The Brew Cabin

Posted: **Wed May 30, 2007 6:35 pm**

Hiya fellas,

I'm after a bit of advice regarding my back yard. It's 15' x 9' and currently concreted. There have been a couple of holes drilled near the middle and it looks to be about 5" thick.

I'm looking to get rid of the concrete so I can make it into something a bit more attractive. As you can see, the concrete goes right up to the walls on all sides, so my first question is:

Is it worth hiring a breaker for the weekend based on the amount that needs breaking, and will I have any problems with the concrete going right up to the walls?

Secondly, the drain is an old clay one, which looks like it is cemented to a clay underground pipe. This drain is set into the concrete.

Is it likely that using a breaker is going to damage the clay pipe? (I'm not bothered about the actual drain, as I was planning on replacing it with a PVC one). What would be the best way of removing the drain from the concrete and from the pipe?

I hope someone can help me out here - I'd love to get this sorted but don't want to end up just making a c@*k up of it.

Alternatively, if anyone in the Newcastle area would like to quote me for the job ??? .......

Thanks in advance

Posted: **Wed May 30, 2007 6:46 pm**

Hire a JCB Beaver breaker for a day. Make sure you have both a point and chisel bits for it.

Work towards the drain - do you know roughly in which direction the pipe runs? Dig/break down carefully and expose the pipe - then you can cut it off with a saw and then connect 100mm plastic to it using an AC4000 rubber collar.

Posted: **Wed May 30, 2007 6:47 pm**

Oh and make sure you wear hearing and eye protection, very important.

Posted: **Wed May 30, 2007 8:30 pm**

Thanks for the quick reply Dave.

The pipe runs towards the bottom left of the photo.

Do I need a breaker as substantial as a beaver, or will I get away with an electric heavy duty one like the ones you can hire from HSS?

Posted: **Wed May 30, 2007 10:20 pm**

i dont know about beakers but bigger is often better
would try with a sledge hammer it gets easier the more you do
and you get to drink the money that you would have spent at hss

andy

Posted: **Wed May 30, 2007 11:41 pm**

sledge +concrete yard=broken window
makita do some nice hand held breakers,i imaggin you would do it in a day,but like dave says ,make a hole then work back from that like 20 mm at a time
if you try and do big chunks the bit will get stuck
cheers LLL

Posted: **Thu May 31, 2007 9:26 am**

Whats a Beaver Breaker gonna cost to hire for a day? Â£25/Â£30? Money well spent if you ask me.

Posted: **Thu May 31, 2007 11:15 am**

Looks like the beaver is the way forward then

Any recomendation as to the best place to hire from?

Posted: **Thu May 31, 2007 9:13 pm**

Any hire shop will have them.

Posted: **Thu May 31, 2007 10:07 pm**

Lord Tool Hire around Newcastle have always been friendly and helpful when I've dealt with them.

This is their 'breaking' price list

Ian

Posted: **Thu May 31, 2007 10:31 pm**

makita 11 kg sds max we use
nothing has beaten it yet
obviously hydraulic is stronger but loads heavier and more awkward
good luck
LLL

Posted: **Fri Jun 01, 2007 6:43 am**

I assume access is OK for a wheeled hydraulic pack?

Posted: **Fri Jun 01, 2007 7:57 am**

Access is via a normal 2' 6" back gate, so should be fine.

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions - once I get a free weekend I'll be at that concrete like a half starved bobcat :p

The Brew Cabin

Breaking up small yard