Shire Regulations
When installing soakwells it is VERY important to install them correctly, and to adhere to the strict regulations that apply in your Shire. All the Shires have different regulations, that must be adhered to. For example some Shires want the soakwells well away from the property up to six metres in some extreme cases. Other Shires, where land is predominantly clay based soil, require the drainage vessels to be liners, and not soakwells The difference being the liners do not have drainage holes, so as not to compromise the surrounding clay soil, these liners then need to be linked to the Shires silt pit system, and the correct procedures followed to ensure this is done correctly. All in all there are many guidelines to be followed to ensure your soakwells/liners are installed correctly and meet Shire regulations. If you look above we have documented the guidelines for many of the Shires in WA. Please click on the relevant link to read your particular Shires requirements. These requirements change all the time, and we are dependant on each Shire to send us updated details of any changes they may make.
Coupled with this all our soakwells are also installed to current WA building regulations, namely we use oversized fittings, or grates, where the downpipe meets with our pipework. On days of VERY heavy rains where a soakwell might fill to its' capacity, you can be confident that should it overflow back into its connecting pipes, that it will not flow back up your downpipes, as it will overflow where your downpipe meets our pipework, you will possibly have noted that many companies do not do this, just to try and save a few cents, many companies will fit a tight fitting downpipe adapter around the downpipe, this can then cause water to flow back up your downpipe and overflow into the house eaves. This breathing space also acts as a breather to allow air out, as water is entering the soakwell, not allowing air to exit the soakwell as water is entering can also cause problems, as pressure builds up in the soakwell.
Coupled with this all our soakwells are also installed to current WA building regulations, namely we use oversized fittings, or grates, where the downpipe meets with our pipework. On days of VERY heavy rains where a soakwell might fill to its' capacity, you can be confident that should it overflow back into its connecting pipes, that it will not flow back up your downpipes, as it will overflow where your downpipe meets our pipework, you will possibly have noted that many companies do not do this, just to try and save a few cents, many companies will fit a tight fitting downpipe adapter around the downpipe, this can then cause water to flow back up your downpipe and overflow into the house eaves. This breathing space also acts as a breather to allow air out, as water is entering the soakwell, not allowing air to exit the soakwell as water is entering can also cause problems, as pressure builds up in the soakwell.
