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Soakaways are an essential yet often underappreciated component of modern drainage systems, particularly in areas prone to heavy rainfall or with impermeable soil. A soakaway is a simple structure that allows water to percolate back into the ground, away from buildings and other structures that could cause damage. They are crucial for managing excess surface water and preventing flooding, erosion, and other water-related issues.
The primary importance of soakaways lies in their role in flood prevention. By providing a designated area where water can seep slowly back into the earth, soakaways mitigate the risk of surface water buildup that can lead to flooding. This is particularly vital in urban areas where concrete and asphalt prevent the natural absorption of rainwater. The increased runoff can overwhelm storm drains without soakaways and lead to urban flooding, with costly and destructive consequences.
Soakaways also contribute significantly to water conservation. In areas where water can be scarce, allowing rainwater to filter back into the ground helps to replenish groundwater supplies. This process naturally filters the water, reducing pollution and improving the water quality that eventually returns to our rivers and streams. By promoting groundwater recharge, soakaways play a subtle yet crucial role in maintaining the local ecosystem’s health.
In addition to environmental benefits, soakaways can offer economic advantages. By managing water runoff effectively, they reduce the burden on sewage systems and mitigate the potential damage to roads, properties, and landscapes. This can lead to significant repair costs and maintenance savings for local governments and property owners.
However, the effectiveness of a soakaway depends on its design and construction. It needs to be the right size and depth for the area it serves and the soil type present. Regular maintenance prevents blockages from leaves, silt, and other debris.
In conclusion, soakaways are a simple yet powerful tool for managing water runoff. They offer a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to prevent flooding, conserve water, and protect our urban and natural landscapes. As we face increasing challenges from climate change and urbanization, the role of soakaways in sustainable water management is more critical than ever.
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#homeimprovement #drainage #watermanagement
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[Applause] hi I’m Sam Ward on the skill Builder Channel and today we’re going to be addressing this problem here we’ve got quite a large roof all its rainwater is shooting down into this water bum and what I’ve suggested we need to do put a pipe through the grass and dig a big
Soak away 1 1200 mil down by a meter by a meter fill it full of hardol so we can do an oldfashioned style soak away if our water table is really high and at this time of year it could be then we’ll have to think of something else like
Some land or something so that’s what we’re going to do we’re going to take the turf off dig about 200 mil of dirt which is the top soil and then take the rest of the mud away if we hit a really high water table there we’ll have to
Think of we’ll go to plan B and we won’t dig that trench out so we’ll we’ll dig down to a meter make sure our water table’s low and then we’ll dig that out after all right we’re working at a Terrace house there’s no access to the
Back apart from a very small Alleyway at the back so you can’t even get small machine down so uh it’s diing Spades and shovels and wheel barrows today so uh yeah I like a bit of digging anyway it’s good soil so it’s going to be fun I’m
Not going to tell anyone how they should dig their holes but this is the way I like to do it I always like my wheel B close at hand I like to keep things tidy have a good Shar shovel with a bent over Edge so you
Don’t damage your boots and it may seem obvious but you should never walk on the soil you’ve just dug out so when I’m digging here it’s going to fall down there but I’ve shoveled this out so it’s compacted here so I can walk here so
I’ll will dig that pick up the loose get rid of it and then when I’m down to this level then I can begin again so just never walk on compacted soil cuz you’ll make it difficult for yourself I’ve been on this hole for about 45 minutes we’re
Already let’s say 800 mil down so we’re doing pretty well one great thing about what we’ve discovered with this hole is we haven’t hit the water Tob yet we’re already 800 mil down approximately the soil it looks like it’s full of sand and ballast it’s
Going to work really well as a soak way once this is full of Hardcore or some crates it’s going to really drain Away really well so the the land here must be really well free draining that’s a really good news for the uh the soak Way for those eagle-eyed viewers you may realize I’ve made the hole quite a lot bigger it was a meter by a meter by 1300 now it’s 1300 Deep by 1300 wide by 1300 the other way the reason is I thought we had enough hardcore to um do like an
Oldfashioned soak way but we don’t so we’re going to stick some crates in but they’re 1200 so this gives us enough room to do the crate system The beauty of using a crate systems although they’re more expensive when you fill say a meter hole with um hardcore you’re basically putting 90% of material back in and can only hold 10% of water but with this system you’re putting 10% volume of material back in so you can
Hold 90% of water so four of these will hold 1,000 L we’ve had absolutely masses of rain yesterday afternoon our big hole is is there’s no water in it so it proves this Oakway is going to work really really well so this is the stone
I’m going to put about 100 Mil in the bottom of this and then we’ve got a special membrane that we’re going to wrap this with but we’re going to put this in the bottom first so we can get it all level so that’s my next Step that’s enough to go oh my God bit h b go on that’s it keep going get it all in there so in the side of the crates I’ve just not filmed this but there’s some circles that are ready to just to punch out so you want to dig your trench where
The circle is so then your 110 mil pipe can just slot in so we want a good fo on this we got masses of FO so now we’ve got to do is Stone underneath this to support it all the way around just get a few areas of stone in like that no the
Moment Push that stone down please Jen underneath the pipe that’s it just wiggle it it’s underneath so we’re nearing the final stages of this little project now we’ve just got to backfill this which is literally a case of filling up the soil leveling It Off firming it
In when you need someone like me with a bit of weight behind them Jen’s no you she’s too light and if you’re doing it like this without a machine the key is just to do a small amount at a time and it will compress down nicely It goes in right so this uh soakaway is all complete we’ve just finished laying the turf and it’s just I’ve just dressed it in with a little bit of top sole that we have left over just to fill the gaps and once that’s uh the grass has grown
Through that would be lovely You’ never know we’ve been here so just got to pick up these last little bits and then we’re out here so another job Done
33 Comments
That ground looks AMAZING for both digging and a soak away👊 I'm on heavy clay, and with all the rain lately, my storm drains that fall into a culvert, have been overwhelmed causing groundwater to reach such a leval that its higher than the top of my block and beam floor in my house extension😢 (nice and lively in the comments😉)
Where's the catchpit or filter to prevent leavs/debris from entering the soaraway and reducing its function over time? For any crates (soakaway/attenuation) you need a method of making sure only clean water gets in. SDS have a good system where you have a perforated pipe running through the crates.
