My house has a poured concrete basement floor with a 1-inch tall pad underneath a 1940s era boiler, 2x3 feet in size. I'd like to replace the old boiler with a more efficient one, but I need to move the boiler halfway off the old pad to meet today's code (distance from combustibles, etc.). That means the old pad would extend into an area where there's no new boiler, and there will be no pad under one part of the new boiler. So can I chip out part of the old pad with a cold chisel to a depth of one inch below floor level, and pour a new concrete pad exactly where I want it (and encompassing part of the old pad? Does it need rebar reinforcement, or do I need to chip out the whole old pad and start over? I'd prefer not to penetrate the old floor all the way, since it hasn't given us any trouble.
Answer:
You shouldn't need re-bar in there but make sure the old concrete is well soaked before new is poured over it. That will hopefully keep the old from drawing too much water out of the new pour. Even at that, the added portion may split at the seam so perhaps lining it with chicken wire (near the top) would be a good idea. Whatgever you do, try not to penetrate the existing floor.
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