how do i build a soakaway ???

tom thum

hi lads, just wondering how i go about constructing a soakaway for a private house??? thanks

PaddyBloggit

Never did one but I did a google search 'making a soakaway' .... have a look ... lots of info there.

looksee

We needed a soakaway for a new house we lived in a good few years ago. So we started digging, but soon realised that this was not a practical proposition - there was a high water table and the ground was fairly heavy and we needed a big hole. So we asked a friendly local builder if he would bring in his digger and help us out. So he did, we came home to find a hole in the garden big enough to drop a couple of cars into. So then we had to go and find some rubble type stuff to fill the hole, a large lorry full. Then we covered over the rubble with something (sacks? old sheets? can't remember) and put some of the soil back on top to level if off. And re-arranged the rest of the left-over soil into a kind of raised flower bed... On the whole it worked. Sort of.
This is not a lot of help to you, but is probably good guidance on how not to do it.:D

Pimp Ninja

There was a SUPER thread on this a while back...

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054939061

ccsolar

Hi
First you dig a big hole, about the size of a caravan, then you fill it with crushed stone, 6" down is the normal if you are getting it from a quarry.
Leavel the stone to within 1ft of ground level and cover the stone with teram, this acts as a filter and can be got in any builders merchants.
Make sure you fit a grease trap between the soakpit and the house OR you will be digging up your soakpit in about 5 yrs, the grease and gunk will clogg the stone and prevent soakage.
The bigger the grease trap the better as the one in the hardware are crap and need to be emptied every 6 mts.
I used a manhole and only need to empty it every 2-3 yrs.

Good luck

CC

gman2k

ccsolar wrote: »

Hi

Make sure you fit a grease trap between the soakpit and the house OR you will be digging up your soakpit in about 5 yrs, the grease and gunk will clogg the stone and prevent soakage.
The bigger the grease trap the better as the one in the hardware are crap and need to be emptied every 6 mts.
I used a manhole and only need to empty it every 2-3 yrs.

Good luck

CC

Only rainwater (from roof or runoff from yard etc) is allowed to go to a soakaway.
Kitchen water (foul water) is to go to septic tank if you have one, or to a foul drain if you are serviced.
Goes without saying that you will not need a grease trap for rain water.

ccsolar

gman2k wrote: »

Only rainwater (from roof or runoff from yard etc) is allowed to go to a soakaway.
Kitchen water (foul water) is to go to septic tank if you have one, or to a foul drain if you are serviced.
Goes without saying that you will not need a grease trap for rain water.

Ya
That's a great idea, send all the chemicals from your sink and washing machine into your septic tank, (washing up liquid,bleach, washing powder,shampoo,Ect,ect,)
These chemicals kill the bacteria in your septic tank that break down the solids and thus causes your septic tank to block up.
If there is no bacteria in the septic tank it will NOT work properly.
Always use a grease trap for house hold waste water, that is why they were invented.

CC

aujopimur

Use old plastic milk or beer crates to fill your soakpit as these allow a much larger holding capacity in times of heavy usage.

gman2k

ccsolar wrote: »

Ya
That's a great idea, send all the chemicals from your sink and washing machine into your septic tank, (washing up liquid,bleach, washing powder,shampoo,Ect,ect,)
These chemicals kill the bacteria in your septic tank that break down the solids and thus causes your septic tank to block up.
If there is no bacteria in the septic tank it will NOT work properly.
Always use a grease trap for house hold waste water, that is why they were invented.

CC

Ya to you also:D
But you're missing the point and misinformed:
Rainwater only to soakaways, all other waste waterway to your septic tank - that's the law.
General domestic chemicals will do no harm to your septic tank bacteria.
PS, a grease trap is still a good idea however, no harm whatsoever in using one.
Your septic tank will still need to be emptied on a regular basis as needed.

gman2k

Soakaways have been the traditional way to dispose of stormwater from buildings and paved areas remote from a public sewer or watercourse.
Soakaways are seen increasingly as a more widely applicable option alongside stormwater control and disposal.
Reference should be made to the detailed design guidance for Soakaways as outlined in BRE Digest 365, Soakaway Design.
Soakaways should not normally be constructed closer than 5m to a building foundation.

gman2k

Pimp Ninja wrote: »

There was a SUPER thread on this a while back...

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054939061

That OP in that linked thread did not build a soakaway, he built a drainage system to remove excess water from his garden (french drain), and to send this water away into his stormwater drain.
But it is a good thread:D

ccsolar

gman2k wrote: »

Ya to you also:D
But you're missing the point and misinformed:
Rainwater only to soakaways, all other waste waterway to your septic tank - that's the law.
General domestic chemicals will do no harm to your septic tank bacteria.
PS, a grease trap is still a good idea however, no harm whatsoever in using one.
Your septic tank will still need to be emptied on a regular basis as needed.

