Tools That Cut Concrete For Interior French Drains

Concrete isn't very permeable; drains must sometimes be cut into it.

Concrete is a tough, cheap, and simple building material. Almost every modern building is at least partially made of concrete, as foundation walls and slabs are generally poured in place. This can be frustrating if a basement turns out to have drainage problems that require the installation of french drains. To install these flexible perforated pipes, the concrete must first be cut away along their path. There are several tools that can do this.

Cut-Off Saws

Cut-off saws are large, gas-powered saws with circular blades. When a diamond blade is fitted onto them, they can cut concrete. The blade will, however, wear down quite quickly. They can be rented from many home improvement stores. Rented models will usually be dry-cut, without a water hose keeping dust down. This makes the use of dust masks essential. To cut a drain path, a cut-off saw can be used to score the concrete before breaking it with a jackhammer.

Jackhammers

Jackhammers use an air compressor or an electric motor to drive a heavy metal blade downward to impact with the concrete. Electric models are easier to set up, as they don't need an air compressor and line, but they won't have as much hitting power as air-powered jackhammers. The result will be a messy cut. To use a jackhammer effectively, cut the edges of the path with a saw first. This is the best way to dig a drain trench through a concrete slab. The only other way would be to make many saw cuts and break the pieces off with a crowbar, but this is much slower and messier.

Chainsaws

Special chainsaws fitted with water spray systems and diamond blades can be used to make cuts in concrete. They are useful for cutting clean corners and difficult-to-reach spots that would be awkward with a large cut-off saw.

Ring Saws

Ring saws are similar to cut-off saws in appearance, but are built differently and cut deeper for a given blade diameter than cut-offs do. Since blades are quite expensive, this may make a ring saw a more economical choice for cutting through a thick concrete slab.

Precision Tools

Smaller versions of all these tools exist for detail work. Cut-off saws are available with small blade diameters and pneumatic chisels can do the job of a jackhammer, breaking up the concrete inside the area cut out by the saw.

References

• Tools of the Trade: Cutting Concrete - How a Pro Breaks Through