Our Rainsmart crates are available fully assembled for fast application on site. You can also buy them in flat-pack form for easy self assembly (each crate takes around 2-3 minutes to assemble).Size, load and capacityEach crate has an overall area of approximately 0.25 square metres, enabling 4 crates to be used together to make a 1 cubic metre soakaway.The Rainsmart soakaway crate has an impressive void ratio of 95%. This is the amount of free space within the crate structure that can be used for rainwater storage. Each crate has a capacity of 233.64 Litres.The vertical crush load capacity of 24.2 tonnes per square metre ensures that the Rainsmart Ellipse crates are safe to be used beneath gardens and pedestrian areas. The lateral crush load of 18 tonnes per square metre is the best of any type of soakaway crate.Joining crates togetherClips are not required to hold the crates together, we recommend the use of cable ties to hold the crates in situ until the side fill is introduced. No clips on any crate system are structural, it is the side fill which holds the installation in place. Cable Ties are included with our 1m³ Soakaway Sets but if you are ordering individual crates and need to join them together you should order the ties separately.All outward facing crate surfaces should be always wrapped in non-woven geotextile membrane, which allows the free passage of water but prevents any soil or sand particles from entering the soakaway, maintaining its long term efficiency.Connecting Pipes to SoakawaysThe 110mm (or 160mm) drainage pipe is fed into the soakaway via one of the four circular 160mm open entry points. 110mm pipes simply rest on the bottom of this opening and we recommend that the pipe is inserted approximately 150mm inside the crate. Geotextile membrane should be installed over the opening first and then a small cross should be cut in the membrane at the entry point with a sharp knife. Carefully peel back the membrane, insert the pipe and tape or clamp the membrane tightly around the outside of the pipe to stop the ingress of any soil particles.For a closer look at Soakaway Crates in general, including installation tips, please take a look at our video.Consider a pre-filterFor best practice we always recommend that a pre-filter such as our Sentinel Silt Trap is used in conjunction with any modular soakaway system. Emptying the filter on a regular basis (this is only a five minute job) will maintain the efficiency of the soakaway and greatly increase its lifespan.