And it’s a good one to ask, because the answer is important. Soakaway crates are an essential water management tool, for both homes and commercial properties.
The correct fabric for wrapping soakaway crates is a high-quality, non-woven geotextile, such as Draintex from the Product That Works range of professional landscaping products.
Why soakaway crates should be wrapped in a non-woven geotextile
Often, we learn that people are using a woven geotextile, like Groundtex, but as good a product as this can be, it is not the best fabric to use for wrapping soakaway crates.
What is critical to choosing the right geotextile material for this application is its permeability – the fabric used to wrap soakaway crates should allow rainwater through but not soil particles. A non-woven geotextile is more permeable and has a higher flow rate than woven fabrics.
How a non-woven geotextile helps deliver optimum soakaway performance
The purpose of wrapping soakaway crates in a geotextile fabric is to allow the water collected in the void created by the crates to slowly drain away into the surrounding soil. Additionally, a geotextile will stop silt and debris entering the soakaway crate system and compromising its efficiency and effectiveness by reducing its water-retention capacity.
With this in mind, when applying a non-woven geotextile fabric to soakaway crates, it is important to wrap every face in the membrane, as well as the area where the drainage pipe connects with the crates. This helps to ensure optimum performance from the soakaway crates.
Which soakaway crates to use and how much water they drain and hold
The number of soakaway crates used for a project varies according to the water-retention capacity required. A popular size of soakaway crate specified by building inspectors is 1 cubic metre, which will drain a roof area of approximately 50m2 and hold 1,000 litres of rainwater.
As a rule of thumb, soakaway crates with a compressive strength of 20 tonnes are used for domestic purposes, while crates with a compressive strength of 40 tonnes are used for commercial projects. However, because the size of soakaways differs and because these flexible, strong crates can be easily stacked together, the number of soakaway crates used in a project can vary significantly.
Why choosing a non-woven geotextile in a range of roll sizes is important
As the number of soakaway crates used in a project can vary significantly, when it comes to choosing the high-quality, non-woven geotextile in which to wrap soakaway crates, it is important to select one that is available in a range of roll sizes. This variety makes it straightforward to apply the non-woven geotextile to all types of project, from small domestic soakaways to large, commercial water-attenuation systems. This saves time, improves efficiency and reduces the amount of wasted material.
To be sure of selecting the right drainage geotextile fabric for the job use our geo fabric product selector.
Find out more about the Growtivation Product That Works range by downloading our Product Guide.
Or to find out where you can buy Growtivation products visit our online Where to Buy facility or contact the friendly and expert team at Growtivation for advice on 0800 197 8885 or email sales@growtivation.com.
