What is a soakaway

Paul

May 7, 2025

11 min read

What is a soakaway system?

If your soakaway crate does not have a pipe entry point, the pipe should be pushed right up to the soakaway wall. Installing a soakaway can also . The overall idea is much the same — it’s a way of . The ground it’s dug into should be lower than the building if . Wait for rain and enjoy having a functioning soakaway and dry ground. A septic tank is deeper than a soakaway and is plastered before being levelled, however, a soakaway is not handled in the same manner because the floor is left in its current condition and it is also shallower.Rainwater drainage: what is a soakaway? Homebuilding & Renovating | April 2022. The opening of a soakaway screen should never be too small as it may prevent the wastewater from moving through. You'd better wipe up that red wine you've .

Tips and advice on using a soakaway

For an easy-to-access garden, you can expect a small soakaway to cost around £1,000. The water then percolates through the aggregate and into the soil . Soakaways or rainwater drainage pits are part of a garden drainage system.Soakaway drain systems should be installed at least a minimum of 5 metres from any property, road or boundary wall. As an aid, mark a stick 300mm from one end, place in the hole and fill up to the mark.A soak pit, also known as a soakaway or leach pit, is a covered, porous-walled chamber that allows water to slowly soak into the ground. Mark Brinkley .What is a Soakaway? A soakaway, also known as a soak pit or a drainage field, is a simple yet effective method of managing excess water and preventing flooding. The results of your percolation test combined with the space you have available and the scale of any waterlogging issues will determine how much water you need to be able to hold in the soakaway crates.How build a soakaway using soakaway crates. Next, the pit is filled with water, up to a depth of at least 300mm.A septic tank soakaway is used to safely drain off treated wastewater that has been flushed from your home.

Soakaway Design Ultimate Guide (2023)

It is not suitable for .

They are an important part of some driveway drainage systems. It’s essential to understand where you can’t install a soakaway before considering .Constructing a soakaway.Soakaway boreholes are often used in locations not connected to a nearby body of water or man-made drainage system, or where an existing drainage system is failing to cope with surface water. Learn about the benefits, types, installation and options of soakaway . Pre-settled effluent from a collection .What is a soakaway for a driveway? Property flood resilience champion Mary Long-Dhonau OBE – AKA ‘ Flood Mary’ – says a driveway soakaway is essentially a .

What Is A Soakaway?

Attenuation is where, with the use of flow controls, the water collected is slowly released back into an existing watercourse or sewer . The primary function of an absorption pit is to capture and store stormwater runoff, allowing it to slowly seep into the surrounding soil.The purpose of a soakaway is to discharge and percolate the water coming through it back into the surrounding soil.

how to build a soakaway for garden drainage

First and foremost, a soakaway shouldn’t be used in .

Building a Soakaway for Surface Water Drainage

How absorption pits work. These infiltration devices are considered Sustainable Drainage . As your waste flushes into your tank, it needs somewhere to drain to.2m (4ft x 4ft x 4ft). Materials such as the crate, membrane, pipe, gully, . With the crates in place, the inlet and outlet pipework can be connected between them and a drainage system.This water should then infiltrate into the surrounding soil completely over a 24-hour period in preparation for the next storm. Pre-settled effluent from a collection and storage/treatment or (semi-) . If it is relatively close to the surface, then constructing a soakaway is out of the question. It is also important to note that .Materials and labour fees.

Soakaway Problems: Causes, Symptoms, and Solutions

Installing a soakaway provides a means by which rainwater from a building can be collected and dispersed into the soil in a suitable location. One of the main differences of using crates is the need for a membrane material.

Are you thinking of installing a soakaway drain?

For soakaway purposes the crate is wrapped in a geotextile material which is permeable, but protects the system from debris, and allows the water to slowly release back into the ground through infiltration. Soakaways aren't magical but they are innovative; not sure how they work? This article has all you need to know about soakaway crates. Conventional Soakaway; comprises a partially perforated cylinder, or rectangular chamber.Decide on the soakaway size – see below.Building a soakaway involves a number of rules and regulations that should be considered in order to start work. Firstly, ensure that the soakaway is built on impermeable or weakly permeable ground. From previous experience along with some basic mathematics, we have that the length of block is about 450mm. The different types of soakaway are drainage field, bore hole, chamber and rubble pit.

As well as the back and . Once installed, it is not possible to unblock the soakaway system if a blockage occurs, therefore it is recommended to add a trap to avoid blockages and extend the life of your system. wrap the soakaway element (crates or stone) and secure. Back and side fill.

To do so, we’d recommend using sand or shingle material.A soakaway drain is a type of rainwater drainage system that is designed to redirect rain water through to a septic tank, sewage or alternate drainage systems and .

How to build a soakaway: Step-by-step.

The size of this pit should be representative of the soakaway you intend to use, with depth being the most crucial factor.A soakaway is a device that takes the wastewater from a septic tank or sewage treatment plant and discharges it into the ground.

