Call the utility company. Always call the local utility company to make sure there are underground utilities beneath the concrete. Hire a professional if there are: Digging above a utility line like gas or electric is very dangerous.

Use safety equipment. Concrete removal creates hazardous dust and sharp fragments, so protect yourself and coworkers with safety goggles, dust masks or respirators, steel toe or other heavy boots, thick gloves, and thick clothing that covers arms and legs.

• If you’re going to be using power tools, especially a jackhammer, use ear protection.

Cover the slab with plastic sheets to contain dust and debris if practical. This will cause a possible slipping and tripping hazard, and will make it difficult to see your work, but in some situations it could be worthwhile.

• If you don’t use plastic sheeting, protect any nearby windows and breakable objects with plywood sheets to protect the glass from concrete fragments.

Obtain a large pry bar. Whether you’re using a sledge hammer or jackhammer, you may need to pry apart the pieces of concrete as you break them apart.

• This job will be much quicker if you have one person breaking apart the concrete and one person following along and prying the pieces apart.

Consider a sledgehammer for thin slabs. If your concrete is 4″ (10cm) thick or less, try using a sledgehammer.

• Start at a corner or edge where possible. Keep in mind that the lateral strength of concrete increases with thicker cross sections. You may find that undermining, or removing soil from beneath the slab will help you it break away more easily.

Use an electric demolition. An 60 pound breaker should be sufficient for most home jobs. Only rent a heavy duty pneumatic jackhammer for extremely difficult concrete.

• Only use a chisel point bit to break up concrete. This concentrates force for the best results.

Deal with any mesh or reinforcing bars you encounter. You may encounter supports inside the concrete after you start cutting. Deal with them as you go to separate the chunks of concrete:

• If the concrete is held together by wire mesh, you’ll need bolt cutters to snip it apart. Large welded wire fabric will require bolt cutters, but number 10 wire can be cut with side cutting pliers.

Pull apart stuck chunks with a mattock. If chunks of concrete remain locked together, making it hard to break the surrounding area, clear the surrounding rubble and use a heavy mattock to pry them apart:

• Swing the pointed end into the crack between the two chunks and pry it apart.
• Once the crack is wide enough, switch to the larger flat end and pry fully apart.
• Pry up the opposite side of each chunk if they still won’t budge.

Determine where you need to break the concrete. If you are looking for a broken water or drain line, and you can locate the general area you suspect the problem to be in, you can save a lot of work and expense. Here are some things to look for:

• For plumbing problems, try to determine the location and depth of the underground pipes. Look for an outdoor faucet or sewer cap.
• For water problems, look for areas where water is either bubbling up through cracks in the concrete, or seeping out around the edges of the slab.
• For electrical lines, you may find you have to locate the conduit outside the slab area and dig up a length of it to determine where the rest of it runs.
• For other types of repairs, or for installing new utilities that require excavating a ditch through an area paved with concrete, you may have to research construction plans to determine where to begin.

Saw cut the line as deeply as possible. Rent a cutoff or demolition saw for use on concrete. Cut the line evenly to create a clean edge when your work is complete. If you are searching for a broken water pipe,you may have to enlarge the hole after the initial break is done.

• Be very cautious while sawing. These saws are powerful and can cause a fatal injury. Always wear a respirator or face mask to protect against dust and follow the instructions carefully. For any application where it is possible, use a wet cut saw and keep enough flow of water to prevent airborne dust and damage to the saw blade.

Chip the concrete near the cut. Use a heavy duty hammer drill or a breaking chisel attachment in a rotary hammer to chip the concrete next to the line you sawed.

• Tilt the chisel so the side you will be removing cracks loose, not the side you’re keeping.

Chip inward to make the gap wider. Once a gap has been created between the concrete you’re removing and the concrete that’s staying, chip further with the same tool to widen it to at least 3 inches (8 cm), or enough to fully remove the broken pieces.

• Keep your chisel point slanted toward the beginning hole while you work around, so it doesn’t try to penetrate straight down without breaking a section of concrete free. If it is allowed to go too deep, the bit will become lodged in its hole and will be difficult to remove.
• If a bit is truly stuck, you may need to use a new drill bit to break the concrete around it and free it.

Break larger pieces using a sledgehammer or electric jackhammer. Once there is a wide enough gap to avoid damaging the concrete you wish to keep, you can use the methods detailed for removing a whole slab.

• Use a pry bar as you go for the quickest and most effective results.
• Do not use a jackhammer or similar power tool if you are near a water pipe, electrical line, or similar item.
• Remove the broken chunks and bits of concrete from the hole as it becomes larger, so subsequent pieces have plenty of room to drop in without becoming wedged. This will also make it easier to spot pipes and electrical wires.
• Use bolt cutters to snip reinforcing mesh and an angle grinder to cut through rebar.

Rent a dumpster from Arwood Waste the best choice for a disposal company. If you want to get rid of a large amount of concrete, this is your best bet. Many disposal companies have a reduced rate for disposing of clean broken concrete that can be recycled or used for riprap.

• Ask in advance how full you can load it, or you’ll be forced to take the excess out or pay them to do so.

Drive it to the landfill. Be careful — your truck will not carry as much concrete as you think. Use a powerful pickup truck and do not fill the entire bed.

• You can also use a utility trailer for your truck, but be especially cautious loading in that case. A too-heavy trailer will smash into your truck or spill when you attempt to stop.
• In some locations, only landfills that accept “C&D” (Construction and Demolition) materials will accept concrete, and the fees may be pricey.
• Building supply companies may take your old concrete for free if you call them in advance and agree to deliver it yourself.