JoJo Tank Cleaning Cost in Randburg, 2026 Guide

Ours is worked out on time: R1,560 an hour, plus R300 for the steriliser and consumables. A 5,000-litre tank takes two hours. Here is what moves the hours: the litres, what is on the floor, how the pump and inlet are connected, and how many tanks.

Priced on Time
R1,560 an Hour + R300 Steriliser
Randburg Based
5,000-litre water tank being drained for cleaning in a Randburg garden
5,000 L: Two Hours
Heavy sludge and leaves on the floor of a neglected JoJo tank, the main factor in tank cleaning cost
Heavy Sludge: 30 Min Extra
Clear water from a tank outlet tap after a professional clean and sanitise in Randburg
After the Clean
Three quotes for the same 5,000-litre tank: R600, R1,800 and R3,400. Which one is right?

This is the question we get asked most about tank cleaning, usually from a homeowner in Fairland holding three numbers that do not resemble each other.

They are not three prices for the same job. The R600 is almost always a rinse: drain, hose the inside, refill. The sludge stays on the floor and nothing is sanitised. The R1,800 is usually a clean without the plumbing: nobody disconnects the pump and the inlet, nobody checks the float valve, the steriliser goes in by the cup. The R3,400 is two hours of a plumber's time plus the steriliser, and that is ours.

We charge for the time the job takes, at R1,560 an hour, plus R300 for the anti-bacterial steriliser and consumables. A 5,000-litre tank takes two hours. That is R3,420, and you can see where every rand goes before anyone arrives.

The lesson: a tank cleaning price only means something once you know what it includes. The rest of this page sets out ours, hour by hour.

Tank Cleaning Prices by Tank Size

Labour at R1,560 an hour plus R300 for the steriliser and consumables. The hours below are for a standard clean and sanitise: drain, sludge removal, scrub and pressure rinse, sanitise, fittings check, refill. Heavy sludge and extra fittings are listed further down.

Under 5,000 Litres (about R2,640)

Slimline and small round tanks, the courtyard and townhouse size common in Ferndale and Blairgowrie. About one and a half hours on site (R2,340) plus R300 steriliser. Quick to drain, quick to refill.

  • About 1.5 hours on site
  • Drain, sludge removal, scrub, sanitise, rinse
  • Lid, overflow screen and inlet strainer checked
  • Additional tank on the same visit R2,000

5,000 Litres (R3,420)

The most common tank in Randburg gardens. Two hours on site (R3,120) plus R300 steriliser. The pump and the inlet come off, the tank is emptied, cleaned and sanitised, the fittings are checked, and it goes back together.

  • Two hours on site
  • Full clean and sanitise, dosed to 5,000 litres
  • Pump and inlet disconnected and reconnected
  • Float valve and non-return valve checked

10,000 Litres (R5,760)

Large single tanks. Three and a half hours on site (R5,460) plus R300 steriliser. More water to move, more floor to clear, and a longer refill to supervise. Linked pairs are priced as one tank plus R2,000 for the second.

  • About 3.5 hours on site
  • Linked tanks isolated and cleaned in sequence
  • Balancing pipe and inlet manifold flushed
  • Each additional tank R2,000

What You Are Paying For

The three parts of the job that separate a two-hour clean from a twenty-minute rinse.

Sludge on the floor of a drained JoJo tank in Randburg, removed by hand and wet vacuum

Sludge Removal

Randburg - Silt and leaves come out through the lid, not rinsed around the floor

Pressure-rinsing the walls of a water tank before sanitising in Fairland

Scrub, Rinse, Sanitise

Fairland - Walls scrubbed and rinsed, then sanitised at the label dose for the volume

Water tank with fittings checked and refilling after cleaning in a Northcliff garden

Fittings Check and Refill

Northcliff - Lid clips, overflow screen, float valve and pump checked before the refill

What Is Included in the Price

So the number means something when you compare it with another quote. Labour is R1,560 an hour; the R300 covers the steriliser and consumables.

1

Disconnect, Drain and Remove the Sludge

The pump and the inlet are disconnected, the tank is drained to the lowest outlet (onto the garden where the layout allows), and the silt, leaves and grit on the floor are removed by hand and wet vacuum through the lid. This is the part a cheap clean skips, and it is most of the labour.

2

Scrub, Rinse and Sanitise

Walls and floor scrubbed and pressure-rinsed, rinse water pumped out, then an anti-bacterial steriliser dosed to the tank volume, left for the contact time, and rinsed again. The steriliser and consumables are the R300.

3

Fittings Check, Reconnect and Refill

Lid clips, overflow mosquito screen, inlet strainer, float valve, non-return valve, and the pump or municipal switchover on backup systems. Pump and inlet reconnected, refill supervised, pump cut-in confirmed.

4

What Is Not Included

Fittings. If the pump and inlet are on unions, they come off and go back on in minutes. If they are hard-plumbed, a few fittings are needed to disconnect and reconnect properly, and those are charged at cost on top. The water to refill the tank comes from your own supply. A lab test, a UV steriliser or filter on the outlet, and pump or valve repairs are quoted separately, upfront.

What Changes the Price

Four things move a tank cleaning quote up or down. None of them is a surprise on the day if we have had a two-minute phone conversation first.

Sludge Depth, Not Tank Age

A ten-year-old tank that was cleaned last year is a standard job. A three-year-old rainwater tank under a jacaranda that has never been opened is not. Heavy sludge, algae on the walls or a smell adds about 30 minutes, R780, because the sludge has to come out before anything else happens.

