Soakaways

 

Soakaways are designed to take rain water and drain straight into the ground so we don't have to treat rain water in a sewerage plant. Soakaways come under the section Part H - Drainage and waste disposal in the Approved Documents of the Building Regulations. Soakaways should be sited so as not to have an adverse affect on the sub structure of any building and should be at least 5 meters away. Builder build over or to close to soakaways without knowing causing buildings to crack and subside. Soakaways used to be formed from bricks throne into a small hole in the ground, in this case the main volume of the hole was taken up by the bricks. We now use a newer and better system now called cells witch allows maximum volume for the rain water until it disburses into the ground. One of the first things to consider when choosing a site for a soakaway is the water table and what type of ground it will be in. An older soakaway may cease to function; this is usually because the structure has become blocked with silt, gravel and muds.