A silt filter chamber – also known as a ‘silt trap’ – is a basin that is set upstream of a soakaway crate. It is designed to prevent silt, soil, sediment, metals or pesticides from entering and damaging the water storage system, and acts like a filter.
How? Well, a silt chamber holds the water for quite some time, allowing unwanted
materials to sink to the bottom of the basin and separate from the water. These
systems are designed to collect and remove surface water, either by emptying it into the sewer or allowing it to drain back into the ground below.
So, why do you need a silt trap?
Silt can cause all sorts of problems for your drainage system. For example, it can:
- Block pipes
- Increase the risk of water not draining properly
- Cause soakaways and attenuation tanks to fill quicker, reducing their capacity for holding water
- Cause flooding on the surface
What’s more, it can leave you with no other option but to purchase a new water
storage system.
There is an array of new and improved soakaway crate systems on the market today which are a lot better at avoiding silt problems. Yet, despite this, silt traps remain the best method for protecting soakaways and attenuation tanks by capturing silt further up the drainage system.
As water fills the chamber, the silt settles at the bottom in a filter tube whilst filtered water continues to your storage system. And the best bit is the filter tube can be easily disconnected from the outlet pipe for regular cleaning and maintenance.
Sounds good, doesn’t it? If you would like to know more about the silt filter chambers we supply, here at Cotterill Civils, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team. You can either call 0121 351 3230 or email enquiries@cotterillcivils.co.uk, and we’ll get back to you.
Alternatively, fill out our enquiry form: