Johannesburg residents are once again dealing with the reality of prolonged water outages. Rand Water has announced a major infrastructure maintenance project that will result in water supply disruptions across key parts of the city, including Roodepoort, Soweto, South Hills, and Brixton. The planned outages are expected to last up to seven days. These began in July 2025.
While infrastructure upgrades are crucial for long-term water security, the short-term impact on households is significant. For homeowners, the challenge lies not just in getting through the immediate outage, but in making long-term adjustments to ensure water resilience amid a changing urban landscape.
Why the Water is Being Cut
Rand Water’s maintenance work involves critical upgrades to pumping stations, pipelines, and reservoirs that service Johannesburg’s supply network. The city’s aging water infrastructure has struggled to keep up with growing demand, worsened by rapid urbanisation, climate pressures, and municipal backlogs. These maintenance periods, while necessary, are increasingly frequent and disruptive.
In this context, it’s no longer enough to wait for water to come back. Homeowners must proactively assess and upgrade their plumbing systems to ensure stability, convenience, and hygiene in the face of recurring outages.
What Prolonged Outages Mean for Households
Beyond the obvious inconvenience of having no running water, prolonged outages can affect:
- Health and sanitation, especially for families with children or elderly residents
- Daily routines, such as cooking, cleaning, and bathing
- Plumbing systems, which may become vulnerable to damage when water pressure returns abruptly
- Geyser function and hot water availability, particularly during winter
These issues compound quickly, especially when water supply is interrupted for days at a time.
Four Essential Steps to Prepare Your Home
- Install a Backup Water Storage System
A well-installed water storage tank is one of the most effective ways to prepare for supply disruptions. These tanks can be filled with municipal water during regular supply periods or used to store harvested rainwater. When paired with a booster pump and filtration system, they can serve all household needs, including toilets, washing, and basic hygiene.
Even a mid-sized household can manage several days with a 1,000L storage tank. For larger families or multi-unit dwellings, we recommend an integrated system that includes pressure control and filtration.
- Inspect and Repair Leaks
In the lead-up to water cuts, it’s essential to ensure your plumbing system is leak-free. Even small, undetected leaks can drain your stored supply before the outage is over. Professional leak detection, especially using thermal imaging or acoustic listening devices, can identify problems without damaging walls or flooring.
This is particularly important for households relying on stored water or solar geysers, as hot water leaks can rapidly reduce energy efficiency and capacity.
- Prepare Alternative Heating Systems
When water supply is unreliable, geysers often become a weak link. Reheating water multiple times during short supply periods leads to high electricity use, and an empty geyser during a power surge or load shedding can even cause long-term damage.
Solar geysers and heat pumps offer a more reliable and energy-efficient option. Not only do they reduce reliance on the grid, but they also continue to deliver hot water with minimal input, especially when paired with storage tanks or water-saving fixtures.
- Conduct Preventative Plumbing Maintenance
Preventative maintenance is often overlooked until a crisis occurs, but it’s the best way to protect your property during extreme weather and municipal outages. Routine checks for water pressure irregularities, geyser wear-and-tear, blocked drainage, and pipe insulation will ensure that your home is better equipped to handle disruptions.
Preventative maintenance also reduces the risk of burst pipes, water damage, and costly emergency callouts once water is restored.
How Plumbing Johannesburg Can Help
At Plumbing Johannesburg, we understand the local challenges that homeowners face. That’s why we offer specialised solutions designed for water-scarce environments. Our services include:
- Professional installation of water storage and backup systems
- Smart leak detection using non-invasive technology
- Solar geyser and heat pump installations
- Comprehensive plumbing inspections and preventative maintenance
We’re committed to helping Johannesburg residents adapt to today’s infrastructure challenges while preparing for tomorrow’s demands. Since 2008, our reputation has been built on reliability, transparency, and prompt service.
Book Your Plumbing Assessment Before the Outage
Water outages are not just a possibility—they are a reality. The best time to prepare is before you’re left without supply. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your water heating system, install a rainwater tank, or simply make sure your pipes are ready, Plumbing Johannesburg is here to help.
Contact us today to schedule a pre-outage inspection and safeguard your home during the coming disruptions.