another "dryer" vent thru concrete

[normlguy]

my friend has tried everything to vent to his attic from the basement, and it just might be impossible.

his dryer vent is thru concrete to the outside about 2 ft from ground outside. is it possible to drill a 6in vent hole? i know he dont have the tools. is there one to rent?

maybe he should hire someone? if so, what trade would he look into?
kinda hard to think of a reason to tell someone why it would be needed though.

thanks

 

[STUPPA]

Sounds like a big job doing that, concrete is a bastard to drill thru and you also have reinforcement metal embedded in it to get thru . You will need a proper SDS drill and bits , i would'nt even bother trying to do it with a standard drill + bit it won't last long .

Not something i would try doing with limited knowledge , if you know any satalite dish installers or cable installers i'd ask them cos they will have the right equipment for the job and you could always say you need a bigger outlet to deal with your damp basement or are fitting air con or someting .

Don't you have a 6 " x 4 " air brick in there? most basements have to be fitted with them to deal with the damp , It would be alot easier to enlarge that than make a new hole .

 

[the gnome]

is it solid concrete or concrete cinder block?
if its solid concrete you can rent a hammer drill, get heavy duty one and it will go thru it like butter.
the sds mentioned above is a type of "quick change" drill bit

you'll also need a good chiesel or star punch and a small sledge hammer
to even out the hole
have fun

 

[STUPPA]

the sds mentioned above is a type of "quick change" drill bit

you'll also need a good chiesel or star punch and a small sledge hammer
to even out the hole
have fun

You should prob. read up on it bro http://www.sds-hammer-drill.com/sds-hammer-drill.php

You can use various bits in SDS drills and use them like a chisel, it beats using a sledge hammer and they absolutely piss on normal hammer drills, SDS is more like a jack hammer than a drill.

 

[normlguy]

ok so he is gonna go to this tool rental place and see what they have. if he is able to pull off one hole, he is gonna make 1 or 2 more. he is kinda nervous about him screwing up his foundation. is it possible to screw that up with a saw? a sledgehammer and chisel, yeah probably lol

 

[In~Plain~Site]

I wouldn't even attempt this, there has to be another way...there always is.

6" hole in concrete will be a bitch, could be as much a 12" to bore through.

I personally had to drill a 2" hole in my basement wall (for conduit to run electric) and it was quite the task, even with the right equipment.

GL

 

[normlguy]

there is another way. unfortunately to get to the attic it would go like this.

30 ft of duct horizontal in basement 3ft up into closet, 4ft up into bathroom into cabinet undersink, 3ft over thru wall into cabinet in kitchen, then finally into attic= 1567 degrees or so of bends.

the dryer vent is probably about 6in thru. wish him luck

 

[stillsmokin843]

the rental company should have a rotary hamer its a heavy duty hammer drill. normally a little more hevy duty than most sds drills although thoese would work. they have differnt bits drill and chipping bits.kinda a cross between a hammer drill and a mini jack hammer. they do also make a concrete boring drill but thats probably to big of a hole for that machine not to mention not the best tool for over head work. as far as doing it your selfs it shouldnt be that bad unless he is one of thoese guys who should never touch tool lol . check both sides of the wall first. be carefull when you drill deep it can be easy to get the bits bound up.like mentioned earlier youll also need the hand tools to clean up the hole best of luck.

 

[festivus]

If the concrete is reinforced with rebar, a jackhammer isn't going to work.

Is this a rental house? If so, I wouldn't fuck with it.

 

[Balance]

Look under the yellow pages for Concrete Cutting/Core Drilling. They can easily give you an estimate with the type of material, thickness and width.
You can also rent concrete core drills at some larger rental places. It'll be a diamond tipped bit, and they charge by how much is worn off. A six inch diameter bit should be fairly common.

 

[Automag]

If it's hollow tell him to use a Hammer & avoid the center web in the block, smack it hard it wiil pop-then it's easy.....Take less than 5 minutes. If it's solid a messy core drill will be necessary he could go with either a wet(water running down the wall & on the floor) or dry ( fine dust every where-where a mask & have a buddie hold the shop vac hose right on it) I hope it's hollow.....

