Soak aways

[tupton1538]

I've been told that I need to create a soakaway. How is this achieved in the cheapest possible way?

 

[noseall]

dig a large and deep hole, no nearer than 5m to any building and fill up to the inlet pipe with half-enders. put a piece of polythene over the rubble and backfill with top soil.

 

[Colin_p]

I've just been through this with my extension.

I researched and did lots of calcs for roof areas and rain fall rates all as per the building regs. And note the regs state the a soakaway has to be 'designed' !!!

My BC officer couldn't gice a monkies about it !!

Rule of thumb though, bigger is better, especially with the rain we've been getting lately.

 

[noseall]

if you have a high water table or a clay substrate, forget it!

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Theoretically you may be asked to do a percolation test. The results will detrmine whether a) it'll work and b) what size it needs to be. If its a big area to drain you may have to get it sized by an engineer. Depends on you BC chap and local ground conditions really.

 

[Morrisman]

Theoretically you may be asked to do a percolation test. The results will detrmine whether a) it'll work and b) what size it needs to be. If its a big area to drain you may have to get it sized by an engineer. Depends on you BC chap and local ground conditions really.

If you dig a hole as deep as you reckon you'll want your soakaway, then toss a couple of buckets of water in it. If the water sits there for an hour then you need to go deeper, until you get through any clay you're digging into.

Or so I read on some other building forum a while back. It sounds easier than building a whole soakaway, that doesn't.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

If you dig a hole as deep as you reckon you'll want your soakaway, then toss a couple of buckets of water in it.

Erm, yes, in effect that's what a percolation test is, although not a few buckets as you suggest.