My soak away is tired!

naraicjul

My soakaway is tired - it's about 35 years old.

Do I build a new one or do something else?

My concern with building a new one is that the existing one takes water from the dishwasher and washing machine, so-called "grey water".

My understanding is that grey water should not go into soakaways. So if I direct grey water here, presumably I'm breaching the regulations? Does this mean that if my waste water management system was ever inspected, it would automatically fail because of this?

If I direct the grey water to the septic tank, is the tank likely to work properly in future? Will it simply need to be emptied more often?

Who is best to contact to get professional advice?

Thanks for any guidance!

Dilbert75

naraicjul wrote: »

My soakaway is tired - it's about 35 years old.

Do I build a new one or do something else?

My concern with building a new one is that the existing one takes water from the dishwasher and washing machine, so-called "grey water".

My understanding is that grey water should not go into soakaways. So if I direct grey water here, presumably I'm breaching the regulations? Does this mean that if my waste water management system was ever inspected, it would automatically fail because of this?

If I direct the grey water to the septic tank, is the tank likely to work properly in future? Will it simply need to be emptied more often?

Who is best to contact to get professional advice?

Thanks for any guidance!

A chartered surveyor might be the person to go to for professional advice. I do know someone in a similar situation who recently got their soak pit redug and filled with new 4" stone, new pipes laid, etc. They essentially repaired what was there for 40 years. Not best practise but I doubt anyone would ever question it.

naraicjul

Thanks Dilbert75

I appreciate you taking the time to reply