Based in Wolverhampton, Percolation Tests is on your doorstep for BRE365 soakaway percolation testing and foul effluent infiltration testing across the city and surrounding areas.
Wolverhampton is our own doorstep — we are based here, so callouts in the town are as local as work gets for us. We have carried out 100 tests within fifteen miles of Wolverhampton and 187 within twenty-five, so the ground around the town is familiar to us.
Ground conditions in Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton sits on a mix of sandstone and mudstone geology typical of the South Staffordshire coalfield area. Percolation rates vary by neighbourhood and can be affected by historic mining activity in parts of the city, making an accurate on-site BRE365 test especially important rather than relying on general assumptions for the area.
The bigger complication around Wolverhampton is made ground. Generations of industry, quarrying and shallow coal working have left fill of very variable depth and composition, and it is a common reason for a soakaway design being questioned at planning. Infiltration through made ground can be quick in one trial pit and negligible in the next, so testing where the soakaway is actually going matters more here than almost anywhere. It is worth testing early: if infiltration is not viable, the whole drainage strategy has to change.
What we test for
- BRE365 percolation testing for surface water soakaway design
- Foul effluent infiltration testing (Part H) for septic tanks and treatment plants
- Drainage strategy (SuDS) support for planning applications
How the test is carried out
BRE Digest 365 sets out the procedure, and it is more demanding than it sounds. A single filling of a single hole proves very little.
- Trial pits are excavated at the proposed soakaway position, taken down below the level the soakaway will sit at. The number depends on the site and the design.
- Each pit is filled to at least 75% of its effective storage depth, which is where the timed measurement starts from.
- Each pit is then filled and timed three times over, measuring the fall from 75% to 25% of the effective depth.
- The slowest of those runs is carried into the calculation, which keeps the resulting design conservative.
The three fills and the draining time between them are why this cannot be rushed. A number produced quickly is a number that tends to get challenged.
Planning conditions in Wolverhampton
Applications in the Wolverhampton area are dealt with by City of Wolverhampton Council, and drainage conditions are attached routinely — particularly on rural plots, barn conversions and self-builds with no mains surface water connection. The condition normally asks for infiltration testing to BRE365 and a soakaway design based on the result, approved before work starts.
Testing early is worth the trouble. If infiltration turns out not to be viable the drainage strategy has to change, and discovering that after the groundworks are priced is an expensive surprise.
Foul drainage and septic tanks
If the site is not on mains foul drainage that is a separate test. Drainage fields for septic tanks and package treatment plants are sized by the method in BS 6297, referenced by Part H of the Building Regulations, and that figure is not interchangeable with a BRE365 result. Plenty of rural sites around Wolverhampton need both, and we can do them on the same visit.
What you receive
- A full report with the recorded times for every pit and every fill
- The calculated infiltration rate, ready to hand to your engineer or planner
- Trial pit locations and depths
- Photographs of the testing on site
- A clear statement of whether a soakaway is viable, and if not, why not
Coverage
As our home city, Wolverhampton benefits from our fastest response times and appointment availability, including Wednesfield, Bilston, Penn, Tettenhall, and Bushbury. Available Monday to Friday.
Get a quote
Contact us for a free, no-obligation quote for percolation or infiltration testing anywhere in Wolverhampton. Call 01902 475653 or request a quote online.
Percolation testing around Wolverhampton
Each dot is a site we have tested. 38 within ten miles of Wolverhampton, 150 within twenty-five.
Also serving the West Midlands
This page is part of our coverage across the West Midlands, which also includes:
Recent work near Wolverhampton
