ᐅ Drainage Without an Inspection Chamber – Is This a Mistake?

Hello everyone,

We had a soakaway chamber installed for rainwater infiltration – a large pit filled with gravel and wrapped in a filter fleece. However, we keep hearing that in a few years we will probably have to dig it up again because it will eventually become clogged with sand and silt. I hope this isn’t the case, as we plan to have a garden bed with trees, shrubs, and other plants above the soakaway.

Now we are considering whether to bite the bullet and install another soakaway chamber WITH an inspection chamber, or if we should take the risk and leave it as is. Has anyone here installed one without an inspection chamber? Or are there long-term experiences regarding the durability of such systems?

Thank you
Herr Stein

Yes, there is experience with this. We did something similar: a green rain barrel with many holes drilled in it, filled with coarse gravel inside and surrounded by coarse gravel, wrapped with pond fleece on the outside, and stones placed on the barrel lid. A PVC pipe from the gutter leads into the barrel.
It has lasted for many years.
How could it get filled with sand? No sand passes through the fleece (which must, of course, be sealed on top as well).

However, I would avoid planting trees or shrubs above it because of the roots.

I would also leave it as it is. With sandy soil, it’s never an issue since everything drains naturally. With clay soil, drainage is slow or sometimes doesn’t happen at all. Due to the depth of the soakaway, the water is pushed into the water-bearing layers within the clay. So, monitor the situation and maybe take further action later if needed.

motorradsilke schrieb:

How is the sand supposed to get in? No sand comes through the geotextile fabric (which of course must also be sealed on top).

That would be great. We were told that dirt from the roof is washed into the soakaway by the rain and gradually fills the gaps between the gravel. I just don’t know if there’s any truth to that or if it’s just scaremongering...

I can only share my experience; it has been working well for us for many years. However, I haven’t checked it myself yet 😉
It might also depend on whether there are many trees nearby that create a lot of debris.

A garden shovel of Ammovit works wonders there, even in the cistern.
Do you have clay soil?