A common problem that we’re often called our to involves dealing with a blocked soakaway. When there has been particularly heavy rainfall, soakaways can end up clogged and cause flooding and standing water.
Before we get into how to fix a blocked soakaway, let’s take a minute to discuss what a soakaway is, and what is their purpose.
A soakaway is basically a hole excavated in the ground and traditionally filled with rubble and coarse stone. These days soakaways use plastic crates instead of rubble and coarse. A soakaway is created as a place for surface water and rainwater as well as water from downpipes and channel gullies to be collected and then percolate back into the ground.
As mentioned above, the main problem that people experience with soakaways is that they can become blocked up with silt, leaves which have washed into the soakaway and can prevent the rainwater being collected and percolated back into the soil. Unfortunately, we often don’t notice this has happened until there is a pooling of water around the bottom off the rainwater pipes or channel gullies.
Common Signs of a Blocked Soakaway
Common signs of a blocked surface water soakaway include:
- Pooling of water around pipes and gullies
- Soaked and waterlogged ground near the soakaway
- Overflow of drains and pipes connected to the soakaway
- How to Unblock a Blocked Soakaway
If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of dealing with a blocked soakaway, the first port of call would be to have the soakaway unblocked using high pressure water jets. Oftentimes this will fix the problem and get your soakaway working again.
On most occasions a blockage can be rectified with high pressure water jets, gaining access to the pipework and backwashing it to drag out the silt and leaves, so that it is left clear and running.
If, however this doesn’t fix the problem, or perhaps your current soakaway is nearing the end of its life, or the problem is being caused as a result of a poor installation, it will most likely need to be replaced
Soakaways are an important feature in many drainage systems and not fixing a blockage may lead to permanent damage in a building or the environment where the soakaway is located, which spoils gardens and animal habitats.
We’re Here to Get Your Drains Flowing Again
Here at Flo-Well, we specialise in soakaway unblocking and installation. We can help identify what’s causing soakaway problems or septic tank problems and help get the problem sorted as quickly and painlessly as possible. Give our team a call and we’ll gladly guide you through the process.