A borehole gives you water. A water tower turns it into a steady supply, with pressure at every tap and storage for the hours when the pump is off.
This guide explains what a tower does, how high it needs to be, and how it fits with a solar pump. For the borehole itself, start with our guide to borehole drilling cost in Kenya.
What a Water Tower Does
The pump lifts water from the borehole into a tank on top of the tower. Gravity then pushes it down to your taps, so you get pressure without the pump running every time someone opens a tap.
- Steady pressure: the same flow at every tap, including upstairs
- Storage: water stays available when the pump is off, at night, or during a power cut
- A natural fit for solar: the pump fills the tank in daylight and the tower supplies the house after sunset
- Less wear on the pump: it runs in longer, steadier cycles instead of starting every time a tap opens
How High Should the Tower Be?
Pressure comes from height. Every 10 metres of height gives about 1 bar of pressure at the bottom, before losses in the pipes.
| Height of the tank base | Approximate pressure at ground level taps |
|---|---|
| 3 metres | About 0.3 bar |
| 6 metres | About 0.6 bar |
| 9 metres | About 0.9 bar |
| 12 metres | About 1.2 bar |
For a single storey home a modest tower is often enough. For storey buildings, kiosks and schools, the tower must be higher, or paired with a booster pump.
How Big Should the Tank Be?
Start from how much water you use in a day, then add a buffer for cloudy days, power cuts and maintenance. Homes, farms, kiosks and apartment blocks need very different sizes. See boreholes for apartments and shared boreholes for estates for larger users.
Planning the Build
- Foundation first: the tower foundation must cure before it carries a full tank. On a community project in Homa Bay County, we planned 30 days of curing before full use.
- Site work: on that project, drilling, the water kiosk and the tower were scheduled for 10 to 15 days on site.
- Order of work: drill and test pump the borehole, size the pump, then build the tower so it is ready when the pump goes in.
- Cost: it depends on height, tank size and materials, so we quote each tower with the rest of the project.
See the full borehole timeline and our solar pump installation guide.
Do You Need a Tower?
You probably do if you run a solar pump and need water at night, if you have several taps or buildings, or if you serve a community kiosk. A simple ground tank with a pressure pump can be enough for a small home that only needs water in the daytime.
Talk to Us Before You Drill
WhatsApp your town and county to 0727 666 444 or call 0797 000 555. We will tell you the expected depth and a cost range for your area. Office hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm and Saturday 8am to 1pm.