Dig with a spade. Not a shovel. A shovel is for… Shovelling…
A body would fit in that nicely 😉
Could have done with this a month ago when I did my own soakaway, happily it looks like I did it correctly 😀 I did however bury mine much much deeper, partly due to intending to grow fruit/veg above the area and our water table is a LONG way down.
Dig with a mattock, scoop with a shovel
Great, put a bunch of plastic in the earth, great idea. The madness of these times.
Are these crates a legal requirement? The last soakaway we made was a pit filled with builders rubble and various crap from the site. Covered it up and five years later still works well and is invisible.
I’m think I’ve found a new favourite YouTube channel. Thanks for these! 🙏🌍🌱
I'm considering doing one, but not on a lawn. Our patio has a wet patch, I suspect due to rain water runoff as it is in a basin, surrounded by raised terraces and driveway. Coincidentally I have a crate that my wife brought home with some food before Christmas. There's a drainage system already in place that might be able to serve it as well. We'll have to see whats revealed when digging starts I suppose, although poor health means it might be slow progress. However I still like to challenge myself and do things that I really shouldn't rather than just sit there lol
If you read the installation guide to the crates, it will tell you! Its normally around 300 to 400 mm on top of the gravel layer in landscaped areas.
You can work out how big it needs to be to cope with the amount of water, instead of guessing! also a slit trap is a good idea, it will stop the crates clogging up!
Who signed off on that original drain to water butt system?
As a professional 'Hole & Trench-Digger' in the PAST! … You Can't BEAT a good 'Pic-Axe' to make life So Much Easier ….. 👍🤠
Not deep enough son…..
Looked up online spec for similar product. Recommends a min of 0.3m from the surface in a garden. This meets that requirement, I might have done it 0.5m to allow for comments backlash! ✅ Good job and clear instructions Sam. 😊
Your as well to do a percolation test before you throw money at the project.
Are you serious? Install a water tank in that hole you dug and use for garden watering.
A good sharp shovel I agree with you is essential when hand digging and you had to however, I would recommend a Double or treble O style shovel with a Tee type handle. D handles are so dangerous and most professional builders don't use them. The crate system you used is brilliant if the soil type is clay or loam but in the sandy soil where you were digging in I am sure an old bulk bag filled with rubble would be just as good. Like wise if I am putting sewer drainage in a trench, geotextile fabric would go along the trench before putting a layer of pea gravel ( reclaimed type) then set the pipe into the correct fall requirements before back filling with more gravel and wrap the fabric over the top and back fill with the soil. However for a soak away pipe using pea gravel is un-nessasery and add a huge expense to the project cost.
As a few people have pointed out your soakaway really should have been a little deeper as in dry conditions the grass above will suffer.
Great video, good to see you back.
Why are you using decorative gravel? ££££££
shame the customer wouldn't let you use their muck truck (next to the garden room), it would get rid of the soil super quick. and it'll bring a bulk bag of pea gravel round the back in 2 loads (saves the legs and the back, win win)…. Keep up the good work guys n gals 🙂
a genuine question – if the boxes are filled with gravel wouldn't that still be 90% room taken and just 10% room left for the water like with hardcore?
An honest question here – not attacking…What is the purpose of a soak away in ground that already soaks away..? If there's a low water-table, and the ground is free-draining, why would you need to install that and provide somewhere for water to gather and then slowly soak into the ground?
I haven't listened to every minute of it but you don't seem to have mentioned any thing about how the size of soakaway was arrived at or any building regulation involvement. Soakaways should be designed to BRE Digest 365 and you need to do an infiltration test beforehand to see how quickly/slowly the water drains away into the soil. Based on the amount of surface area that you capturing, you can then arrive at a size for the soakaway.
😂I think it should be a little deeper, the pipe is almost on top and the basket
Brilliant explanation, but you need 500mm soil above crates, then no one will know you’ve been and it stays perfect, well done
For grass to establish properly and have healthy roots, it needs to be at least 300mm into the soil. In some cases roots can go down to 1m . I’ve seen many a job where crates have been sunk not far enough into the ground and you will see that the grass grows thicker healthy around the crate and it is shorter and not healthy directly above the crate.
I thought that would be too near the surface but The Drain Unblockers did it the same way.
No where near deep enough, should be 700mm of soil above crates. He'll have a lovely brown patch in lawn in summer.
The camera man should focus on the work, not so much on the guy.
Only came here for the comments from the "internet experts". I wasn't disappointed.
you may be entitled to a discount on your water bill due to not using rainwater in main drainage system contact your water company for details
What do you do if it's solid clay?