A Fairland homeowner bought a 5,000-litre JoJo tank from a hardware store. Delivery was R800. Total spend: R6,800. Then they called us to connect it.
The connection needed a stand (the tank was on flat ground with no gravity pressure), 30 metres of pipe to reach the house, a booster pump, a pressure vessel, an automatic switchover valve, a non-return valve, and an isolation valve. Labour and materials: R22,000.
The total system cost R28,800 — and it works brilliantly. But the homeowner wished they had asked for a full quote before buying the tank.
The lesson: the tank is just a container. The plumbing makes it a water backup system.