Mending or restoring underground utilities or plumbing requires breaking of concrete. The need for breaking concrete becomes all the more necessary in homes where there are sidewalks, driveways or concrete floors. This is a tiring, taxing and difficult task and involves a lot of time. So, it is very necessary to know the proper process of breaking concrete and also how it can be done easily. If you are aware of the process, your work becomes easy. It is advisable that if there is large amount of concrete to be broken you should assign it to some professional worker. But if it’s a small chunk, you can do it easily on your own by following the below-mentioned instructions and tips.
Complexity Level: Complex
Time Required: 5-6 hours
Resources Required:
- Work gloves
- Steel-toed shoes
- Ear protection
- Jack hammer
- Pry bar
- Truck or dumpster
Instructions:
1. Determine the area and thickness of concrete to be removed: Start the task by determining the amount of concrete you require to remove. You should keep handy a dumpster or a truck to dump the concrete removed. You need to find out the area from where you want to remove the concrete. If you are able to determine the exact area, you will have to do less work.
2. Gather the tools: Collect all the tools you will require for breaking concrete like saw, safety cloths, safety gear, Jackhammer, hammer, dumpster/truck etc.
3. Wear safety clothing and gear: Ensure that you wear your safety apparel like steel-toed shoes, eye protection, work gloves and ear protection. This is necessary to protect yourself during the concrete-breaking process.
4. Determine the thickness of concrete: To do so, you will have to dig near the edge of the concrete and look inside. If there are thick edges, you will have to make a hole using a drill.
5. Mark the area: Make a line where you have to break the concrete and mark the area. You can do this with a chalk line or pencil.
6. Cut the lines with the help of a saw: Use a cut demolition saw which has a cut diamond blade. This ensures that there is clean edge after the work is done.
7. Break with a jack hammer: Use a jackhammer to break the concrete. Be sure that you hold the jackhammer firmly with both of your hands. Keep yourself away from the concrete which is breaking so that you do not get hurt accidently.
8. Remove the debris using pry bar: Now that the concrete has been broken, use a pry bar to remove it. Hold the pry bar firmly and pry away pieces of concrete. The removed concrete can be put in a truck and thrown away. Till the time all the debris are removed, keep repeating the process.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can you suggest some tools used for breaking concrete?
You will need cut-off saw to break the concrete, sledge hammer to hammer the concrete and jack hammer for deeper breaking.
Quick Tips:
- You can rent the tools used for breaking concrete if they have to be used only once, as these tools are very expensive.
- If there is a large amount of concrete to be broken then it is advisable that you assign it to some professional worker.
- When working near the pipes or fragile part, use small tools.
- To determine the precise site of the problem where concrete has to be broken, you should find out depth and the site of the underground pipes for any plumbing problems. Also, check whether water is seeping out or is bubbling in the concrete cracks.
Things To Watch Out For:
Always ensure that you wear all your safety gears while doing the work of breaking concrete.
