How to remove concrete lump from yard floor?

[SSW83]

Hi,

This is a bit strange, but in my back yard is a lump of concrete that I want to remove. The floor of the yard has been concreted over and it looks like whoever did the work has filled a bucket with concrete, upturned it and let it set. I'd like to remove it if possible, ideally without making a hole in the floor where it was. Any ideas on how to achieve this? I was thinking hammer and chisel, but that could take some time as it's about a foot in diameter!

Also, has anyone got any idea why they've done this? Seems a bizarre thing to do. I would've thought it was too low down to be useful for anything.

 

[Tigercubrider]

Picture?

A hammer drill and loads of holes might help remove the bulk, then an angle grinder to try to even it off?
I doubt that you'd be able to grind it flat with no remedial work but worth a try

 

[SSW83]

Thanks for the reply. I'll take a photo later and upload it.

 

[Alec_t]

Before attacking it, check with a metal detector to make sure it's not a protective cover for some pipe etc.

 

[SSW83]

I've attached a couple of photos showing the offending bit of concrete. The wall with the window visible is the external wall of the rear reception room, and the wall to the left is the yard wall.

There aren't any radiators on the inside of the external wall in the rear reception room. However, nearby is an unidentified pipe which must be redundant or capped off (I've attached a picture this also). What kind of metal detector should I use?

Thanks for help so far.

 

[Tigercubrider]

Wow

That's weird! Is it actually stuck down?
I'd be tempted to thump it with a lump hammer

 

[bobsuerita]

lol looks like someone left a bucket of concrete up side down for a while

 

[Burnerman]

Is the brickwork corner unpainted.....there hasn't been a down comer fixed in there at some time, and the concrete is capping off a drain?
The internal pipe is a gas pipe, typically for a gas fire.
John

 

[SSW83]

Yeah, it's stuck down. Before being informed it may have a pipe in it I had given it a good kick and it didn't budge at all.

The downcomer hypothesis seems like a reasonable one. We actually don't have a drain from the gutters on our property at the back; we must use next doors... Come to think of it, we've actually got some damp in the top corner of the room where that hypothetical pipe would have been. If there was a pipe there, why would it have been removed completely, and not replaced?

 

[foxhole]

If a down pipe was removed the gutter may have been poorly joined leading to rain getting to wall and causing damp internally.

 

[Bosswhite]

Maybe yours and your neighbours guttering was renewed at the same time and it was decided that a down pipe was not needed on your section of the wall, hence the blocking of the drain

 

[SSW83]

Seems like I need to give next door a knock and see if they can fill in any of the blanks.

I've been in the house less than a year, and I am realising just how little I know about it. The house was originally a two up, two down, as was the rest of the row, and at some later date they were all extended to add a kitchen on the back, on the ground floor, and a bathroom and 3rd bedroom on the first floor. This extension is not full width, so there are two separate gutters on the back of the house. One on the extension, which is adjoined to next door, and the run off from this is handled by the downcomer on next door's property, the other gutter is on the back of the original property, at the bottom of which is the mysterious concrete lump. I'm going to confirm this later, but I'm 99% certain that this gutter has no downcomer at all. Why this would be, I have no idea.

 

[SSW83]

I've uploaded a few more photos. There is no gutter on the original part of the house at the back... Is this conventional? I've had a look at a few houses down my road and they are the same. In the top left corner you can see that the water-resistant cover is coming away, and I'm assuming that's why we have damp in that corner of the room. I'll get that sorted.

The photo with the arrow is showing the location of the concrete lump (on the other side of the yard wall). Could it be assumed that there was never downcomer there, given there is no gutter on mine or my neighbours houses?

 

[foxhole]

Looks like there should be guttering above that window, can't see anything preventing rain running off the roof down the walls around the window ?

 

[Alec_t]

What kind of metal detector should I use?

Any kind you can beg, borrow or even buy .