Hole burning in concrete floor outside

[Simon Goulet]

Hello everyone,

I have never done a post on this forum, but something strange occurred to me today and I was hoping to find an answer here.

While looking outside of my kitchen window, I saw something fuming from the concrete ground outside.

When I approached it, I realized that a small hole the size of a BIC pencil was burning and fuming.

It might have been 5cm deep while the concrete floor is about a feet big.

When we tried to drown it with ice, it did not work the melting ice started fuming as well.

We put baking soda on it which seemed to have stopped it, but 5 minutes later, it started fuming a little bit again.

It clearly slowed it, but after putting a little bit more on it, I think it might have only slown the process.

 

To be honest, there is nothing that we could think of that might have caused this. 

We barely even go outside by that door during winter because of the snow.

The section around it is not coverred by snow anymore and the temperature outside has varied from -10 celsius to +5 celsius in the last week.

I live in Quebec if that helps.

 

I don't know if anyone has an idea as to what might been occurring, but I would be interested in your opinions.

 

Thank you for your time

Simon Goulet

[StringJunky]

6 minutes ago, Simon Goulet said:

Hello everyone,

I have never done a post on this forum, but something strange occurred to me today and I was hoping to find an answer here.

While looking outside of my kitchen window, I saw something fuming from the concrete ground outside.

When I approached it, I realized that a small hole the size of a BIC pencil was burning and fuming.

It might have been 5cm deep while the concrete floor is about a feet big.

When we tried to drown it with ice, it did not work the melting ice started fuming as well.

We put baking soda on it which seemed to have stopped it, but 5 minutes later, it started fuming a little bit again.

It clearly slowed it, but after putting a little bit more on it, I think it might have only slown the process.

 

To be honest, there is nothing that we could think of that might have caused this. 

We barely even go outside by that door during winter because of the snow.

The section around it is not coverred by snow anymore and the temperature outside has varied from -10 celsius to +5 celsius in the last week.

I live in Quebec if that helps.

 

I don't know if anyone has an idea as to what might been occurring, but I would be interested in your opinions.

 

Thank you for your time

Simon Goulet

 Is there any services passing under that spot?

[Simon Goulet]

The concrete floor is actually above a hollow space(about 75cm from the ground) where we put stuff like balls and other summer sports stuff during winter so it is not directly on the ground.

We also live far from the city, but I do not know if there is a service passing right under there.

Also, the hole seem to have began from above it going toward the ground so I would expect something from above to have caused it.

I will add a video showing the hole in its surrounding, but the smoke seem to have stopped even tho I can still faintly hear the crackling noise like a small fire or something.

The white mushy product is the baking soda that we put in around 30-40min ago.

It used to gasp for air it seems whenever we put something in or above the hole which caused smoke to come out.

While writing that, I heard some noise and went to check, it went back to heavy noise like radio and it pops everyone minute or so.

I made a few video that I must reduce the size of to show, but the last one I took, it actually blew up and shown some spark with a lot of smoke.

[StringJunky]

16 minutes ago, Simon Goulet said:

The concrete floor is actually above a hollow space(about 75cm from the ground) where we put stuff like balls and other summer sports stuff during winter so it is not directly on the ground.

We also live far from the city, but I do not know if there is a service passing right under there.

Also, the hole seem to have began from above it going toward the ground so I would expect something from above to have caused it.

I will add a video showing the hole in its surrounding, but the smoke seem to have stopped even tho I can still faintly hear the crackling noise like a small fire or something.

The white mushy product is the baking soda that we put in around 30-40min ago.

It used to gasp for air it seems whenever we put something in or above the hole which caused smoke to come out.

While writing that, I heard some noise and went to check, it went back to heavy noise like radio and it pops everyone minute or so.

I made a few video that I must reduce the size of to show, but the last one I took, it actually blew up and shown some spark with a lot of smoke.

Sounds like a cable blown and it's hot... that's why there's no snow there. Does anyone else here think that? I'm thinking you should get in touch with your power company.

Edited March 16, 2018 by StringJunky

[Simon Goulet]

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_kkv13KodeeigvNEyvZHqAHXUP9lkQ3P

Since it was hard to downsize the videos to the 4.88mb limit, I uploaded them to youtube in the "Hold in concrete" playlist linked above.

The issue seem to have stopped for now after at least 2 hours of known activity.

 

 

[studiot]

Hello Simon,

I think we need more details.

I can't see the Ytube it says private video.

Why have you asked this in inorganic chemistry? Concrete is more engineering surely?

Anyway details of this floor and the concrete would be appropriate.

You call it a floor and say it has a void beneath it so what is above it?

What is it the floor of?

There is a form of construction which uses inverted T beams spaced one lightweight concrete apart.

The lightweight blocks are placed on the heads of the inverted T, spanning between the beams and form a highly insulating floor.

Some types of lightweight aggregate and some cements are made from partly burned clinker and power station ash (Fly Ash).

There might be a particularly poorly burned piece in one block which has somehow been reignited, if you have this type of floor construction.

[Simon Goulet]

12 minutes ago, studiot said:

Hello Simon,

I think we need more details.

I can't see the Ytube it says private video.

Why have you asked this in inorganic chemistry? Concrete is more engineering surely?

Anyway details of this floor and the concrete would be appropriate.

You call it a floor and say it has a void beneath it so what is above it?

What is it the floor of?

There is a form of construction which uses inverted T beams spaced one lightweight concrete apart.

The lightweight blocks are placed on the heads of the inverted T, spanning between the beams and form a highly insulating floor.

Some types of lightweight aggregate and some cements are made from partly burned clinker and power station ash (Fly Ash).

There might be a particularly poorly burned piece in one block which has somehow been reignited, if you have this type of floor construction.

It was the first time that I uploaded videos on youtube, so I forgot to change that setting. They should all be public now.

There is one video in which I show the surrounding of the hole to get a better idea. 

Also, I went to check below and nothing was near the space where the hole was forming.

As to more details on this, I would need to ask my parents as it was made a while back and they might not know the exact way it was made either because it might have been done by my father or someone else.

The reason why I came on this forum was because the first thing I thought of when I saw that is that an acid of some sort was causing it and it was done with concrete which is inorganic, but I have no knowledge whatsoever on the subject so if you guys believe this is really not the place to ask for this, would you guys know of a better place more suited ? 

 

[studiot]

there is no need to look elsewhere, though of course you might find a better idea.

We have an engineering section here and this is a building problem, not a chemistry one.

But never mind, that won't stop us answering.

But how about the building details I asked for?

in particular is the floor anything like this?

There will be a thin layer of fine concrete above this called a screed, to form the surface of the floor for finishings - carpet / vinolay or whatever.

Edited March 16, 2018 by studiot

[arc]