How to Build a Garden Soakaway

It’s important to note that this method of drainage is not suitable in clay soils as these do not allow water to pass through them.

Choose your soakaway medium, crates or stones.

Beginner's Guide to Soakaway Systems and Gravel Drainage

It takes approximately 5. Learn the rules, standards, tests and design of a . Soakaways are a useful addition to your property’s rainwater drainage.A soakaway system is made up of soakaway crates, underground drainage pipe, geotextile membrane, waterproof tape, shingle and gravel top soil. If you hit a layer of clay before reaching the required . Constructing a soakaway. Instead of allowing rainwater to pool or flood, a soakaway allows water to soak into the ground gradually. For more complex designs, soakaways can take up to two days to install and therefore are likely to cost around £2,500.A rainwater soakaway is a drainage trench that is dug from surrounding soil in order to manage surface water through a septic tank or and alternative drainage route. Now lets estimate for the number of blocks required to carry out this project.What is a Soakaway? Covered under our drainage services in Dorset, a soakaway is designed to disperse septic effluent (sewage without a high concentration of solids) . Break up the earth at the base of the pit with a garden fork. Learn more about the benefits, .The first step in a BRE 365 Soakaway Test is to excavate the trial pit.A soakaway is a buried drainage feature which seeks to manage surface water on the site and infiltrate into the ground, rather than discharging to an offsite . Start by digging a pit approximately 1.Essentially, a soakaway is a hole in the ground, usually located in your back garden, that is filled with rubble, and is designed to catch runoff and stormwater caused by heavy rainfall. There are two types of soakaways: Conventional or Borehole Soakaway.Soakaway crates are modular and so each type has technical specifications which tell you how much water they’re able to hold. When a soakaway becomes blocked or fails to function correctly, it can lead to a range of issues that affect the surrounding area. It is used to manage surface water at its source and prevent flooding. It allows water to filter through it, and literally soak into the ground ( away ). Fill with water to depth of 300mm. They are essentially a pit in the ground into which you run your rainwater drainage. One of the most significant problems is the potential for pollution.5 litres to fill a volume of this size.S oakaways are a long-established way of dealing with rainfall.Soakaway problems can have a significant impact on the environment. While a soakaway is a good alternative, some issues may arise if you don’t have a drain for your boiler condensate pipe.A soakaway is a subsurface structure for the temporary storage of water before it soaks in to the ground. The level of groundwater is also important.Soakaways are a drainage system used to manage surface water runoff from hard surfaces.A soakaway is a pit filled with rubble or hard core that helps water drain slowly into the soil around it.By its name you can probably tell that a driveway soakaway – ‘soaks’ – water away.

How Much Does a Soakaway Cost in 2024?

Also, if the soakaway is to be installed as part of a new build development or extension then it must be marked on the building plans.

How to build a soakaway: Step-by-step

For the septic tank under review, we have its length as 4268mm or 14 ft while the width is 3048mm or 10 ft and it also has a depth of 3048mm.A soakaway is a hole dug into the ground that is filled with coarse stone and rubble or plastic crates.A soakaway is a method of controlling surface water drainage and reducing flooding risks by allowing excess rainwater to soak into the ground. Backfill and compact the area. If you hit a layer of clay before reaching the required depth, simply make the soak away longer to make up for the lack of depth.A Soakaway, also known as a Rainwater Soakaway or penetration system, is a method designed to manage excess rainwater responsibly. Soakaways are used to . Soakaways are designed to filter rain water and allow it to seep into the .

All septic tanks and home septic systems rely on safe, efficient drainage.

We explain everything

Line your trench/hole with membrane and install the soakaway element.Maintaining a soakaway is crucial to ensure it works effectively and to protect the environment.Percolation test procedure for surface water soakaways. They are also used, less frequently, to dispose of the effluent from septic tanks, where they are more commonly known as leach fields. Waterlogging is a clear indication that your soakaway is not dispersing the water efficiently enough, so it’s important to regularly check for issues.What is a Soakaway? How do soakaways actually work? Black magic.

Soakaways: What are They & How to Build Them

to make something very wet, or (of liquid) to be absorbed in large amounts: The wind had blown the rain in and soaked the carpet. In the case of a rainwater soakaway, this is to prevent the greater volume of water from bad weather (also called runoff or storm water) entering the main sewer system and overwhelming it. Start by digging the standard 1m x 1m x 1m trench, increasing the size if necessary, espiecally if the crates won’t fit the hole. When it rains, water collects on the surface and flows into the pit through a series of inlet pipes or channels.Soakaway crates are modular, so they can be easily connected to create the desired size and shape. Soakaway crates act as a more advanced form of an old-fashioned ditch or pit. This process may need to be repeated several times. It's a large hole that collects water from a French drain system, .