A well-installed borehole with a correctly specified pump should provide reliable water supply for many years with minimal intervention. But boreholes are not maintenance-free infrastructure, and over time — or as a result of installation shortcomings — a range of problems can develop. Understanding what each symptom means is the first step toward the right resolution.
This guide covers the most common borehole problems reported by South African property owners: what causes them, what to watch for, and when the right response is to call a professional contractor rather than attempt a fix without specialist equipment.
1. Reduced Water Flow or Low Yield
The borehole delivers less water than it used to, or flow has dropped noticeably over time
Flow reduction can be gradual — barely noticeable month to month — or sudden, appearing after a dry season or a period of heavy use.
What causes it: Reduced flow has several possible causes. The most common is a natural seasonal drop in the water table during dry periods — the standing water level inside the borehole drops, reducing the effective head above the pump and potentially exposing the pump intake to air. This typically self-corrects as the water table recovers with rainfall.
A second common cause is borehole siltation: fine sediment gradually accumulates at the bottom of the borehole over years, reducing the effective borehole depth and limiting the volume of water available at any one time. In sandier geological formations this happens more quickly than in hard rock.
Pump wear is a third cause — impeller wear reduces hydraulic efficiency over time, meaning the pump delivers less water for the same power draw. Pump performance naturally degrades after extended operation, particularly if the pump has experienced dry-running events.
The correct diagnostic step is to measure the current standing water level in the borehole and compare the pump's current delivery rate to its original specification. This requires a professional with appropriate equipment — the assessment cannot be done reliably without measuring tools lowered into the borehole.
2. Pump Noise, Vibration, or Short Cycling
The pump runs noisily, vibrates at the surface, or switches on and off rapidly in short bursts
Short cycling — the pump starting and stopping every few seconds or minutes — is a sign that something in the system is not operating as designed.
What causes it: Pump noise and vibration often indicate mechanical wear — impeller damage from debris, bearing deterioration, or cavitation (the pump drawing in air along with water). In a correctly installed borehole with adequate water, cavitation should not occur. Its presence suggests the pump is installed too close to the standing water level, the water level has dropped, or the pump is oversized for the borehole's sustainable flow rate.
Short cycling in a pressurised system (one feeding a pressure tank rather than an overhead gravity tank) usually indicates a waterlogged pressure tank — the air bladder or air charge has been lost, so the tank provides no buffer and the pump switches on at each small draw. In an overhead tank system, short cycling suggests the float switch is incorrectly positioned or has failed.
Do not ignore pump noise or persistent short cycling. Running a pump in a degraded mechanical state accelerates wear and risks complete failure at a point that may be difficult and expensive to recover from.
3. Air Discharge from Taps
Taps spit air mixed with water, or water delivery is intermittent with air pockets
Air at the tap is startling but not always serious — the cause determines the urgency of the response.
What causes it: Air in the distribution system almost always originates at the pump. A pump installed at or above the water level will draw air into the rising main whenever the water level drops to the pump intake — this is the dry-run condition that control panels are designed to detect and stop.
If dry-run protection trips the pump, it should cut power before the pump delivers large volumes of air. If air reaches the taps regularly without a protection trip, the protection settings may be incorrectly configured, or the protection device may have failed.
A leaking joint or cracked rising main below the water surface can also introduce air — water under pressure is normally expelled, but if the leak point is on the suction side or at a non-return valve, air ingress is possible during pump-off periods.
Persistent air discharge should be investigated professionally. Running a submersible pump in a dry or near-dry state causes rapid motor and impeller damage that often results in the need for full pump replacement.
4. Silty or Discoloured Water
Water from the borehole appears cloudy, brown, or carries visible fine sediment
Discolouration and turbidity are among the most common complaints from borehole users, particularly in the first months after installation and after heavy rainfall events.
