Phoning around for soakaway in Pretoria takes time, and every company asks the same questions. Send one job card instead and we pass it to drainage contractors and septic installers who serve Pretoria and nearby areas of Gauteng. They quote on the work, travel, disposal and how soon they can come.
Soakaways in Pretoria
Soakaway work in Pretoria is mostly booked by owners of plots, farms and older houses where a septic tank is the only option. Share the number of people, the tank size and whether the ground is sandy, clay or rocky, so contractors serving Pretoria and the rest of Gauteng can quote accurately.
Want to know more first? Our soakaway guide covers the options, what to check and what affects the price.
Septic tanks and drainage in Pretoria
Pretoria spreads over a lot of ground the sewer network never reached. Smallholdings around Mooikloof, Zwavelpoort, the east and the north towards Roodeplaat rely on septic tanks and soakaways, while older homes in Tshwane suburbs may still have conservancy tanks. The east has expansive clay that holds water around a soakaway, and the Magaliesberg foothills are shallow and rocky. Parts of the south sit on dolomite, where leaking tanks can cause problems below the surface. Honey sucker operators and drain contractors work from Silverton, Waltloo and Pretoria West and reach most plots the same day, though long hose runs on big holdings may add time.

Typical soakaway requests in the area come from:
- Smallholdings and plots: a larger pit or two linked pits on a smallholding with space but heavy clay soil
- Houses: a new or rebuilt soakaway for an older house whose pit has clogged or flooded
- Estates and complexes: sizing pits for shared tanks on a complex, with a test report for the body corporate
- Schools, churches and clinics: large pits for schools, clinics and churches, designed for heavy daytime use
- Farms and game farms: building pits at homesteads and worker housing, kept well clear of boreholes and dams
- Restaurants, shops and offices: pits for rural shops, filling stations and restaurants that are not on a sewer
- Factories, mines, sites and events: pits for site offices, depots and ablutions, sized for the number of workers
Local tips for Pretoria
Most work in Pretoria is done by teams based in Silverton, Waltloo and Pretoria West, and the usual setup is septic tanks with soakaways on plots, conservancy tanks in older suburbs and estates. When you ask for quotes, ask about hose length: big holdings may need extra pipe from the road.
Soakaways usually means dig a pit, fill it with stone or fit chambers, for 2 to 3 m across, 1.5 to 2.5 m deep, check yearly, lasts 15 to 25 years. Ground in the area: expansive clay in the east: soakaways saturate; dolomite in the south.
What to include in your request
- Number of people using the system and the tank size in litres
- Whether this is a new soakaway or a repair of an old one
- Soil type and whether a percolation test has been done
- Distance to buildings, boreholes, streams and boundaries
- Stone pit, rubble pit or chamber, if you have a preference
The more detail you give, the more accurate your quote will be.
Service area: Pretoria and surrounds
Operators, contractors and suppliers on our network work in Pretoria and surrounding areas, including Centurion, Hatfield, Waterkloof, Montana, Silver Lakes, Mooikloof, Akasia. Give the suburb, holding or farm name so the quote can include travel, and say how soon you need someone.
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