Rainsmart Soakaway Set Flat-Packed - Heavy 1 Cubic Metre
This soakaway set is comprised of eight Rainsmart Heavy Soakaway Crates (65 tonne vertical load capacity) and sufficient non-woven geotextile membrane to wrap all outward faces of the soakaway including the base. The set also includes cable ties for holding the crates together until the side fill has been introduced, and a rubber mallet for assembling the crates.
Assembly is a quick and straightforward process and the whole set should take around 12 minutes to put together. You can view a quick video on assembling flat-packed soakaways below. (Please note, that for the shallow crate you will not need the top layer)
Size, load and capacity
Rainsmart 65 Tonne soakaway crates have a void ratio of 95% - this is the amount of free space within the crate structure that can be used for rainwater storage. The capacity of this 1 cubic metre soakaway is an impressive 984 Litres. This is far superior to traditional hardcore style soakaways. Under normal conditions this would be sufficient to hold water from a roof area of approximately 50 square metres.
The high load carrying ability of the Rainsmart Heavy crate system (vertical crush capacity 65 tonnes per square metre) makes it the ideal system ideal for use in load applications in new housing development, commercial and infrastructure projects.
Soakaway manufacture and useful life
Prime quality polymer is used to manufacture the 65 tonne crate system. The system is unaffected by chemicals and bacteria commonly found in uncontaminated soils and stormwater runoff.
When installed as per Rainsmart Installation guidelines, and within the stipulated design parameters, the system has a design life in excess of 50 years.
Joining crates together
Clips are not required to hold the crates together. No clips on any crate system are structural it is always the side fill on any soakaway installation which adds the stability needed to hold the structure in place. Cable Ties are included with our 1m³ Soakaway Sets and these are used purely to hold the crates in place until the sand or gravel side fill has been added.
All outward facing crate surfaces of any soakaway should be wrapped in non-woven geotextile membrane, which allows the free passage of water but prevents any soil or sand particles from entering the soakaway, maintaining its long term efficiency.
Connecting Pipes to Soakaways
Rainwater is fed into the soakaway by inserting the pipe through a knockout entry point on one of the crates. Geotextile membrane should be laid over the crates first and then a small cross should be cut in the membrane where it meets the pipe. Fold the membrane back and clamp it around the outside edge of the pipe, which is supported by the side fill. For extra stability if required a weak concrete mix can be be poured around the end of the pipe where it meets the crate.
Consider a pre-filter
For best practice we always recommend that a pre-filter such as our Sentinel Silt Trap is used in conjunction with any modular soakaway system. Emptying the filter on a regular basis (this is only a five minute job) will maintain the efficiency of the soakaway and greatly increase its lifespan.
For a closer look at Soakaway Crates in general, including installation tips, please take a look at our video.