Blocked Soakaways Page

A blocked soakaway is a prime example of "out of sight, out of mind" infrastructure failing at the worst possible moment.

This is the primary killer of soakaways. Over years, rainwater washes grit, soil, leaves, and organic matter off roofs and driveways and into the soakaway. Unlike a sewer, there is no flow to wash this material away. It settles at the bottom of the chamber. Eventually, the void space fills completely with mud. Once the void space is gone, the soakaway holds no water; it is effectively a solid block of earth. blocked soakaways

A soakaway is a buried structure—typically a pit filled with rubble or modern plastic crates wrapped in a geotextile membrane. It functions by: A blocked soakaway is a prime example of

Unlike a blocked toilet or a leaking tap, a soakaway failure is often a slow-burning crisis that goes unnoticed until a major storm event. Unlike a sewer, there is no flow to wash this material away

Soakaways don't just "get old"—they fail for specific, preventable reasons:

Do not attempt to unblock a septic tank soakaway by poking rods into it. This can rupture the distribution pipes and destroy the field entirely.