Three things to know
- Start with installation documents for the actual tank.
- Excavator access and tank placement are separate tasks.
- Coordinate excavation, removal and installation in one programme.
Contents of this guide
Choose the particular tank first
Before ordering, select the tank and provide its installation documents together with the proposed location. Add known ground and water conditions. Define excavation, soil removal, tank delivery, placement and other construction preparation separately. Access for an excavator does not confirm access and unloading for the tank.
Aliaxis / GRAF — Garantia Cristall installation instructions (Czech) ↗
Assess the position together with pipework and future ground levels
Mark the tank, inlet route and other proposed connections on the plan. Add the planned finished ground level and available elevation information. If a designer or system supplier prepares the documents, send them together. A dot on a photograph does not resolve level relationships.
State whether the area will be lawn, a terrace or used by vehicles. Changing its future use may change the required design. If the position has not been decided, complete that preparation before confirming the final excavation scope.
What do you know about ground and water on the property?
Describe known ground conditions, previous fill, water encountered in other excavations and any available investigation. Mark unknown information as unknown. The enquiry can then distinguish the anticipated method from situations needing clarification on site.
A photograph of a dry surface does not establish underground conditions. If water or different conditions appear during digging, confirm the solution with the person responsible for the design and the tank supplier before continuing. This guide does not replace their assessment.
Excavator access and tank delivery are different tasks
Measure and photograph the entrance and route to the site. Separately check how the tank will arrive and be moved into the excavation. Supply its weight, dimensions and manufacturer's handling requirements. Suitability of particular equipment must be confirmed for the situation; having an excavator or loader crane on site does not itself guarantee placement is possible.
Also allow space for excavated soil and any bedding or backfill materials. A small garden may require soil to be removed as work proceeds. The quote should show which movements are included.
Divide the quote into clear parts
Confirm excavation, loading, removal, base preparation, tank handling, installation, connections and backfill separately. Assign a contractor and the working documents to each part. This avoids completing a pit only to find the next contractor expects different conditions.
Enquire with SORTI about earthworks and related transport. Do not assume tank supply, placement or connection is automatically included: any follow-on work must be explicitly confirmed.
A practical example and information for pricing
Two tanks of equal capacity can have different shapes and installation requirements. Compare the particular excavation and logistics, not just litres. In a confined garden, moving soil to the truck may affect the quote more than digging itself. This is an explanatory example, not a price promise.
Send the municipality, tank manual and drawing, site sketch, access photographs and preferred date. State who supplies and installs the tank and who accepts the prepared excavation. The quote can then reflect the actual scope rather than a rough assumption.
Frequently asked questions
Is tank capacity enough for a price?
No. Add the specific model, installation documents, location, access and required scope.
Is tank placement part of excavation?
Not automatically. Confirm in writing who provides delivery, handling, installation and connection; an earthworks quote may cover less.
What if I change the tank model during digging?
Supply the new documents and have excavation, handling and installation reconfirmed. Dimensions from the original solution do not automatically carry over.
Does delivery also mean lowering the tank into the pit?
Only if that scope is explicitly confirmed. Distinguish delivery, unloading, further movement and placement in the brief.
Chosen a tank and have its installation documents?
Send the model, manual, site plan and installation contractor's contact. We will discuss earthworks and the exact associated transport scope.