Features of drilling holes in concrete

When repairing it is sometimes necessary to make a hole in the wall made of concrete. It is not so easy to do this without having certain skills and an appropriate tool. If it is wrong to pick up a drill bit, it can be damaged, then not only scratches, but also cracks may appear on the surface instead of a hole. Drilling holes in concrete with improper work is accompanied by the formation of a large amount of debris and dust, this can also be avoided at an early stage.

The drilling pattern of the concrete wall.

Features of the work on the arrangement of holes in concrete

It is important not only to choose the right instrument, but also to hold it correctly in your hands. Drill should be placed at an angle equal to 90 ° with respect to the wall, the same angle should be observed at the entrance of the drill into the body of the wall. In order to work more comfortably, in tandem with a drill you need to use an additional handle, which should be bundled with the main tool.

Holes must be drilled in concrete with a carbide drill. As a rule, for working with such surfaces pobedit drills are used, which do not cut the material, but turn it into crumbs.

Diagram of the device punch for drilling concrete.

Preparatory work before starting drilling in concrete involves checking the wall for the absence of electrical wiring, as well as heating or plumbing pipes. To do this, you can use a metal detector that can detect the presence of iron, steel products and objects made of non-ferrous metals. Through a metal detector, you can find out where the electrical wires are and determine the maximum possible depth of the holes.

If it is intended to equip a hole with a diameter of less than 13 mm, then it is possible to work with a drill, whereas a hole punch is recommended for holes with a larger diameter. However, a number of large holes in concrete can also be obtained with a drill if the tool holder is suitable for a 13 mm tapered drill.

Concrete drilling technology

Arrangement of holes in concrete should be started only after marking on the surface of the wall that will be used for work. It does not matter if a percussion drill or a perforator is used, it is recommended to start work by turning the tool into a simple drilling mode at low revolutions. This approach will allow to equip the hole with less labor costs, and the drill will not randomly move along the base, this will ensure the accuracy of the work. At the next stage, drilling can be done by transferring the tool to the percussion mode, adding turns.

Table of minimum depths for the landing of the splits.

When using a plastic dowel, the hole should be made deeper than the length that the dowel has.

Drilling involves the formation of a certain amount of crushed material in the hole, so you need to leave a margin of length equal to 10 mm.

Drilling is a process that requires great physical effort, as the drill has considerable weight, to which vibrations are added from the work of the drill. You also have to cope with the fact that dust will come out of the hole. This will help the dust collector, which can be purchased at the hardware store.

Tool selection

The drilling process is preferable to produce using a perforator, as it copes better with punching holes in the body of concrete or stone. This tool does not even compare with the best quality hammer drill. However, if you intend to make holes in aerated concrete, then in this case you should prefer a drill, as a punch will only break the wall. An unaccented traditional drill will be completely useless for drilling in concrete, as this may cause a failure of the tool. It is not necessary to purchase a puncher, if there are only a few holes to be made in the body of concrete, in this case it is quite possible to do with a drill.

Diagram of the device drill.

If you intend to drill concrete, providing appropriate services in the process of repair, you can purchase ring drills, which have a diamond coating at the end. Such devices should be used in tandem with special drilling equipment capable of helping to make holes with a diameter of 25 cm. The described units are expensive, therefore it is not advisable to buy them for the house.

Drilling holes may be necessary, if necessary, to arrange a place for an outlet or switch, in this case, you need to use crowns for work on concrete. On the circumference of their cutting surface are soldering, made of carbide metals. Their diameter may be limited to a limit between 35 and 120 mm, but crowns are often used, the dimensions of which are equal to 68 mm, for the reason that such openings are required for the installation of switches and sockets. Drilling with the use of crowns is necessary only when the hammer punch mode is off. Most of these devices are able to provide holes whose depth does not exceed 15 cm. If necessary, supply concrete with a deeper hole, it is recommended to use an extension nozzle.

Crowns that are similar to the above, there are among the nozzles designed for drills. However, such crowns have a difference, which lies in the presence of not a fusion, but a sputtering, made of a tungsten carbide alloy and located around the entire circumference.

Varieties verified.

The advantage of such a device is that if necessary to equip a hole in concrete that has a tile finish, there is no need to change the nozzle, this is because the crown is able to drill both tile and concrete equally well. However, the drilling process with such nozzles can be performed exclusively using a drill with a power of 1000 W or more.

The wall is drilled using a perforator, as a rule, using special drills, whose diameter is in the range of 4-80 mm. Quite often, craftsmen who do not yet have the relevant experience are wondering how to choose the right diameter of the drill. If possible, before drilling holes in concrete, it is preferable to purchase a set of drills for concrete with a perforator.

But if you want to get a quality kit, then it will not cost so cheap. To select the diameter of the drill should know that this figure should be equivalent to the diameter of the dowel, which is supposed to be inserted into it. Before acquiring these drills, you need to know what their shank is - SDS + or SDS-max.

Professional Tips

To work should prepare the tools:

• drill;
• perforator;
• drill.

The drill should be inserted into the chuck at right angles, but the shank should enter all the way.

Punching the wall can be accompanied by a confrontation between the drill and steel reinforcement, this can occur when entering the drill to a greater depth. In this case, the valve needs to be overcome with a punch, after continuing to work as usual. If a non-professional tool is used, it should be turned off every 15 minutes.

Before continuing work, you should wet the drill, this will prolong its service life. If drilling caused the detachment of plaster pieces from the back side, then it is necessary to transfer the tool to lower revolutions. If the drill is in the wall, then you do not need to try to remove it, you need to disconnect the punch, and then insert another drill to drill out the jammed one.