If I'm misinformed then so is 3/4 of the people living in the countryside, nobody lets sink waste go directly into a septic tank without first going through a grease trap, thats common sense.
Chemicals will kill bacteria, that is what bleach is for, you are misinformed:)

CC

gman2k

ccsolar wrote: »

If I'm misinformed then so is 3/4 of the people living in the countryside, nobody lets sink waste go directly into a septic tank without first going through a grease trap, thats common sense.
Chemicals will kill bacteria, that is what bleach is for, you are misinformed:)

CC

Yes CC, unfortunately 3/4 of people living in the countryside are misinformed.
Unfortunately one off houses generally never have the input of professional design and supervision, and the builder just does what he has always done.
So called certificates of compliance are a joke in this country.
In this specific instance, only stormwater to soakaways, only foul to septic tanks.
And yes, without getting into tit for tat posts, bleach will kill bacteria, but the amount of chemicals an average house puts into a septic tank will do no harm whatsoever.

gocfella

Both of you are correct in way.

It is debatable whether the average household uses the minimum effective amount of bleach . Most households unfortunately use far more bleach than is necessary. Depending on amounts used and awareness of individual occupants as to the working of a septic tank, it may interfere with the effectiveness of the septic tank to a significant degree.

Legally however it is correct to say that all kitchen water must go to the septic tank and only stormwater may go to the soakaway.

nophd08

gocfella wrote: »

Both of you are correct in way.

It is debatable whether the average household uses the minimum effective amount of bleach . Most households unfortunately use far more bleach than is necessary. Depending on amounts used and awareness of individual occupants as to the working of a septic tank, it may interfere with the effectiveness of the septic tank to a significant degree.

Legally however it is correct to say that all kitchen water must go to the septic tank and only stormwater may go to the soakaway.

Dont forget you still need a soakaway from your septic tank, and it would be interesting to hear from anyone how often their tank has to be emptied. If it works as it is suppose to then it should never need emptied.
I have all utility and kitchen water going to soakaway with all rainwater, everything else to septic tank, working perfect for 12 years.

gman2k

nophd08 wrote: »

Dont forget you still need a soakaway from your septic tank, and it would be interesting to hear from anyone how often their tank has to be emptied. If it works as it is suppose to then it should never need emptied.
I have all utility and kitchen water going to soakaway with all rainwater, everything else to septic tank, working perfect for 12 years.

It's a 'percolation area' leading from a septic tank. They are constructed differently from soakaways.
If it works as it is supposed to, the septic tank should be emptied (desludged) every 1-2 years, or it will not run properly. I.E. bacterial digestion of the wastes in the foul water will not take place, and you will end up polluting ground water elsewhere from your percolation area. This is why their is such a problem with water quality in this country.
Again, as said before, all foul water goes to septic tank only. (that includes 'utility and kitchen water')
Rain water/ storm water etc goes to a soakaway if you have one. Never let rainwater go to a septic tank as it will prevent it from running correctly.
All the above is the law of the land, not my interpretation. I am not on a 'high horse'.
Just because some posters have incorrect and illegal installations for years does not mean what they have is correct and that others should take or listen to their advice.

nophd08

gman2k wrote: »

It's a 'percolation area' leading from a septic tank. They are constructed differently from soakaways.
If it works as it is supposed to, the septic tank should be emptied (desludged) every 1-2 years, or it will not run properly. I.E. bacterial digestion of the wastes in the foul water will not take place, and you will end up polluting ground water elsewhere from your percolation area. This is why their is such a problem with water quality in this country.
Again, as said before, all foul water goes to septic tank only. (that includes 'utility and kitchen water')
Rain water/ storm water etc goes to a soakaway if you have one. Never let rainwater go to a septic tank as it will prevent it from running correctly.
All the above is the law of the land, not my interpretation. I am not on a 'high horse'.
Just because some posters have incorrect and illegal installations for years does not mean what they have is correct and that others should take or listen to their advice.

Thanks for your advice gman. If a tank has to be emptied "desludged" every 1-2 years then there is most definately something wrong. Where does it go when the man with the big "desludger" comes and takes it away... Sorry, I forgot, he has a "desludge" disposal licence.
Anyway, I'm happy with my set up, and also, I have my own water supply which is perfect, funny enough, even though I'm polluting the area.
So gman, I take it your septic tank has to be emptied every 1-2 years..
No surprise there then.

gman2k

nophd08 wrote: »

Thanks for your advice gman. If a tank has to be emptied "desludged" every 1-2 years then there is most definately something wrong. Where does it go when the man with the big "desludger" comes and takes it away... Sorry, I forgot, he has a "desludge" disposal licence.
Anyway, I'm happy with my set up, and also, I have my own water supply which is perfect, funny enough, even though I'm polluting the area.
So gman, I take it your septic tank has to be emptied every 1-2 years..
No surprise there then.

Cheers nophd08 :-)
Lucky the Greens didn't their way with the proposed licensing of existing private septic tank installations.
(Actually, it will happen sooner rather than later as it will be under EU direction.)
What that will mean is paying an annual license to your local authority, and certification of ongoing operation and maintenance - which will have to be carried out by a licensed 'desludger'
All in the name of the common good!