What is a Concrete Breaker?

What is a Concrete Breaker?

A concrete demolition breaker is a hammer fitted to an excavator, which can demolish robust building materials like brick, concrete, rocks, and mortar.

These power tools can be invaluable if conducting any demolition work, whether you’re getting rid of an outbuilding or removing concrete paths.

Demolition breakers are available for use for DIYers who want to undertake some demolition work before starting on their new project.

You may also see concrete breakers referred to as concrete hammers, demolition hammers, jack hammers, or hammer drills. They all do the same job, but there are slight variations in the nature of material they can break.

Some will only work on certain depths, and others are easier to hold for vertical breaking work.

How does a breaker work?

The hammer acts as a chisel, and the excavator drives this hammer up and down with force. It strikes a surface, before moving back up to its starting position, and then repeats the strike action.

This repeated action causes stress for the material, meaning it eventually weakens and chunks break away.

What types of breakers are there?

There are several different types of breakers available.

• Larger demolition floor breakers (often referred to as heavy duty concrete breakers) are suitable for large areas of flooring, and occasionally walls, in construction environments where high impact breaking is needed to demolish thick surfaces.
• Demolition breakers (also known as demolition hammers) are better suited to DIY environments. They are designed to break smaller areas of flooring and are easier to use in order to break up walls and similar. They commonly work on depths of up to 125mm.
• A rotary hammer drill can act as a smaller chisel, ideal for removing tiles or smaller areas such as mortar around existing bricks, or drilling

The best for you depends on the job. For removing a home driveway or path, a demolition breaker likely offers enough impact energy, but if breaking through really thick flooring, a dedicated floor breaker will save you time.

You also need to think about the power supply. Petrol and diesel can only be used in well-ventilated areas, so if working indoors (such as removing a garage floor), use battery-powered or electric if possible.

Never use a breaker that is too heavy for you to handle and manage. This will cause injury.

Consult your local Speedy Hire depot if you’re unsure which breaker to hire for your particular job!

IS THERE CONCRETE BREAKER HIRE NEAR ME?

Yes. Speedy Hire, the UK's leading tool hire company, have a range of breakers for hire nationwide, including heavy breakers, floor breakers, demolition breakers and hammer drills.

Speedy has more than 200 service centres across the nation, hire counters in selected B&Qs and nationwide 4-hour delivery, tool hire has never been easier.

You’ll find all the tools you need right here. Why not start planning your next DIY project and open a Speedy account today online and instore.