Concrete pillar demolition woes

Dodgyrog

Dodgyrog

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Just spent best part of a day (well I'm currently suffering with Covid o_O) demolishing / removing the outer brick skin of a 1.5 metre high brick gate pillar and am now left with the central concrete core, same height and around 35cm square. It's worryingly solid, with a small stub of scaffold pole poking out the top and what looks to be smaller dia steel rods around at the base about 3cm in where I started chipping it away. Looks like someone did a proper job but it needs to be gone in the next 2 days.

Whilst I sit nursing sore arms and sipping max strength lemsips with a foggy head the only immediate option short of an airstrike or pulling the back axle off my 4x4 is to start cutting away all around with my 9" angle grinder - but that's only got around a 3" depth cut ..... or am I missing a trick? There's a tool rental co. not too far away but any recommendations to allow me a more relaxed sleep greatly appreciated.:(

It's nigh on impossible to know how deep it all goes as its locked between driveway, a tree stump and, just to add some fun factor.... the gas main :eek:. It only needs to be removed down to ground level though.
 
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Yep, same here, started with SDS that bounced off.
Hence moved up to a breaker.

Don't have experience to suggest which to hire.

Tried to hire 'big' one from hire shop, they asked what for, laughed at me, and hired me one this size which (they were correct) was perfectly suited for taking down this sized concrete lump.

These are also a good price to buy which is why I suggested it if you have other future work.
 
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SFK said:
Yep, same here, started with SDS that bounced off.
Hence moved up to a breaker.

Don't have experience to suggest which to hire.

Tried to hire 'big' one from hire shop, they asked what for, laughed at me, and hired me one this size which (they were correct) was perfectly suited for taking down this sized concrete lump.

These are also a good price to buy which is why I suggested it if you have other future work.
Click to expand...

Cheers - I'll have chat with the hire guys. I doubt I'll have future use and don't have much storage space so the thinking is I'd rather pay £40ish to hire a heavy duty £400 bit of kit that will def do the job as opposed to possibly struggling with £150 bit of kit. I'm a mech engineer with a fair eye for things and now I've googled breakers and also saw how the concrete block just "rang" :confused:when I clouted it with a hefty lump hammer I'm thinking a heavy duty one is a safer bet.
 
Yep - the hire shop version made a world of difference - typical "why did I not hire this at start of day" thoughts.
Also hire one was better for having less vibration issues on hands.
Downside to hire shop was additional cost of 110V power supply.

Remember eye safety and dust mask.
 
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You can cut deeper with a 9" grinder - a series of horizontal slots and bash it out to make space for a deeper cut. The turbo blades I have will cut rebar as well.
 
As King says - and I guess means a petrol one ? You could stand it on the ground with the blade vertical and just push against the concrete- make enough cuts to weaken it and carry on with smaller tools . Hire shop will advise ;)
 
Nige F said:
As King says - and I guess means a petrol one ? You could stand it on the ground with the blade vertical and just push against the concrete- make enough cuts to weaken it and carry on with smaller tools . Hire shop will advise ;)
Click to expand...

Personally I have an Evolution electric one, but petrol will do the same and will have the benefit of water to suppress dust if needed.

A 300mm disc will cut around 100mm deep, so I'd chop enough out on one side to allow a second deeper cut (i.e. to 200mm depth). That'll take you through the scaffold pole (the disc cutter will cut through this.

Then you can cut round the other side and that'll be pretty much all the way through.

Be careful to always stand to the side, as it may topple early.
 
Thanks all for the input - it came down a bit easier than expected in the end and with just my disc cutter doing the horizontal cuts as mentioned above. That's the beauty of just asking others - as I would have done angled cuts (like chopping a tree down) whereas going horizontal and whacking out the section worked a treat.! Bizarrely... and luckily.....the central scaffold pole stopped a fraction above where I was cutting so once I'd gone in so far it was just a brittle core which snapped with a some hefty pushing rather than the reinforced nightmare I was anticipating. It really was a hard solid concrete chunk.... but that's also the strangest looking rebar I've seen in a while o_O

Now just need to cut it up in to sections but at least the skip lorry can get on the drive now for the builders to start my extension next week.

Thanks again all.... off back to bed to shake off this piggin covid.... :sleep:
 

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