Soakaways

Soakaway Installation and Repair

We are experts at installing soakaways for dealing with rainwater runoff from driveways, patios and roof gutters for households and businesses across the south of England.

What is a Soakaway?

A soakaway is basically a hole in the ground that collects rainwater runoff, as the hole fills up, the water gradually seeps through the soil beneath and into the water table.

The soakaway is used to temporarily store rainwater that could otherwise lead to surface flooding or the overwhelming of a sewage systems.

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We offer a professional soakaway installation service across the south of England without the expensive bill.

Understand the regulations

Prior to starting work on a soakaway will need to check the requirements of Local Building Regulations.

Building Regulations require you to make adequate provision to dispose of surface water (also called storm-water, rainwater, or runoff) from your home or commercial building. You are not allowed to feed this surface water into storm drains. It requires surface water to be collected and treated where it falls (and even reused if possible). A soakaway helps you achieve this requirement and the added advantage of being a low environmental–impact solution to this problem.

Soakaway Maintenance and repair

The first sign that you have a problem with your soakaway is water pooling on the surface and gradually building up. Leaves, twigs, silt, grit and litter can accumulate and block the pipes, or prevent the water from draining efficiently. We have a lot of experience in unblocking and repairing soakaways that aren’t functioning properly.

To avoid problems, it is best to regularly clean the soakaway. We use a high pressure water jet to check the flow through the pipes that feed in to the soakaway. The high pressure jet can blast away any debris that is blocking a pipe, and get rid of silt build up. In most cases, this procedure resolves the problem.

However, clogging in a soakaway may become a recurrent problem, and in that case it we recommend excavating the soakaway and create a fresh soakaway bed. When this happens, some owners take the opportunity to fill in the existing soakaway and excavate a new one, that is in line with current regulations.

Soakways

Frequently asked questions

What is a percolation test?

Prior to installing a soakaway it is vital that a percolation test is carried out at your property. A percolation test is crucial in assessing the suitability of the ground conditions, and the required size of the soakaway. It is pointless sinking a soakaway in clay, as this will simply fill up with water.

Where does the soakaway need to be located?

Most Local Authority Regulations will stipulate that Soakaways must be at least 5 metres from any building.

It is best to locate it on the lowest part of your land or garden, as this will mean less digging down. You should also try to keep the pipe length to a minimum and as straight as possible to reduce the likelihood of the pipe getting blocked.

What are soakaway crates?

These create an underground storage area that can hold excess water and prevent it flooding your property, garden or land. The crates are made of plastic, with a latticework construction to allow the water to pass through in a controlled way to the soakaway.

We will excavate the site, and bury the crate underground, then dig drains or channels which deliver excess water into the crate. An average storm crate can hold about 300 litres of water. We can discuss with you, whether this is a suitable solution for your property, and carry out any necessary installation work.

How big do the drainage pipes need to be?

The pipe taking the surface water into soakaways should be at least 75mm diameter (the minimum pipe size for any surface water drainage). However 100mm is the recommended size as this makes the drain more effective.

Want to know more about soakaways?

Would you like more information about the installation of a soakaway? Get in touch with our team of drain specialists today to find out more. We look forward to chatting with you and helping you with your soakaway requirements.

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Recent Soakaway Feedback

SaS are extremely professional and I would highly recommend them. I asked several companies to inspect my external drains and provide me a report with recommendations and expected costs. SaS were the clear winner in my option. Great value for money with quality service.

SAS Drainage and Groundworks Limited arrived extremely promptly and immediately sourced the problem under the manhole cover. The blockage was cleared very quickly with no mess.

Excellent family run hands on company. Communication very fast and responsive. Good diagnostic approach to problem and very satisfactory outcome

Work started on agreed date and was finished sooner than I expected. Area was left clean and tidy considering they had to drill through concrete. It was almost like they were never there. Very pleased. Thank you.

Punctual, knowledgeable and professional. Good quality of work; if needed SAS Drainage and Groundworks Limited would be my preferred contractor to undertake the drainage works surveyed.

Very prompt, courteous and knowledgeable. Would definitely use again.

Will definitely recommend SAS to others. Very happy that blocked drain was diagnosed and cleared so promptly.

Drain Relining Areas Covered

Our team of expert drain relining specialists extends services across Surrey, Hampshire, West Sussex, and Berkshire. Regardless of your location, we are pleased to offer complimentary drain lining advice over the phone.