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Dealing with garden drainage--clay soil.

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  • There are a lot of peculiarities when installing a soakaway system. I'd look at some of the guides available online like this one: https://www.easymerchant.co.uk/blog/how-to-install-a-plastic-soakaway-crate-system/

    If not you could always contact them for further advice. They'll obviously have links to the manufacturers etc and be able to get the correct advice. 
  • Thanks for that. :)

    As explained in my posts following the installation of the soakaway crate, the high water table here seems to have made that solution impractical, and I really can't justify the cost and effort of digging out a much larger area and fitting more crates. To be frank, the flooding is only significant after unusually heavy rain, and even in Wales such conditions tend to occur just once or twice in a normal season. So the area in question is now filled with gravel, an arrangement which deals with average levels of rainfall but will require re-excavation at some point due to the infiltration of sediment.

    I could probably improve the situation longer term by laying land drains from the soakaway area to take the water to lower ground, but TBH my enthusiasm for digging significant quantities of dirt just to save the lawn from the occasional temporary flood is diminishing fast. 
  • I have heavy clay in my garden  and a high water table so a big patch of standing water in winter. First thing was to place a pond in the worst section. Secondly  was to build raised beds. No point trying to have sumps or soakaway with such a high water table. 
    House was built  25 years ago so I have assummed that any compaction by heavy machinery is now negligible 
  • Thanks for that. :)

    As explained in my posts following the installation of the soakaway crate, the high water table here seems to have made that solution impractical, and I really can't justify the cost and effort of digging out a much larger area and fitting more crates. To be frank, the flooding is only significant after unusually heavy rain, and even in Wales such conditions tend to occur just once or twice in a normal season. So the area in question is now filled with gravel, an arrangement which deals with average levels of rainfall but will require re-excavation at some point due to the infiltration of sediment.

    I could probably improve the situation longer term by laying land drains from the soakaway area to take the water to lower ground, but TBH my enthusiasm for digging significant quantities of dirt just to save the lawn from the occasional temporary flood is diminishing fast. 
    Ah I see!

    Yeah I guess a regular land drainage system would work best in this case! Best of luck!
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