  • Light sediment: standard hours
  • Heavy sludge or algae: about 30 minutes extra (R780)
  • Assessed on the phone: when last opened, what feeds it, any smell
  • Confirmed with a torch through the lid before we start

How the Pump and Inlet Are Connected

To clean a tank properly the pump and the inlet have to come off. On a tank plumbed with unions that takes minutes and costs nothing extra. On a tank that was hard-plumbed, a few fittings are needed to disconnect and reconnect it properly, and those are charged at cost. We fit unions while we are there if you want the next clean to be quicker.

  • Unions in place: no extra fittings
  • Hard-plumbed: fittings charged at cost
  • Unions fitted on request for next time
  • Pump cut-in tested after reconnection

Rainwater, Backup or Borehole

Rainwater tanks carry the most organic debris. Municipal backup tanks carry the most biofilm, from standing full and still between outages. Borehole storage tanks carry sand, silt and iron staining, and are usually cleaned on the same visit as the pump and filter service, which is priced separately.

  • Rainwater tanks: debris removal, before the rains
  • Backup tanks: biofilm, longer steriliser contact
  • Borehole storage tanks: sand, silt and iron
  • Pump service on the same visit, quoted separately

Add-Ons, Priced Before We Start

If anyone drinks from the tank, a lab test after the clean tells you what the water is actually like. A UV steriliser or sediment filter on the outlet deals with what comes in afterwards. Both are quoted separately and explained on the water tank testing page.

  • SANS 241 water sample: priced by the panel you need
  • UV steriliser or filter on the outlet
  • Mosquito screens, lid clips, inlet strainers
  • Float valve or non-return valve replacement

Tank Cleaning Costs Across Randburg

Because the price is built on hours, what moves it across Randburg is access and plumbing. Fairland and Randpark Ridge gardens with a tank on a plinth beside the house, pump and inlet on unions, are the two-hour jobs. Northcliff properties on the ridge often have the tank on a stand or a lower terrace, with longer hose runs to drain and refill. Parkhurst and Greenside homes with narrow side passages add handling time. A tank that was hard-plumbed with no unions adds fittings, charged at cost.

The cheapest option is not cleaning the tank at all, for a while. Then the grit reaches the pump. Pump seals wear on sediment, float valves jam on slime, inlet filters clog, and the water starts smelling. A pump rebuild costs more than several cleans. That is the number the prices above should be compared with.

Doing it yourself is possible on a small tank. On a 5,000-litre tank you will need a wet vacuum, a pressure washer, the correct steriliser and a Saturday, and you will still be tempted to climb in, which you should not. What a clean includes, and how we do it, is on the JoJo tank cleaning page. If you are still at the buying stage, the tank installation cost guide covers what a working system costs in the first place.

Common Questions About Tank Cleaning Costs

How much does it cost to clean a 5,000-litre JoJo tank?

R3,420 in Randburg: two hours of labour at R1,560 an hour, plus R300 for the anti-bacterial steriliser and consumables. That covers disconnecting the pump and inlet, draining, sludge removal, scrub and pressure rinse, sanitising dosed to 5,000 litres, the fittings check, reconnection and the supervised refill. Heavy sludge adds about 30 minutes (R780). Fittings to disconnect a hard-plumbed pump or inlet are charged at cost if the tank has no unions.

How is the tank cleaning price worked out?

On time. Labour is R1,560 an hour and the steriliser and consumables are R300 per tank. A tank under 5,000 litres takes about an hour and a half (about R2,640). A 5,000-litre tank takes two hours (R3,420). A 10,000-litre tank takes about three and a half hours (R5,760). Each additional tank on the same visit is R2,000. What you see is the hours.

Why do some quotes for tank cleaning come in at R500?

Because it is a different job. A R500 clean is usually a rinse: drain, hose the inside, refill. The sludge on the floor is stirred around rather than removed, the pump and inlet stay connected, and nothing is sanitised. It is not wrong, it is just not a clean. Ask three questions of any quote: is the sludge removed through the lid, what steriliser is used and how is it dosed, and are the fittings checked.

Is it cheaper to clean the tank myself?

On a small tank you can tip and hose, yes. On a 5,000-litre tank the saving shrinks: a pressure washer and wet vacuum for the day, the correct steriliser, and most of a Saturday. The sludge still has to come out through the lid by hand, and the steriliser still has to be dosed to the volume. The thing you cannot do yourself is check why the sludge got in, which is the part that makes the next clean cheaper.

Do you charge less for a second tank on the same visit?

Yes. Each additional tank on the same visit is R2,000. The drive, the setup and the equipment are already on site, so the second tank is priced on its hours alone. Two linked 5,000-litre tanks, for example, come to R5,420.

Does the price include the water to refill the tank?

No. The refill comes from your own municipal or borehole supply, and on a domestic tariff a 5,000-litre refill costs very little. What we include is the supervised refill itself: confirming the float valve shuts off, the overflow is screened, and the pump or switchover behaves once the tank is full.

How much is tank cleaning plus a water test?

The clean is priced as above. A lab test is priced by the panel you need: a basic microbiological screen costs less than a full SANS 241 analysis. If you drink from the tank, the test is the part worth paying for, because cleaning deals with what was in the tank, not with what comes in afterwards. Details on the water tank testing page.

Is there a contract or annual plan?

No contracts. The Annual Tank Care Visit is a single visit priced on the same hours as any other clean, with the pump, valve and filter checks added. We put the due date in our diary and call you when it comes round. You decide then.

A Price That Means Something

R1,560 an hour plus R300 steriliser. A 5,000-litre tank is two hours. Disconnect, drain, sludge removal, scrub, sanitise, fittings check, reconnect, refill. Business hours across Randburg.

Get a Tank Cleaning Quote Call 011 477 1118