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Common Water Issue in BC
Warm Spots on the Floor — Radiant Heat Leak Indicator
Warm spots on concrete or tiled floors in a building with radiant heating may indicate a leak in the hydronic heating loop. The escaping hot water raises the floor temperature at the leak point before cooling and escaping.
Possible Causes
- •Radiant floor heating loop leak from pipe damage or installation defect
- •Pinched or kinked PEX tubing during construction or renovation
- •Concrete slab crack that has compromised an embedded heating pipe
- •Corrosion at connection fittings for radiant loop manifolds
- •Abrasion of pipe against concrete aggregate causing gradual wear
Recommended Steps
- 1Note the location and size of warm spots — photograph for reference
- 2Check boiler pressure gauge — dropping pressure indicates system water loss
- 3Turn off the radiant system and monitor pressure for 24 hours
- 4Call a leak detection specialist with thermal imaging for slab leak detection
- 5Do not cut into slab until the exact leak point is identified
Need Professional Help?
Don't let a small leak become a big problem. Contact LeakInspections.ca — a division of Anyleak.ca and Leak.ca — for expert diagnosis.