 

[rick shaw]

If you already have a vent use it. Attach a y to the 4 inch exhaust and a 4x6 reducer to your vent output.

 

[normlguy]

he had a y going to the 4in w reducer, too much restriction, temps went up. but

BIG BREAKTHRU

no he didnt break thru the wall, but upon further review he is able to go straight up under sink then outside. on the outside of this is brick. brick? would this be easier??

he loves the idea of paying someone else to do if this is too hard. but what do you tell someone the reason for needing 2 6in holes drilled from outside into under kitchen sink or basement?

 

[Bozo]

Balance has the correct answer .You can rent a Hilti core drill but if you gotta ask if they make it are you sure you wanna do it yerself? I drilled a 6 inch hole through a 1 foot thick fuel containment wall awhile ago was in a tight spot took bout 4 hours to set up (you need a roto hammer 3/8 bit and drive in anchors A good rental outfit that is a Hilti dealer will set you up

 

[normlguy]

he doesnt know if he can do it or not. it would be nice if he could do it himself. thats why he is trying to figure out what is involved.

since the new spot he want to drill thru is abouve the top of foundation, about two feet above it. there is brick on outside of house. he wants to go thru into cabinets in kitchen. he assumes it goes brick, wood, drywall, back of cabinet. no plumbing wires etc in way.

so brick would be easier than concrete he thinks. considering this should he rent something that can cut thru the brick (maybe something less complicated than the saws mentioned for concrete cut. didnt know if brick cutting requires less than concrete.) and get a friend (cable guy) to help. or pay someone to do it?

thanks for any suggestions, and the ones he has gotten already

 

[dunkydunk]

Brick is softer than concrete, as for the amount of brick, that depends on whether the house is made of brick, or only has a brick veneer. A brick house has two layers, veneer has only one. It's easy enough to drill through if you're just running a cable, but a six inch hole is pretty big. You have to drill a bunch of small holes (with a masonry bit) all the way around and through the circumference of the 6" hole, and then once you get the rubble out of the way, you clean the hole up with a chisel or star bit. Any over sized chunks of brick that crack and fall out will have to be patched.

Or, you can chisel/drill out the mortar joints and fish out the bricks, leaving you a square hole, if you're careful to leave half bricks.

I have a brick house on a stone foundation, punching holes in it is no fun. Is there a window space you might be able to utilize?

 

[normlguy]

ok drilling a bunch of holes in a circle sounds doable. his friend is a cable guy and has to drill thru stuff for cable.

the house is brick on 1st level and wood siding on 2nd. so hopefully it is only one layer.

what would you recommend? drilling a circle or drilling out mortar and taking out bricks?

this is sounding more promising. thanks

 

[dunkydunk]

Sounds most likely to be veneer, it shouldn't be too hard to punch a hole in it. I'd try the round hole first, that way if it falls apart, you can just make it square. Good luck and wear safety glasses.

 

[WasntMe]

if it's veneer brick then a rotary hammer or plain hammer drill will be fine to make a bunch of small holes... outside to in ... if you go inside to out on veneer you will likely blowout a section of veneer larger then you want.

If not veneer then what you are looking to do is called "core drilling". a simple google video or youtube search of "how to core drill brick" or concrete will come up with instructional videos.
A core drill will make a clean hole through solid wall. there is a couple ways/types of equipment to do it. These are fairly common rental pieces of equipment available in my area ... my company rents them locally every couple of months or so.

This style (coring bit, available in many sizes) is good for veneer brick or single layer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC-Y4zZ9ttg

These next 2 show a coring drill, good for multi layer brick or concrete walls:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmPdW_pJiqc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5Hfcn35Dzs



this is just an fun xtreme coring vid (5ft diameter hole):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En78Wor26WI&feature=related

 

[normlguy]

ok his buddy the cable guy has a hammer drill. rental place has a 4in core bit. dont know if 4in is enough to cool his 3 600w though. he is still looking for a 6in bit though.