Breaking up concrete

[trevorbayliss]

I have hired a breaker for my garage base.

The perimeter has broken up easily as about 100mm thick.

The centre area is different however. It is much thicker and i have had the breaker on the corners for a good while and nothing has happened. Apparently this is the main area where the crasser worked as the guy was doing cut and shuts in the 90's.

So tomorrow i need to tackle this main area.

Do i switch the breaker head to be a smaller size or even the point ?

Tips appreciated.

Photo inc to help

 

[Notch7]

Always a point for concrete, using a chisel tip will make it hard work.

AFAIK, the wide points are for tarmac .........or chipping tiles off.

 

[trevorbayliss]

Ok, thanks. Just loaded the photo as it didn't seem to load first time.

I have been using the larger wide head today. Been fine on the thinner concrete, but useless on the bigger stuff.

Will try the point tomorrow.

 

[stuart45]

Get 2 points for when you get one stuck.

 

[pilsbury]

With very little experience of this, I too would choose the pointed chisel. Much more force on a tiny tip. When I bust up a hugely over engineered concrete pond it was the first break that was the hardest. After that went much better.

If it seems to be hard to get that first break, I’d dig out under one of the corners first to lessen the support. Good luck!

 

[23vc]

Go at it right at the edges where it’s weaker? Hire a bigger breaker?

 

[^woody^]

Get 2 points for when you get one stuck.

Nonsense. Why reward him? Zero points for getting it stuck.

 

[23vc]

But if he prizes it out...

 

[trevorbayliss]

Well i got going today and got most of the area out. The small flat head was the best one to use.

However the rear section of the garage base goes much deeper. It is 250-300mm deep here.

The breaker was just having very little effect.

So i decided to pack up and i am going to hire a mini digger with a breaker on it as i need to hire one anyway to shift all that soil into the old base area.

The garage was used apparently by the previous owner doing cut and shut car jobs.

I have 2 I beams in the floor. Could they be reused again safely. I need to span about 1.5m with a lintel on my extension and it will hold up a small section of external brick work. IF the steel is ok i could use it for this. But it has been in the ground for 20 yrs i think. What do you think ?