Hello everyone,
We are currently working on building our single-family house. The building application has been submitted, and we promptly received the first letter from the building authority stating:
Rainwater must generally be infiltrated or directed into a nearby open water body, as long as this is possible without excessive effort and damage (§ 48 b Abs. 3 WG-BW).
After a phone consultation with the building authority, we were told that rainwater is not allowed to be discharged into the sewer system due to water protection zone III. The proposed solution (if you can call it that, as they basically said “there’s no way around it”) is a cistern. Permeable paving was also mentioned for the driveway, although we’re not sure what that is for. There is no water body nearby, by the way.
We had actually considered a cistern for watering the garden but excluded it due to the cost. Now we are being forced to install one despite the financial strain, so I have a question for you.
There seem to be countless types of cisterns (according to Google). Can you tell me which type would suit our purpose and where it’s most important not to cut corners?
Kind regards
We are currently working on building our single-family house. The building application has been submitted, and we promptly received the first letter from the building authority stating:
Rainwater must generally be infiltrated or directed into a nearby open water body, as long as this is possible without excessive effort and damage (§ 48 b Abs. 3 WG-BW).
After a phone consultation with the building authority, we were told that rainwater is not allowed to be discharged into the sewer system due to water protection zone III. The proposed solution (if you can call it that, as they basically said “there’s no way around it”) is a cistern. Permeable paving was also mentioned for the driveway, although we’re not sure what that is for. There is no water body nearby, by the way.
We had actually considered a cistern for watering the garden but excluded it due to the cost. Now we are being forced to install one despite the financial strain, so I have a question for you.
There seem to be countless types of cisterns (according to Google). Can you tell me which type would suit our purpose and where it’s most important not to cut corners?
Kind regards
W
WilderSueden17 Mar 2022 14:07nokapito schrieb:
Sponge paving was also mentioned for the driveway, whatever that might be.That’s simply paving that allows water to drain below the surface instead of flowing off it. This happens either through pores in the paving stones or wider joints filled with coarser jointing material.nokapito schrieb:
By the way, there is no body of water nearby.That can be arranged. Just dig a bigger hole in the garden and direct water into it. Without using any lining, of course. If you don’t want the water to drain too quickly (to create a pond effect), you can compact the bottom of the hole using a plate compactor.nokapito schrieb:
According to Google, there are countless types of cisterns. Can you tell me which one suits our purpose and where it’s not advisable to cut corners?
Best regardsIt depends on the soil type; what kind of soil do you have?
For sandy soil, even 15m (50 feet) of drainage pipe with a filter fabric is enough, which costs less than €100 for materials plus another €100 for an hour with a mini excavator.
Otherwise, just install two soakaway rings, cut a hole for a PVC drainage pipe, add a cover, and you’re done.
Wow, I didn’t expect so many replies in such a short time!
Let’s go through them one by one :-).
When I google “soakaway,” it looks like a box you bury and then channel water into it using pipes. Right now, we have standard downspouts planned that lead into an inspection chamber.
How would it work with a soakaway? Instead of directing the water into the inspection chamber, just lead it into the soakaway?
How does it actually function? Can you see it from above?
Is that the same as a soakaway?
With water prices rising, more and more people are considering the extra costs of a rainwater tank. As I said, we actually tried to leave it out, but it increasingly seems to make more sense than, for example, a carport :-/.
Can you let water from the downspout run directly onto that, openly?
Is it really that simple? How do you get the water from the roof into it then? If it soaks away more slowly than water can flow into it, won’t the downspout back up?
We don’t know what kind of soil it is yet (we were always told that a soil report is only done after the building permit / planning permission is approved). The neighbors say it’s rather clay-based. The plot used to be an orchard meadow where nothing has ever been built, so it’s been a green field all along.
What exactly are “soakaway rings”? And what kind of pipe do you cut into? Sorry for the confusion.
Let’s go through them one by one :-).
TmMike_2 schrieb:
Just build a soakaway, maybe costs around 500€ and you’re done
When I google “soakaway,” it looks like a box you bury and then channel water into it using pipes. Right now, we have standard downspouts planned that lead into an inspection chamber.
How would it work with a soakaway? Instead of directing the water into the inspection chamber, just lead it into the soakaway?
How does it actually function? Can you see it from above?
tomtom79 schrieb:
Why not a cesspit? That’s what we had to do. Although I’d prefer a rainwater harvesting tank nowadays, especially with rising water costs
Is that the same as a soakaway?
With water prices rising, more and more people are considering the extra costs of a rainwater tank. As I said, we actually tried to leave it out, but it increasingly seems to make more sense than, for example, a carport :-/.
WilderSueden schrieb:
That’s just paving where water does not run off on the surface but seeps through beneath it—either through pores in the paving or wider joints filled with coarser material
Can you let water from the downspout run directly onto that, openly?
WilderSueden schrieb:
That’s also possible. Just dig a bigger hole in the garden and direct water there. Without any liner, of course. If you don’t want it to soak away too quickly (like a pond appearance), you can compact the soil at the bottom of the hole with a vibrating plate
Is it really that simple? How do you get the water from the roof into it then? If it soaks away more slowly than water can flow into it, won’t the downspout back up?
TmMike_2 schrieb:
Depends on the soil type, what kind of soil do you have?
With sandy soil, even 15m (50 feet) of drainage pipe with a filter fleece is enough; material costs under 100€ plus about 100€ for a mini excavator for an hour.
Otherwise, just use 2 soakaway rings, cut a hole for the drainage pipe, put the cover on, and you’re done
We don’t know what kind of soil it is yet (we were always told that a soil report is only done after the building permit / planning permission is approved). The neighbors say it’s rather clay-based. The plot used to be an orchard meadow where nothing has ever been built, so it’s been a green field all along.
What exactly are “soakaway rings”? And what kind of pipe do you cut into? Sorry for the confusion.
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