Septic tank/Soakaway help!

[AdaAva]

Can anyone point me in the direction of where I could buy a soakaway?

I have a septic tank & the current soakaway has failed.

A company quoted £10k so I'm looking into buying my own and sorting it myself!

https://www.travisperkins.co.uk/surface-drainage/wavin-aquacell-core-r-modular-unit-6lb150/p/460692

www.cotterillcivils.co.uk/blogs/guides-to-flood-management/how-to-install-soakaway-crates

Thank you!

@AdaAva I think you need to check with your Water Authority if you are looking after your sewage. It’s quite a big job to replace this and it’s the soak away the Water Company will be interested in. There are requirements.

We had a soak away but it wasn't brilliant as we have clay soil so we were emptying our tank far too often. We installed a BioKube which has been fantastic as it treats the water. We also put in a huge underwater tank for the treated water so we can water the garden.

Keep in mind that the rules have now changed and you need building regs sign off (and potentially also planning permission depending on what sort of set up you have). The changes are very recent and so lots of people don't know about them. We have just done this and were not allowed to use soakaway crates where foul water was going into it (from a sink (including a kitchen sink) /shower/bath or toilet). We had to have a full drainage field. We were allowed to use soakaway crates where it was just surface water running off the garage roof.

Just for an idea of cost, our drainage field for a very small summer house with a toilet and sink only with very occasional use cost about £4k plus vat plus building regs. You have to do the soil tests and you need an inspection chamber in the drainage field. We needed a LOT of gravel despite being on very sandy soil and had to dig up a large area of land since the pipes have to go in a continuous loop and have to be a certain distance apart (I think 2m). For a whole house you would need a much larger drainage field.

For the whole thing including the smallest possible septic tank you can buy it was about £7k plus vat plus building regs. It would be more for a house since the tank we used was only suitable for occasional use outbuildings.

Our soakaway crates for the surface rain water from the garage roof cost under £1k. That was very easy.

You need to check the regulations and what approvals you need. This isn’t something simple. Personally we put a water treatment plant in.

the size of the soak away depends on the soil , and a percolation test is required. Do this wrong and the fines and issue can be huge.

Yes. So discharging into clay is not allowed - it won’t percolate through. Ours goes right down into the chalk beneath the clay. You should empty and clean a septic tank. Around once a year.

Also you probably need a contractor who does this sort of work. It’s rarely diy! They buy what’s needed and will advise you.

https://www.drainagepipe.co.uk/soakaways-and-membranes/building-your-soakaway/
bought from this website in the past and they were pretty good and do next-day delivery

Thing that site misses is size. The size of the soak away is based on the results of the percolation test.

op, it’s not a diy job unless you know what you’re doing. Plus are you even sure the tank or pipeworkisn’t damaged? What’s alerted you to the failure, is it the smell of sewage or is it overflowing?

it’s a horrible bill, I was also shocked, but you need to do it right. Not just in case you sell at some point, but also in case of fines, which are huge. It’s up to 150k if you knowingly have a failed or illegal system, or botch it and it remains failed or illegal.

The soakaway to our septic tank failed and we had to replace the whole thing with a water treatment plant because of new legislation around waste water discharges. There were many, many local planning hoops to jump through, and it cost the best part of £15k.

Aside from the practical challenge of installing your own soakaway (do you have enough land to get all the spreaders out? Are you sure it's not going into a waterway? do you have access to a mini digger, etc), it's the kind of thing that would make a house sale an absolute ball ache if you didn't have all the certification and permissions.

These are NOT suitable for your purpose. It says...

(Do not use crate) soakaways for waste or foul water as this can only clog them up and damage your soil

You're simply not allowed to use soakaway crates. You won't get building regs sign off. It has to be a fully tested drainage field for foul water.

Exactly and if not done right, the op will still have the original issue, be it smell, overflowing or both. And risk huge fines.

when I was told the cost I was not best pleased. I spent some time googling and asked each supplier quoting, it is hugely complex area and at times I felt confused, I also had someone offering to do it cheap, but soon realised why they were cheap, they were not even going to do a percolation test,into clay soil, which would have left me with an even bigger problem..

ultimatley We did the same as you, had a water treatment plant put in, when it is serviced or emptied they test the water ph to ensure its putting out clean water.

i said at the time, what if you can’t afford it. Its a large capital investment and not something you really think about till it goes wrong.

Thanks all!

I had a drain survey completed which concluded the soakaway has failed, as I noticed the soakaway area was slightly 'mushier' than the surrounding land. It doesn't enter any waterway thankfully.

It was installed in 1995, so it's reached the end of its life!

I spoke with my council who said a replacement doesn't require permission. If it was a newly installed system it would, but not a replacement apparently.

It’s still needs building regulations approval though. That is completely separate from planning permission. Building regulations won’t let you use crates to deal with the water from a septic tank, it has to be a full drainage field. Speak to building control urgently since they won’t sign it off if you start the work before they’ve seen it.

Yes, planning permission and building control are two different beasts, as we learned the hard way...

Which set of permission op. What did you ask; a straight replacement doesn’t need environmental. What did you ask exactly?

Watching with interest as we've just put property with septic tank for sale and discovered that we're non-compliant with everything. Could do without this at the moment!

Everyone I spoke to at the council said it doesn't require any permissions as it's just a replacement, at least I don't have to deal with that!

It doesn't require planning permission. It does require building control. I promise you this is correct. You need to speak to the building control department.

Thanks for your post - I did this and they said they said the same, that I don't need to make an application.

I don't mind whether it needs one or not, obviously it's one less thing to do if not, but I wonder why they'd say I didn't, if I do?

Id get that in writing from them otherwise you'll potentially have issues when you come to sell the house.