A Blocked Rainwater Soakaway | How To Clear

Tom loved his old cottage, Wren’s Rest , except for one thing: the garden turned into a swamp every time it rained.

The problem was the —an underground pit filled with crushed stone, designed to take water from his downpipes and let it drain slowly into the soil. But for three weeks, the water hadn’t drained. It sat in a green, scummy puddle near the patio doors.

The smell was earthy , not foul. Inside, a dark chamber filled with old rainwater. At the bottom, he could see the top of the crushed stone layer, now sealed over with a crust of fine silt and decomposed roots.

He repeated this three times until the water in the inspection chamber stayed clear. Tom waited an hour. The water level dropped by half. Then two hours—empty.

He cheered. Mabel clapped from the fence.