They only hold 12 months sludge storage and if sludge starts to empty into the soakaway soil, it very quickly blocks the air spaces porosity in the soil, the effluent cannot soak away, you suffer a soakaway failure and the septic tank fills up, backing up the system. Most Septic Tanks are very poorly maintained and I hate to think how many Clients have told me when their system has failed!
This is soil which has oxygen in the air spaces between the particles and only occurs within the top metre of the soil. This is because a foul water soakaway has two functions - the first is to soak the liquid away and the second is to treat the effluent and digest it via aerobic oxygen breathing soil bacteria. Unfortunately, if the soakaway is deeper than one metre below ground level; and this includes the mm. Anaerobic bacteria cause huge problems as they produce a black slime which blocks the soakaway and the porosity of the soil.
The ridiculous fact is that most modern 'onion' shaped septic tanks have outlet levels deeper than one metre as standard! This almost certainly ensures that the soakaway is constructed in the anaerobic layer, making soakaway failure inevitable.
As Section H of the Building Regulations 1. If you buy one of these, then reduce the height of the neck before installation to raise the outlet height. It is even worse when 'Cowboy' installers do the work. We have had many incidents where septic tanks have been fitted back to front, making it impossible for the effluent to drain away, as the 'outlet' pipe is now higher than the 'inlet' pipe. It is impossible to soak effluent away into a clay or clay-based soil in a normal soakaway drainfield.
This level of suspended solids can also be found in badly maintained sewage treatment units, and the same thing applies - you ruin your own soakaway! In any case, even with a sandy soil, the porosity is eventually destroyed by the high level of suspended solids and by the black slime that results during the decomposition, although it may take 15 to 25 years. The air spaces fill with solids and the soil turns from a 'sponge' into a 'brick'. This is typically an excavation filled with rubble into which a solid pipe from the septic tank discharges.
It is an old style of soakaway which may still be in existence, but which is no longer considered an appropriate solution for a septic tank discharge. If all other options have been exhausted, and with the explicit permission of the local Building Control department, a bespoke soakaway arrangement such as a single line deep trench arrangement may be permitted.
There are a number of factors which can affect the design, structure and functioning of wastewater soakaways:. There are regulations in place surrounding wastewater soakaways, largely designed to protect the environment from pollution. You can read our Guide to Regulations here , but the main consideration is that a septic tank should only discharge to a drainage field unless a permit has been sought for any other type of soakaway arrangement.
A sewage treatment plant may discharge straight to a watercourse or to a drainage field, any other type of soakaway arrangement would also require a permit. Ground conditions at a property can change over time, particularly the level of ground water also known as the water table. This can have an effect on the functioning of a drainage field or soakaway, and can cause problems. It is important to use a septic tank or sewage treatment plant carefully, because careful use of the tank will ensure you get as many years of service from your soakaway or drainage field as possible.
Read our article on what not to flush into your drainage system. It is vital that a percolation test is carried out at a property prior to any drainage field or soakaway design and installation. A percolation test is crucial in assessing the suitability of the ground conditions, and the required size of any drainage field. Septic tanks and sewage treatment plants are designed to prevent solid waste from exiting the tank and entering into the drainage field or soakaway.
Damage to the tank can result in solid waste particles clogging the soakaway, resulting in the drainage system surcharging. There is no defined lifespan for a soakaway or drainage field, because there are so many factors which can affect their longevity. The ground conditions at the property, the amount of usage the septic tank gets and how often it is emptied can all have an effect. This allows surface water that would otherwise begin to pool to soak back down into the earth.
Often the soakaway is placed away from the flooding area and a pipe connects the area to the soakaway in the form of a gutter or drain. This system is useful for built-up areas that are constructed out of impermeable materials as it reduces the amount of pooling water that can lead to floods.
This system can be used as a stand-alone method of wastewater control or in conjunction with other systems, an example being a septic tank. If you are looking for a natural and cost-effective way to dispose of solid and liquid waste from your home or business, a septic tank, and possibly a connected soakaway depending on the land on your property, is what you need.
If you are looking to divert pooling rainwater or surface water from flat or impervious surfaces, however, then a soakaway is the solution for you. Wildon UK are a leading UK supplier of wastewater solutions to all applications, including domestic, commercial, industrial and agricultural. See Wastewater Legislation. The minimum distances that septic tanks should be from other sites are In addition, the soakaway should be 5 metres from a hedge or tree root zone as the roots will find and block the drain.
Sewage effluent discharges - What you can discharge and where. Septic tank regulations - New rules for septic tank owners.
Septic tank surveys - How to Do It Yourself. Can a farmer empty my septic tank? Septic Tank Dangers. Septic Tank Design and Information Cesspit Septic Tank - How it works - Design A Septic Tank, commonly called a Cesspit, is simply a big concrete, brick, fibreglass or polyethylene tank, buried in the ground that takes all the wastewater from the house.
In the top picture, you can see that the tank is divided into two sections. Anything that floats rises to the top of the tank and aerobic bacteria colonise it, digesting the organic material and preventing the effluent from becoming too septic.
This layer known as the scum layer or crust. Anything heavier than water sinks to the bottom to form the sludge layer. In the middle is a relatively clear effluent layer.
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