Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is Stormcell^®?

A. Stormcell is an extremely strong plastic honeycomb structure of 95% void ratio. It can be used within a surface water pipe system to provide a rainwater storage medium during storm events.

Q. Can Stormcell be used below roads or car-parking areas?

A. Yes, it can. The structure is extremely strong but is designed to take distributed loads and not point loads. The depth that the Stormcell is buried at dictates the maximum load that can be applied to it at surface level.

Q. What maintenance is required for a Stormcell system?

A. The system that the Stormcell blocks are used within is carefully designed to minimize any maintenance requirements. Low flows are carried within small diameter perforated pipes running beneath the blocks. This keeps sediment moving within the pipes and away from the Stormcell blocks. During a storm, water rises from the perforations, which are positioned within the top of the pipes but this is relatively free from sediment. There are additional barriers to contamination of the blocks in the form of a layer of single size stone and a permeable membrane covering the tops and bottoms of the blocks. Ideally, a Downstream Defender® hydrodynamic separator is also used upstream of the storage tank in order to remove the majority of sediment upstream of the system, thus providing an even greater buffer to any problems occurring.

Q. What size are the blocks?

A. The standard block size is 2 ft. X 2 ft. by 4 ft. The blocks can be cut on site should this prove necessary.

Q. How many perforated pipes are required?

A. The perforations must be of sufficient capacity to allow the peak flow to pass through them at an acceptable head of water upstream. The water must be able to get out of the pipes and into the Stormcell storage media. The head of water required to pass this flow rate through the perforations must be able to be contained within the upstream pipe system. In other words, water should not egress from the underground system until the storage media is full.