With a boulder in my basement, I'm feelin' kinda older
August 16, 2013 12:13 PM   Subscribe

How can get a GIANT BOULDER out of my basement? It's from the old foundation, and it's too big and unwieldy for four people to lift. It also won't fit through the door unless it were somehow shifted to it's narrow side (on which it wouldn't balance, so it would have to be supported by the four people who can't lift it). Is there some way to break it apart? (I've got no overhead to swing a sledge hammer). Or any other thoughts? This feels like something the geologists and engineers could help me with!
posted by largecorp to Home & Garden (24 answers total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
Is it... a rock? Or a piece of concrete? You got any pics? In any case the answer is probably "break it into smaller pieces" but how hard that is depends on what it's made of.
posted by RustyBrooks at 12:14 PM on August 16, 2013


Seconding the request for pictures. Geologists are much more helpful when they know what kind of rock they're dealing with.
posted by pie ninja at 12:14 PM on August 16, 2013 [2 favorites]


A jackhammer is probably what you need.
posted by ShooBoo at 12:18 PM on August 16, 2013 [3 favorites]


Is there some way to break it apart? (I've got no overhead to swing a sledge hammer)

A jackhammer doesn't need any overhead, maybe you can rent one.
posted by Dr Dracator at 12:18 PM on August 16, 2013


Might be easier to dig a hole and bury it.
posted by 445supermag at 12:19 PM on August 16, 2013


Could you not dig a pit, and tip it into that? We had a big one that was granite and too hard to break apart with a jack hammer. We had to leave ours in place and design around it.
posted by bonobothegreat at 12:19 PM on August 16, 2013


I like the jackhammer idea, and you can rent an electric demo hammer for not too much (I've done that for assorted projects).

One other option: Get an impact drill and a big masonry bit. Drill a set of holes in the rock. Get some wood that swells fairly well. Dry it out in the oven, cut it into stakes, pound it into the holes. Pour water in the holes. Let wood swell up. Challenge here would be to keep it wet for long enough for that water to really get the wood to swell.
posted by straw at 12:25 PM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]


I was going to be tongue in cheek and recommend that you find a sculpting student and commission it as an art piece.

But then I thought about it and wondered what's your timeframe to get rid of this? If it's a really long time, you could just keep a hammer and chisel near it at all times, and everytime you go downstairs you pick at it a little bit. Argument with the SO? Kids driving you crazy? Go chip at the rock.
posted by CathyG at 12:32 PM on August 16, 2013 [28 favorites]


1) When chiseling rock, you'll probably want to wear safety glasses every single time. Read more about safety.

2) If you decide to use a jackhammer or something, cover every single inch of the place (walls, windows, floor) with something protective. Rocks can fly out and break stuff, dust will probably get everywhere. Again, read stuff.

3) Personally, I'd love to have a giant mysterious rock in my basement. Can you use it as a decorative novel item or something?
posted by amtho at 12:40 PM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]


If you try to break it apart, wear proper safety glasses with every single swing. Not only do you run the risk of flying rock bits or dust getting into your eye, but also sparks - geologists doing field work always wear protection for their eyes, as virtually every one of them knows someone who has been blinded or suffered an eye injury when splitting rocks.

And add me to the group of people asking for a picture so we can see more about this boulder. It seems to me that you should be able to break it into portable chunks with a sledgehammer by simply swinging it underhand, if you can't swing it over your shoulder, but the added time & effort this method would bring might not be worth it. I'm intrigued by the problem, though, and wonder what else we might suggest.
posted by AthenaPolias at 12:52 PM on August 16, 2013 [2 favorites]


I know this was on an episode of the Dick Van Dyke show

It's "Your Home Sweet Home Is My Home" (available on Hulu). I didn't watch it, but it sounds like they just tar/waterproof it.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 12:56 PM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]


You want to search for non-explosive demolition or non-explosive cracking. Basically you drill holes and fill them with an expanding mortar, which generates enough force to crack it from the inside. Here's a few that jumped out at me:

Bentonamit (check the time-lapse videos)
Crack-Easy
Bustar

Note that you'll have to drill holes in the rock for any of these to work. Depending on what the rock's made of this could be easy or very difficult. Most foundation stones are limestone, which is pretty soft, but most foundation stones aren't terribly big, so this might be something else. In any case, rent a hammer drill made for drilling stone & concrete. You'll want the big tools.
posted by echo target at 1:05 PM on August 16, 2013 [5 favorites]


Best answer: In our last move and subsequent construstion-related appliance-relocating, I was absolutely shocked at how much easier everything was when we used lifting straps. Their best feature is turning something bulky and awkward that it's hard to get a grip on or hard to fit enough people around into something with handles. That sounds kind of ideal for moving a rock, especially one that you need to rotate to get out the door, you'd just have to roll it into the sling as you pick it up. Granted, they're designed for two people moving appliances, so you'd probably want to make some adjustments, maybe using extra straps to add handholds for more people, sewing some together (velcro!) to create more of a sling so you don't have to worry about the rock falling out of the straps, etc.

