Modular cells in East Cork

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The provision of adequate surface water disposal is not always paid enough respect in one off house construction. If there isn’t any local stream or drain to divert water to, then a soakaway is needed. Soakaways are large holes, sited away from the building, constructed in a manner to receive surface water and allow it to filter down through the underlying soils over a particular time period. Traditionally, they were filled with rubble or large stones and are still completed today in this manner with great success.

Modular cells are cuboid thermoplastic units, which look like milk crates, that are stacked together to form a type of soakaway. This system is a relatively new alternative and offer the great advantage in terms of a significantly higher void ratio of 95%, about three times greater than traditional rubble or stone. Therefore, the volume of the soakaway can in effect be one-third of the size, creating great savings in resources. Suppliers also provide silt traps which keep the soakaway free of silt and thus preserving its lifespan.  

In this property in East Cork, the dwelling was not even provided with a soakaway and the drain was simply diverted from the building and covered over. Needless to say, this system was never going to perform over the design life of the building. The main signs of soakaway failure are blocked gullies which overflow during periods of rainfall. If you have any concerns, please contact Substruck for further investigations.