I started preparing the spot where the hot water tank is going to go. To do this, I needed to bust out a concrete pad that was in the basement. This will get the tank an additional 12-13" lower and help the drainback system work better.
This is the location of the tank and the pad that is in the way.
I started smashing the poured center of the concrete pad.
Quickly enough the bricks on the outside became loose and I was able to pull them away.