Breaking Up a Cement Slab to Replace a Pipe
- 1). Take precautions by donning the proper safety gear prior to beginning the slab removal process. Wear safety glasses and a dust mask as well as thick work gloves.
- 2). Remove all items from the top of the slab as well as any objects located near the slab, since flying cement chunks can cause damage.
- 3). Dig the soil out from underneath one corner of the slab until you have at least a 3- to 4-inch gap between the bottom of the slab and the soil. This gap will allow you to lift the slab up.
- 4). Insert a pick or a pry bar under the edge of the cement slab that you freed. Pull the handle of the tool away from the slab and down toward the ground to lift it up slightly. Ask another person to hold the tool in place, thus keeping the slab elevated.
- 5). Hit the top of the cement slab using a sledge hammer and striking it on the raised area, which causes cracks. Continue hitting the slab until no more cracks develop.
- 6). Pick up the broken cement chunks and place them in a wheelbarrow.
- 7). Ask the other person to slide the pick or pry bar up under another solid piece of the slab while you hit it with the sledge hammer. Continue this process until the entire slab is removed, or the area where the pipe lies is exposed.
