Breaking up a concrete path

[amfisted]

Outside my kitchen door there's a concrete pathway which is badly pitted and discoloured with moss. The area in question is about 1m wide by 5m long, and in the Spring I intend to break it up and replace it with concrete flagstones. The gully for the kitchen waste is at the far end of the area to be broken up, and I noticed yesterday that the inside surface of the gully outlet is cracked so I intend to install a new, plastic gully before laying the flags.

The old concrete is about four inches thick and laying on sand, and I'm going to have a shot at breaking it up with a sledgehammer before I go to the expense of hiring jackhammer.

Question is this: at the end where the gully is, how great is the risk that vibration from breaking up the concrete will damage the glazed drain pipe? Would it be wise to stop short with the sledgehammer when I get to that area and use a bolster and hammer instead?

OK if the pipe DOES break it should be easy enough to expose and replace it with plastic, but I'd rather avoid that if possible. Ta muchly.

 

[CambridgeBrummie]

At 4" thick, you are going to struggle with breaking it up with a sledge hammer! You certainly won't touch the concret with a bolster and hammer. Probably just worth replacing the pipe if you break it. I'd hire a jackhammer for the weekend.

 

[amfisted]

I suppose that must have been Superman that I saw on Youtube swinging a sledgehammer.

Jackhammer it is then, cheers.

 

[kazuya]

depends on the concrete, by all means try the sledge hammer first, if theres any way of levering the concrete up a fraction before you hit it, it will break a lot easier.

 

[amfisted]

It would certainly save money if I could manage it with a sledgehammer, but I don't want to end up spending it on physiotherapy instead.

From the little bit of exploratory digging that I've done, the concrete pathway around the property appears to be at least four inches thick. It was put down during the early 70s, possibly during a long hot summer, so I don't think its gonna give up without a fight.

Perhaps a few trial blows of a sledgie will help me to make a decision.

 

[MattChan]

As kazuya said get a long bar under it to lift it slightly and give it a good hit. Once you get that first crack in it its not too bad... unless there is some sneaky rebar in there....

 

[amfisted]

Thanks again. Kind of looking forward to the job, even if my back isn't.

 

[noseall]

Pickaxe and sledge. A few well aimed smart blows will crack the conc easily one you create a slight hollow beneath it.
Watch out for any washing lines.

 

[amfisted]

Pickaxe...right. Another thing for my list. TBH I should have bought one months ago because our garden is clay, and although in the current weather its a squelching morass, in the summer the ground was rock hard and my brother in law's pickaxe came in very handy for breaking when planting my roses.
I'll drop some more birthday hints.