Soakaway replacement

Soakaway replacement involves excavating and removing a failed soakaway and installing a new system, typically using modular plastic crates wrapped in geotextile rather than the old brick rubble construction. The new soakaway must be sized using a percolation test and the design method set out in BRE Digest 365, and must be located at least five metres from buildings and three metres from boundaries. In Greater London, new and replacement surface water drainage often falls within local SuDS requirements, particularly in flood risk zones and new build properties. Replacement is normally a two to four day job for a domestic system. A correctly sized soakaway addresses common causes of garden flooding but is not appropriate on heavy clay sites with very low percolation rates.