How to Choose a Borehole Pump in Kenya

Choosing the right borehole pump is one of the most important decisions you'll make when setting up your water system. The wrong pump wastes money through oversizing, or fails to deliver enough water through undersizing. Here's how to get it right.

Understanding Your Borehole

Before selecting a pump, you need three key numbers from your borehole:

Static Water Level (SWL) is the resting water level below ground. In Nairobi and Central Kenya, this is typically 60-120 metres. Coastal areas may be as shallow as 10-30 metres.

Dynamic Water Level is how far the water drops when pumping. This is your SWL plus "drawdown." If your borehole has a pumping test report, this information will be there.

Yield is how much water the borehole can sustainably produce, measured in cubic metres per hour (m³/hr). Most residential boreholes in Kenya yield 1-5 m³/hr.

Calculating Total Dynamic Head (TDH)

TDH is the total work your pump needs to do. It combines:

- Static water level

• Drawdown during pumping
• Delivery head (height from ground to your tank or delivery point)
• Friction losses in the rising main pipe

  For example: A borehole in Kiambu with SWL of 80m, drawdown of 5m, delivery head of 10m, and friction losses of 3m has a TDH of 98 metres. This determines the minimum pump you need.

  Solar vs. AC Pumps

  Solar DC Submersible Pumps (e.g., Dayliff Sunflo series, Lorentz PS2) are ideal when:

• No reliable grid power exists
• You want zero running costs
• Daily demand is moderate (up to 20 m³/day for most systems)
• You can store water in an elevated tank

  AC Submersible Pumps (e.g., Dayliff DSD series, Grundfos SP) make sense when:

• You have reliable 3-phase power
• Very high flow rates are needed
• The borehole runs a commercial operation 24/7

  Many clients start with AC and later convert to solar. We design systems to make this transition easy.

  Popular Pump Brands in Kenya

  Davis & Shirtliff (Dayliff) is the dominant brand in East Africa. Excellent local support, spare parts readily available, and service centres across Kenya. Their Sunflo-B2 solar range covers most residential and small institutional needs.

  Grundfos offers premium European quality. Higher initial cost but extremely reliable. Popular for institutional and commercial boreholes.

  Lorentz are German solar pump specialists. Excellent efficiency and smart controllers. Growing presence in Kenya.

  Pedrollo is an Italian brand with a strong value proposition. Good for budget-conscious projects with reliable grid power.

  Sizing Tips

  1. Don't oversize. A pump that's too powerful for your borehole will pump the water level down to the intake, causing dry-running damage. Always match pump capacity to borehole yield.

  2. Consider peak sun hours. Solar pumps only run during daylight. In Kenya, you get 4-7 peak sun hours depending on location and season. Your storage tank needs to hold at least one day's supply.

  3. Factor in pipe diameter. Using undersized rising main (pipe from pump to surface) increases friction losses and reduces flow. 50mm HDPE is standard for most residential boreholes.

  4. Get a pumping test. Before buying any pump, insist on a 24-hour pumping test. This confirms yield and dynamic water level, the two numbers that determine everything.

  Use Our Free Configurator

  Our online system configurator takes your borehole details and recommends the right pump, solar array, and gives you a cost estimate, all in under 2 minutes. No engineer visit needed for the initial sizing.