Demolishing concrete
 

So, I'm getting ready to start doing more solar stuff. Specifically I need to put a big water tank in my basement. However, right now I have a platform of sorts down there. Its very similar to the one seen in the picture below to the right of the water heater. It seems like brick around the outside with a poured center. I need to remove a pad just like this one so that my tank can sit lower. Since its a drain back system I need it as low as possible.

My question to you all is what is the best way to start taking this out? Sledge? Pick? Jack hammer? :D

http://ecorenovator.org/pictures/house432.JPG

If I were going to do this I'd rent a jack hammer, make some regularly spaced holes and then smash the rest up with a sledge. It would take a while to hammer it all up with the jack hammer and it's cheaper to rent tools for 1/2 a day. If you are really getting fancy you could cut a nice straight boarder with a demo saw first.

smack it a few times with a sledge. If it breaks then continue with the sledge, if not rent the jack hammer. Sometimes you get lucky and it's weak.

I second this, as I've been lucky in the past.

I do have an pneumatic hammer/chisel. I plan on using that when I have to go through the fieldstone wall for the solar tank's plumbing. Would that come in real handy for this?

My only suggestion is to be very cautious with the pneumatic hammer on the fieldstone wall, less is almost more when it comes to old stone and masonry. I like to chisel out one stone, then take some measures and go around to the other side and take out the corresponding stone. then I pick away at the material in the middle of the wall. If you knock too many stones loose they never seem to go back properly.

Back to your original question about your floor, take your hammer or small sledge and tap the floor in the area that you want to remove; if you find a section that sounds hollow start there. There are often voids under concrete floors, caused by any number of things, and this should be the easiest place to get through first.

I'd use the power chisel to break out one brick. Then, if a pry bar won't crack the rest of the floor and rim wall you can move a little dirt from behind or under the floor/wall to make a void to help crack the floor/wall. Just hope there isn't rebar or mesh in the 'crete. You probably don't have as much overhead clearance as you would like for the sledge hammer, but it should do the trick.

If you have a teen-aged son challenge his manliness..."bet I can bust more out than you can."

Thanks, that sounds like a good Idea. I'll give that a try.

Sadly, just a wife. Those types of lines don't work quite as well on her. :D

Well, I started demolishing the pad this morning. Unfortunately I must have pulled something and my arm is now quite sore. But, it did start coming apart pretty nicely just using the hammer end of my splitting maul. Here are some pics.


I started with smashing the poured center. Like the suggestion, I tapped around to hear for a hollow sound. The brick was solid, but the poured center sounded more hollow, so I started there.
http://ecorenovator.org/pictures/solar002.JPG



Pretty quickly, the brick on the sides started to push away. A little more tapping and I was able to pull it away with my hands.
http://ecorenovator.org/pictures/solar003.JPG

Daox,

It's a year later. What did you end up doing with the rest of the concrete? Jack hammer, sledge, put it on the back burner?

I had to take out a 20 x 15 footing a previous owner had poured in the back yard. The local tool place wanted 150.00 a day to rent a jack hammer. I'm 45 and in relatively good shape... or so I thought. Long story short, Harbor Freight sells a 400.00 electric jack hammer. I bit the bullet and bought it. I spent about an hour a day after work, and viola! No more footing and no muscle strain.

Let's see... 2 days at 150.00 a day = 300.00 plus Chiropracter 4 times = 120.00 plus 3 days of missed work, roughly 1000.00

Grand total = 1420.00

My lazy, pain free solution, 400.00 and two weeks for an hour a day.

And now I have a jack hammer that paid for itself that I can rent to people if I need to and/or have it available when I decide to tear something else up.