Gauteng Smallholder July 2015 | Page 41

SEWERAGE Next: how to dig a septic soakaway T he drain field of a standard septic system is also called a leach field or soak away and is incorrectly called a French drain, if you wish to be pedantic. There are many designs of drain field, the most common being a large pit filled with broken brick, rocks or even old tyres, and covered with old corrugated iron and a layer of soil. There are a number of reasons why this is neither the most efficient design, nor the safest. A proper drain field comprises a long and narrow trench, the key being not the size of the hole but the surface area of the walls and floor