Low Tech Question -- Removing Concrete Steps

[[JiF][AARP]Tissueman]

Quite a few years ago we added a deck to our house. The concrete steps from the back door were partially removed, but there is still a pretty good chunk of concrete there - three steps and the remains of the pad that used to be at the door. A few years ago a possum decided to live and die under the steps. I was able to remove him once I realized the source of the odor in my kitchen. It has happened again only this time whatever it is is too far under the steps to reach. I tried digging it out to no avail. I put a treble hook on the end of a pole, but can't reach the end of the little burrow it made under the steps.

While I know explosives would work, there are obvious downsides. Any ideas on how to remove the steps? I was considering drilling holes in the top and filling them with water this winter to start cracking them. I know I can't get a jack hammer under there (plus being old I'm not sure I would want to try). I don't need to get it all out, I'd just like to reduce it to a reasonable pile.

In the meantime I've wrapped it with chicken wire stretching about 1.5 feet on the ground around it to keep out new occupants. I'm hoping it gets cold again fast and will run our little scent machine to mask the odor. Unfortunately, the steps are at the kitchen door so we get that rotting meat smell in a room we use quite a bit.

[[JiF]DispDave]

Host a LAN and invite a bunch of us Jiffers over. We'll git-r-done!

[[JiF]Mike]

Check out a local equipment rental place, you could rent a jack hammer which would make short work of it.

[[JiF][AARP]Jimbo]

Can you reach the hole? not all the way in but can you easily reach the hole itself? I was just thinking that if you could maybe you could fill the hole with something and eliminate the smell that way, like say cement or maybe that foam insulation you can by at home depot the stuff that expands. There is only one way to remove the cement and that requires breaking it up.

[[JiF]rIot]

I would say drill a lot of relief holes and try using a sledge hammer? Do you have pics of the concrete steps? Maybe it could make for an easier evaluation

[[JiF][AARP]Jimbo]

If I understand what Tissue is saying the steps are actually under the new or not so new deck. So you don't have a lot of over head room to work.

[[JiF]DispDave]

Check out a local equipment rental place, you could rent a jack hammer which would make short work of it.

Apparently Mike missed this portion of Tissue's post

I know I can't get a jack hammer under there (plus being old I'm not sure I would want to try).

[[JiF][AARP]Tissueman]

I think if I can get the first two steps off it will give me enough access to reach the dead critter. I'm considering the drill holes and break it up method per rIot's recommendation or undercut with a diamond tip saw and break it up. It's raining today so I won't try anything. I don't like using power tools in the rain.

[[JiF][AARP]Grimp]

Rodenator

I think I need a picture to see the size, but cutting it with a saw and then use a chisel and sledge hammer to break it up. You can get a diamond blade for a small circular saw.
How bout flushing the critter out with water. If its a opossum how do you know he is not just faking it

[[JiF]Lonewolf]

If your going to drill holes in it then use a 1" hammer drill. It will be around twice as big or a little more then a standard drill but will hammer its way as it drills and might break some of the concrete off a little easier then trying to hit with a sledge hammer or something. Check some of the rental joints as they usualy have different size hammer drills. Here I can rent a 3/8" all the up to a 3" hammer drill which is getting into being a small jack hammer. I have used a 1" hammer drill to drill holes into a footer for tie down bolts and it works so much better then a regular drill.

[[JiF][AARP]Tissueman]

I sealed all the cracks I could with expandable insulating foam. I had to run the nozzle into a flexible plastic pipe (I used a faucet connection pipe and duct taped it up) to reach all the way behind the steps. The tape blew out in one place so I held my hand over the connection to finish the job. Just as it says on the can, do NOT get this stuff on your skin. I had to pour a couple of inches of acetone in a small bucket and wash my hands to get it off.

I thought I might be able to dig under the first step and break it off with a sledge, but it was thicker than I expected. I used a second can of foam to seal up more cracks, but I don't think I'll be able to completely contain the odor. I'm running an electric scent machine in the kitchen when it gets too bad. This is my plan through the 27th when I go away for a week. I'll deal with getting rid of the concrete steps when I get back.

[[JiF]rIot]

Rodenator

I think I need a picture to see the size, but cutting it with a saw and then use a chisel and sledge hammer to break it up. You can get a diamond blade for a small circular saw.
How bout flushing the critter out with water. If its a opossum how do you know he is not just faking it

Hahaha, I dont know if a possum can smell like a dead carcass upon will

[[JiF][AARP]Tissueman]

Progress: The good news is that we don't smell the dead animal in the kitchen anymore. I attribute this to two things:
1. I filled the rest of the cracks with expanding insulating foam.
2. My wife noticed that we'd get a strong whiff of the odor when we opened the back door. She left the storm door cracked preventing odor build up in the area.

I still plan to remove the concrete, but I'll probably wait for warmer and dryer weather.

Thanks for all the advice. Look for some demolition pics later in the year.