Warm spot in garage floor?

[Greg Sullivan]

Anyone know why my garage floor would have a warm spot that is about 12 degrees above ambient? The area is about 1 foot in diameter.

It's not from cars or sunlight. The garage floor is a slab. I have detected no water leaks.

I measured the warmth with an infrared temp gun. The warmth is there day or night.

My house is all electric. No gas. First thing in the morning, the warmth is still there.

What could be making that one little area warmer than the rest of the garage floor?

Thanks in advance,
Greg Sullivan / Canyon Lake, CA.

[wforsyth]

Is there any piping that runs under the slab?

Septic?

I have had a septic leak cause something like this before. Not a pretty picture.

[Greg Sullivan]

I don't think there was a septic tank but I really don't have a way to know...one way or the other. As a test, before going to bed, I turned everything off - including water heater and heat pumps. Next morning, there was still a 12 degree difference between the warm spot and the rest of the garage floor. That's exactly the same difference from the night before. It doesn't change in response to anything I've tried.

I'm very tempted to get a jack hammer and see what's going on.

No one else has seen this before?

Thanks for your feedback.
Greg Sullivan / Canyon Lake, CA.

[tneumann]

Please take pics of your wife's face after you jackhammer a hole in the concrete.

I wish I knew..but please keep us updated as to this mystery.

[whandley]

Althought uncommon, soil composition can generate high temperatures. What part of Canyon Lake are you in? Any chance there's high alkali content in the soil under your structure? Have you noticed any spalling and or efflorescence developing in the garage concrete slab surfaces? Do fresh water and or main waste line plumbing run under the garage slab?

[Jay Moge]

hey, i think you found Jimmy Hoffa.

[phinsperger]

Before busting up the floor, use a regular contact thermometer to verify the temp difference. The infrared temp gun's emissivity reading is effected by the amount of reflective surface. Its possible that there was some oil or other chemical spilled there once affecting the reading. The amount of reflective change is not always enough to be noticeable by the eye.

If you ever tried to use an infrared temp gun to take a reading on a galvanized plenum you know what I mean. I use 4"x4" magnetic sheet to stick on the plenum first and give them enough time to reach the same temp as the plenum before taking the reading.

[David P. Valley]

It's a poured floor over a nuclear dump.Attachment 1990

[Carl A. Brown]

ET phone home!!

[Russel Ray]

Sounds like a hot water line leak.

[rwand1]

I like the body or animals body buried in that spot, and I like the nuclear waste scenario. Can you get your hands on a Giger counter?

[mbledsoe]

An infared camera pic might give a better clue.

[David P. Valley]

Originally Posted by mbledsoe

An infared camera pic might give a better clue.

Not necessarily.

This camera would only indicate what the area temperature differentials are.

[Russel Ray]

Major surgery is required. Call the jackhammer guys!

[rwand1]

Is it possible it is just a void? Did you try tapping on the floor with a light hammer to hear for sound difference. Would a void have a different temperature than surrounding cemment?