and backup systems are ideal for:
Residential homes
Families wanting a reliable water reserve against supply interruptions, restrictions, or the growing frequency of municipal failures — without the disruption of running dry at an inconvenient moment.
Farms & smallholdings
Agricultural properties where water continuity is critical for livestock, irrigation, and operations — and where a supply interruption has immediate, practical consequences that cannot wait for a municipal repair crew.
Guesthouses & Airbnbs
A water outage during a guest’s stay is a serious problem. A storage and backup system ensures your property never runs dry regardless of what the municipality is doing, protecting your guests and your reviews.
Businesses & commercial properties
Restaurants, healthcare facilities, food production, and any business where water is operationally critical — a correctly sized backup system removes water supply as a variable your operation depends on.
How it works
1
Site Assessment
We assess your daily water usage, available space for tank installation, existing supply infrastructure, and how you want the system to interact with your municipal connection, borehole, or rainwater harvesting system — giving us everything needed to design the right storage solution for your property.
2
System Design
e design a water storage system matched to your usage, your backup duration requirements, and your available space — selecting the right tank type, total capacity, pump, pressure system, and automatic switchover configuration for your specific situation.
3
Installation
Professional installation of tanks, pump, pressure vessel, inlet and outlet pipework, float valves, overflow management, and automatic switchover — all installed correctly and integrated cleanly with your existing water supply infrastructure.
4
Support & Maintenance
Periodic tank cleaning, pump servicing, pressure system checks, and float valve inspection keep your storage system ready to perform when it matters. A backup system that has not been maintained is one that may let you down at the worst possible time.
Brendan Proctor
“
For more than 8 years, my family and I have lived completely off-grid on our farm in Keurbooms, Plettenberg Bay, powered entirely by solar energy and harvested rainwater — with no Eskom and no municipal water.
During that time, we have built and connected four homes to a single off-grid system. Three of these homes are very busy Airbnb rentals, providing ongoing real-world testing of the system under varying occupancy and demand.
Living this way every day has given me firsthand insight into what truly works. The solar and water solutions I recommend are based on years of practical experience and a deep understanding of what it takes to achieve reliable, long-term independence.
– Brendan Proctor, Founder of Solarain
Water Storage for Farms & Commercial Properties
We design and install water storage and backup systems for agricultural and commercial properties across the Garden Route — sized for high-volume demand, critical operational continuity, and integration with existing water supply infrastructure across large or multi-building sites.
Our commercial water storage service includes:
Full site assessment and storage system design
Tank installation, pump, and pressure system
Integration with municipal, borehole, or harvesting supply
Ongoing maintenance and system servicing
Secure Your Water Supply Today
Whether you want a simple emergency reserve against municipal outages, a large-capacity backup for a farm or business, or the storage foundation for a fully independent rainwater or borehole system — we design and install water storage solutions for properties across the Garden Route, from George to Plettenberg Bay and beyond.
Frequently Asked Questions
A basic residential backup system with a single tank, pump, and pressure setup typically ranges from R15,000–R45,000 depending on tank capacity, pump specification, and installation complexity. Larger commercial or agricultural systems vary according to total storage volume and site requirements. We provide a detailed quote after assessing your property.
A useful starting point is three to five days of your normal household usage as a minimum backup reserve — typically 2,000–5,000 litres for a standard family home. For farms or businesses, we size storage around operational requirements and the realistic duration of supply disruptions in your area. We establish the right capacity during the site assessment.
Yes. A correctly installed backup system uses a float valve or automatic changeover configuration that draws from storage when municipal pressure drops or supply fails, and refills tanks automatically when supply is restored — without any manual intervention required.
Yes. Water storage tanks are the common point where multiple supply sources — municipal, rainwater harvesting, and borehole — meet and are managed together. We design integrated systems that draw from available sources in the right order and maintain your reserve automatically.
It depends on your available space, volume requirements, aesthetic considerations, and budget. Above-ground polyethylene tanks are the most cost-effective. Underground tanks suit properties where above-ground installation is not practical. We advise on the right option during the site assessment.
Yes. Storage tanks should be inspected and cleaned periodically — typically every two to three years for a closed, covered tank used for non-potable purposes, and more frequently for tanks supplying drinking water. We include tank cleaning guidance at installation and offer maintenance contracts that cover this as part of ongoing system care.
Yes — and it is one of the most practical combinations we install. A solar pump fills your tanks during the day at no electricity cost, and gravity or a pressure pump distributes from storage as needed around the clock. It removes the running cost from your water supply entirely.
Yes. We design and install water storage and backup systems in Plettenberg Bay, Knysna, George, Wilderness, Sedgefield, and on farms and rural properties throughout the Garden Route and surrounding areas.