What causes it: Some turbidity immediately after a new installation is normal — disturbed drill cuttings and sediment settle over the initial weeks of operation. A borehole that remains clear for years and then develops siltation is a different situation: sediment is entering the borehole from outside the casing (through a corroded or damaged casing joint) or from the borehole formation itself as it breaks down over time.
Surface water entry is a serious cause of discolouration — if the borehole headwork sealing at the surface has degraded, rainfall runoff can enter the borehole casing and carry surface material down with it. This is both a water appearance problem and a hygiene concern, as surface water can carry biological contamination. Correct headwork sealing is a basic requirement of any professional borehole installation.
Important: Visibly discoloured or turbid borehole water should be treated as a warning sign that the borehole's structural integrity may be compromised. Do not assume the problem will resolve on its own — have the headwork and casing inspected by a professional. Everest Drilling does not operate water testing services; if you require analysis of your borehole water, a specialist laboratory service should be engaged separately.
5. Pump Trips or Control Panel Faults
The control panel trips, shows a fault light, or fails to restart the pump after a power interruption
Control panel faults range from minor — a tripped circuit breaker that resets cleanly — to serious indicators of underlying pump or electrical problems.
What causes it: A single trip after a power surge or load-shedding event is usually not a cause for concern — the panel is protecting the pump from voltage transients. Reset the panel according to the manufacturer's instructions and monitor for repeat trips.
Persistent or recurring trips indicate one of several underlying problems: an overloaded motor (pump working against excessive back pressure), an undersized or faulty cable run, a failing motor winding, or dry-run conditions. Each of these requires a different response, and the correct diagnosis requires pump data — amps drawn, water level, motor insulation resistance — that can only be measured with specialist equipment at the pump.
Attempting to force-restart a pump that is tripping repeatedly risks destroying the motor. If a pump trips more than twice in a short period without an obvious cause (power surge, load shedding), contact a professional before attempting further restarts.
6. Borehole Casing Damage or Headwork Degradation
The borehole headwork is cracked, corroded, unsecured, or surface water is pooling near the borehole
The borehole head is the surface seal between the borehole and the outside environment. Its condition matters far beyond aesthetics.
What causes it: Borehole casings — particularly older steel casings — corrode over time, especially in coastal environments or where soils are chemically aggressive. PVC casings are immune to corrosion but can be damaged by UV exposure at the surface or by physical impact. Corroded or cracked casing near the surface allows surface water to enter the borehole column, introducing turbidity, biological material, and contamination pathways.
Headwork caps that are cracked, unsecured, or missing allow insects, small animals, surface runoff, and debris to enter the borehole. A properly installed borehole has a sealed, vermin-proof headwork cap as standard. If yours does not, it should be corrected as a basic maintenance step rather than deferred.
Pooling of water around the borehole head after rainfall is a warning sign — the ground immediately around the casing should slope away from the borehole to direct runoff away, not towards the headwork seal.
7. When to Call a Professional
Borehole problems are not all equally urgent. Some — a panel trip after load shedding, initial turbidity after installation, minor headwork cracking — can be monitored and addressed on a planned basis. Others require immediate attention:
- Complete loss of water with no obvious power or level cause
- Persistent pump tripping on consecutive attempts to restart
- Sudden and significant reduction in flow not attributable to seasonal water table changes
- Persistent air discharge from taps with no obvious source
- Visible damage to casing or headwork with evidence of surface water entry
Deferring professional assessment of these symptoms typically increases the eventual repair scope and the risk of pump replacement. A borehole that delivers reliable water for years is not the result of luck — it is the result of a correctly installed system, a properly specified pump, and appropriate monitoring and maintenance over the system's life.
The foundation of a low-maintenance borehole is a correctly chosen drilling location, identified through a geophysical survey before drilling begins. A productive borehole drilled on a surveyed location, with a correctly specified pump and proper casing and headwork, gives you the best possible starting point for a long-lived, low-problem system.
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Experiencing a Borehole Problem?
Contact Everest Drilling to discuss the symptoms you are experiencing. Our team can advise on the likely cause and the appropriate next step for your installation.