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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 9:20 am
by nelliedee
hello
We have a problem at the rear of our property we have no drainage. The garden is approx 180 foot long and ever so slightly falls towards our home. A soakaway, using suds was intalled 2 years ago and simply doesnt work. We are on heavy clay. I am now thinking of diverting the roof rainwater into a series of water butts to try and help the situation. My question relates to my hosing down of our patio which i do daily as we have 4 dogs and I would like to lay a pipe under the patio and run it about 100 foot to the back end of the garden to an area thats seldom used. My hubby thinks it wont work because the land falls towards the house/patio and he thinks it will disperse and just make its way back down again.... But the fall is so slight that I am thinking it may work. Any suggestions
Nellie
Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 10:05 am
by mickg
could you post a photo ?
Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 10:18 am
by seanandruby
Welcome nell, It may be ok for hosing down, but the water still needs somewhere to go, otherwise it will end up flooding. you may have to get in a specialist firm to bore through the clay to see if it is better draining sub strata. Is,nt there any drainage at all, even for your fowl sewer? And yes as mick says: "photo please."
Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 10:19 am
by nelliedee
Sorry havent got a clue how to add a photo
Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 10:23 am
by seanandruby
Go to noticeboard on the main page, it tells you how to post pics :;):
Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 10:23 am
by mickg
Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 10:38 am
by seanandruby
Well done Mick. I still can't get the hang of doing that without my grandkids help :laugh:
Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 10:46 am
by nelliedee
I will ask my son to help with a pic later.
We have drainage to the front of the house but nothing at the rear and no side access. The soakaway is approx 1.5 m deep and was installed to take the rainwater but because of a high water table and clay it simply doesnt work
nellie
Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 10:51 pm
by Tony McC
You almost answered your own query. All you needed was the single word "because", which would turn....
A soakaway, using suds was intalled 2 years ago and simply doesnt work. We are on heavy clay.
...into....
A soakaway, using suds was intalled 2 years ago and simply doesnt work....BECAUSE ....We are on heavy clay.
I'm not sure how water butts would help: what happens when they're full (usually takes a month of rain)?
What you really need is someone to survey the property, figure out the lie of the land (in the real sense of that cliche), and then propose a possible solution.
However, you may simply have to accept that you are on heavy clay and therefore it is your lot in life to have a soggy, boggy garden. You could always move to East Anglia!
Incidentally: has anyone ever seen a soakaway that isn't suds?
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 9:04 am
by nelliedee
Should have said 'plastic cells' instead of 'suds' and if YOU were to use the wrong term when refering to my profession, I doubt very much that I would ridicule you on a public forum. Constructive? I think not. Well done to you Tony McC
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 9:58 am
by msh paving
nelliedee wrote:Should have said 'plastic cells' instead of 'suds' and if YOU were to use the wrong term when refering to my profession, I doubt very much that I would ridicule you on a public forum. Constructive? I think not. Well done to you Tony McC
nelliedee ,Tony is not out to ridicule you he is the owner off this site we all give info and help for free,you problem is very common and maybe you should spend some time reading through the other posting about soakaways and understand how they work and don't work MSH 
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 10:49 am
by lutonlagerlout
i dont think the gaffer was taking the mick nellie,its juist he has a style all of his own to answering often asked questions
if your soakaway doesnt work then maybe you need to connect into the main sewers via a trapped gully
you really need someone clued up to have a look
LLL
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 11:03 am
by Pablo
If the soakaway/ hole in the ground is to low to plumb into the sewer then maybe the quickest and cheapest option might be to install a pump with a float switch on it in the crates. Then run the pump into a drain. The boss wasn't being rude he's like that with everyone he's got Irish blood in him so tact and tenderness is beyond his remit.
Edited By Pablo on 1266836853
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 4:45 pm
by irishpaving
Do any of your neighbours suffer from the same problem or is it just your property
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 10:02 am
by Tony McC
I did not ridicule you. If I had, there would have been no doubt about it!
I simply posed a question to the whole forum: can anyone suggest a construction where a soakaway is not suds? It's an interesting question and I can only think of one possibility, which bears an uncanny resemblance to what you have. That's why I raised the issueseparately and after making my response to your question.
Don't be so touchy!