# How to Remove a Concrete Footing
Concrete footings are comprised of cement and masonry sand. Their most common use is to anchor a fence post, a deck post or shed posts into the ground. When a fence, deck or shed is erected, the support posts are placed into a hole in the ground and filled with wet concrete; the concrete is the footing, or footer. In the instance a fence, shed or deck is taken down, the concrete footers must also be removed to unearth the support posts.
Things You'll Need
- Work gloves
- Shovel
- Safety glasses
- Electric jackhammer
Instructions
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1
Put on work gloves and dig around the support posts, making a hole at least 2 feet deep by 1 foot wide to expose the concrete footing.
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2
Put on safety glasses and plug in an electric jackhammer. Set the jackhammer chisel directly onto the concrete footer and begin to break it up. Chisel away the concrete footing, breaking off large pieces of concrete around the support post.
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3
Pause periodically, shut off the jackhammer and pull out loose pieces of the concrete footing, setting them aside.
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4
Continue to break up the concrete footing with the jackhammer until the support post comes free. Then remove all the loose concrete pieces from the hole and back-fill the hole with the excavated dirt to finish.
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Fences & Walls
- How to Remove Support Columns
- How to Remove Concrete from Rock
- How to Remove Rebar From Concrete
- How to Remove Initials From Concrete
- How to Remove Mold From Concrete
- How to Remove Concrete Scars
- How to Remove Concrete Parging
- How to Remove Concrete Paint
- How to Remove Deck Footing
- How to Pour a Footing
- How to Remove Rebar
- How to Remove Concrete Steps
