What 'running cost' actually includes
Five line items — and homeowners routinely under-count the first one:
- Pump electricity (the biggest, swings with Eskom tariff)
- Chemicals (chlorine, acid/alkaline correction, stabiliser, algaecide)
- Top-up water (evaporation, splash-out, backwash)
- Equipment service (sand changes, pump bearings, salt cell life)
- Weekly maintenance labour (DIY time or service plan)
Pump electricity is the biggest lever
A 1.1 kW single-speed pump running 8 h/day uses ~268 kWh/month. At Eskom Homepower 4 (~R3.20/kWh including network charges on the 2026 tariff schedule), that's ~R860/month — before any other load.
A variable-speed pump running 12 h at lower flow uses ~110 kWh/month for the same turnover. Same job, ~R350/month. The price gap on the pump itself (R12k–R22k) typically pays back in 18–30 months.
Loadshedding's hidden cost
Skipping filtration during Stage 4–6 lets algae establish faster than the chemicals can suppress. Owners then over-chlorinate to recover, which destroys stabiliser and accelerates marbelite/gel-coat wear. The fix is a smaller pump on a longer run cycle, or a UPS/inverter sized for the pump's running draw (not just start-up).
Cost-cutting moves ranked by ROI
From highest ROI down — based on average Gauteng pricing:
- Variable-speed pump (R55,000–R85,000 saved over 10 years)
- Solar cover (R18,000–R32,000 saved on chemicals + water over 10 years)
- Right-sizing chlorination (saves R1,200–R3,500/year if currently over-dosing)
- Sand-filter media swap on schedule (saves a R8,000+ pump-failure event)
- DIY weekly cleaning vs service plan (saves R18,000–R45,000 per decade)