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• PRO

  Mick Gammage March 8, 2015 at 1:14pm

  if your going to build a soak a way you need to construct it with a bit more detail than what your suggesting otherwise over time the soil on top of the stone will migrate down into the stone and render it useless

  example on how to build a soak away

  just bare in mind if the ground is clay a soak a away will not work and is a pointless venture !
  • PRO

    John Barratt MCIHort > Mick Gammage March 8, 2015 at 3:07pm

    Normally on a soak way you would put an impervious layer, this would defeat the object of the water draining away, unless you was to use a permable layer
    • PRO

      Mick Gammage > John Barratt MCIHort March 8, 2015 at 5:41pm

      don't shoot the messenger, I didn't read every word as I know what to do and what to use...!
      • PRO

        John Barratt MCIHort > Mick Gammage March 8, 2015 at 5:51pm

        I appreciate your comment Mick, that's what the forum is about. I was thinking about using a grot extols fabric between the gravel and soil, to stop the soil being washed away between the gravel over the long term
        • PRO

          John Barratt MCIHort > John Barratt MCIHort March 8, 2015 at 5:51pm

          Geo textile !!!
          • PRO

            Mick Gammage > John Barratt MCIHort March 8, 2015 at 6:04pm

            correct, you would line the hole you have dug with a geotextile membrane then place your broken brick or clean stone or what ever you wish to use at the bottom with smaller stones on top to fill some of the voids

            then wrap the geotextile membrane over the top of the soak a way and over lap each of the sides over each other, then you place your soil and turf on top to complete the work

            with each stage lightly compact by walking over the stone soil etc to firm it up to stop it from sinking too much at a later date when the ground settles
            • PRO

              John Barratt MCIHort > Mick Gammage March 8, 2015 at 6:17pm

              Thanks Mick
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      Freshscaped > John Barratt MCIHort March 8, 2015 at 6:48pm

      No. Normally, you run a pipe from the area you are draining into the soakaway. You do not put the soakaway immediately beneath the area you are draining and you do not want water which falls immediately above the soakaway running into it. Exceptionally you would put it in the area being drained. Only then would you  use a permeable membrane.
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  Gareth Main @ Newick Landscapes March 8, 2015 at 2:59pm

  How about hiring a petrol post borer with an 8" wide bit. Do several holes 750mm deep and fill with gravel for the first 500mm and then good quality soil for the top 250mm?

  Really depends on the subsoil below but its a layer in the top 750mm that's causing the poor drainage this might be a quick and not too messy way of improving it.
  • PRO

    John Barratt MCIHort > Gareth Main @ Newick Landscapes March 8, 2015 at 3:09pm

    Thanks Gareth, it may work, I will need to do a explority dig as I know there is a shallow drainage run. It may be this that is causing the problem, either the drain could be broken or there is such a vast amount of concrete over the drain, then any surface water is struggling to drain away.