That said, you'll probably have to bust it in half anyway, if it's as big as it sounds, but the straps are a great way to move the pieces if nothing else.
posted by aimedwander at 1:07 PM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]


Hey I'm a geologist. Some rocks can be pretty hard. Before you rent a jackhammer check out whether you can chip it with a regular hammer or whether it just sparks and rings. Scratch it a steel knife and heavy pressure and see if you can gouge or whether it skitters off without a mark. Those tests will give you a good idea of whether a jackhammer will help.


Honestly a round boulder is a very stable shape too, no long pieces to take advantage of or joints to pry open. I have seen boulders that defy hoe rams and grind away drill bit after drill bit, so don't spend too much time on the breaking idea if it seems like a tough nut to crack.
posted by cakebatter at 1:14 PM on August 16, 2013 [5 favorites]


Re: hammer drill, same as the jackhammer, won't work very well if the rock is harder than the bit (granite, quartzite, andesite, basalt can be hard as $@@&), but hopefully you got a soft rock.
posted by cakebatter at 1:20 PM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]


Best answer: This sounds like the perfect excuse to buy some liquid nitrogen.

I don't know for sure if it would work, but you could form some cracks in the rock or drill it, put water in, and use the liquid nitrogen to freeze it. Repeat on the deeper cracks that have formed. Wear appropriate safety gear -- safety glasses, heavy protective clothing, steel toed boots in case you drop a chunk of rock on your foot.

If it doesn't work, worst case is either fun with liquid nitrogen or terrible bodily injury and property damage. I'd be much more comfortable going this route than trying to move it through a door with lifting straps or bringing a jackhammer down to the basement.

You could try calling companies that sell large rocks to see what they would charge to remove it.
posted by yohko at 2:59 PM on August 16, 2013


I'd go with the cracking stuff; it's pretty astonishing how well that works. When you drill your holes for that, make sure the rock is stable and can't tilt under the pressure of your jackhammer won't rock or roll the boulder. That may mean adding wood chocks under it, or the like.

Eye protection-- don't skimp, and remember there's a difference between impact protection and chemical protection. Don't use the goggles from your last chemistry class. Where flying rock is concerned, those goggles... they do nothing.
posted by Sunburnt at 4:11 PM on August 16, 2013 [2 favorites]


Before you do anything else, make sure this thing isn't part of the foundation of your house.

With some older houses that were built on rocky properties, land where it was dang near impossible to dig a regular foundation hole, the rock outcrops were actually incorporated into the foundation --- and with this boulder in your basement, I'll bet that's exactly what happened. PLEASE get a professional to check it over BEFORE you try any kind of jackhammering, drilling, cracking, sledgehammering, or anything else, to ensure you don't bring down your entire house.
posted by easily confused at 6:06 PM on August 16, 2013 [6 favorites]


I would first try just putting it on a dolly (a cart with wheels; maybe even the two-wheeled type used to move fridges and such would do) with some sort of framework built to size out of wood to hold it on its narrow edge, and wheel it out. Put planks on the stairs so you can roll/haul it up.
Breaking up a rock that size is a serious, possibly futile, undertaking.
posted by Flashman at 8:42 PM on August 16, 2013


Drill holes every three inches or so in the line you want it to crack and then fill with sawdust. Slowly drip water into the sawdust and the expanding wood should be enough to crack the stone. It is how things were quarries in the bronze age. If it is granite or something very hard that you can't drill, maybe you can turn it into a coffee table?
posted by koolkat at 4:14 AM on August 17, 2013 [1 favorite]


Best answer: If it's quite warm in the basement, getting it very cold along a line might cause the thermal difference to crack it. Or, wait for winter, let the basement and rock get quite cold, and pour boiling water in 1 area. Cracking a big rock could cause part of a big rock to land on you in a dangerous way, so devise a plan accordingly.

I'd probably call somebody at the nearest rock quarry, and ask advice, maybe find a specialist to hire.
posted by theora55 at 10:43 AM on August 18, 2013


Response by poster: Amazing answers here!

I'm away from the house so I can't post photos. The rock in question was at some time part of the foundation, but got blasted out during some long-ago remodel.

I'm going to try a little bit of everything until the dang thing is gone. It's not big enough to be interesting, just big enough to be in the way in a very cramped area.

As always, this is my favorite place on the web--thanks!
posted by largecorp at 5:40 AM on August 19, 2013


Do not use liquid nitrogen if your basement is enclosed (as most basements are) and doesn't have vigorous ventilation. The nitrogen will displace oxygen and could lead to death by nitrogen asphyxiation
posted by Mitheral at 6:11 AM on August 19, 2013 [2 favorites]


As much as I like liquid nitrogen and playing with liquid nitrogen, I'd be reluctant to try it for two reasons:
  1. it's a liquid. It splashes and spills, and gets stuck in cloth (like cotton clothing), and you're working in an enclosed space with limited access.
  2. rock has a lot of thermal mass. It won't be as easy as "pour it in a crack, magic happens", it'll be a lot of nitrogen in the hopes that something will happen.
Be careful. Liquid nitrogen is fun, but it takes way more than you think (I think last time I used it we went through on the order of 4 liters to make a quart of ice cream, we had 5 liters, though, so that was okay, but when we started pouring it on the counters it splashed and poured everywhere...), and as benign as it can be still deserves respect.
posted by straw at 8:32 AM on August 19, 2013


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