What is that noise? Is it okay to ignore the house noises?
Homes often make strange noises. They’re built of many different materials—glass, concrete, wood—that expand and contract at different rates, causing friction that results in those odd spooky sounds.
But still, “The most noise your house should make is a popping sound, like your knuckles cracking, and only once in a while,” says Bill Richardson, former president of the American Society of Home Inspectors and owner of Responsive Inspections in Bosque Farms, New Mexico.
It’s important to know the difference between noises that are simply annoying to live with and ones that you should not ignore.
Here’s what home experts say are the noises that are potential emergencies:
Clanking or Sucking Sounds When Turn on Heat
With a baseboard hot-water system, you can also expect “normal clinking and knocking,” says Kuhn. The circulator pump or pumps to the system, however, “should be silent when they run,” says Mike Kuhn. Kuhn is the New Jersey owner of a HouseMaster inspection service and coauthor of The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Home Inspections. If you hear knocking or clanking, typically located at the boiler itself, it might be a sign of impending failure of the circulator pump, he says.
Your furnace may make a whistling (sucking) sound that is new. “What that can connote is that your filter hasn’t been changed,” says Bill Richardson, former president of the American Society of Home Inspectors and owner of Responsive Inspections in Bosque Farms, New Mexico., “and your furnace is trying to pull in air from around it.” That’s not good, he says; the furnace is working too hard. “What it will do is start sucking exhaust gases from the furnace into the house.”
Rushing Water Noises
“Water damages can be one of the most costly home insurance claims that come up for homeowners. And it can be one of the easiest to prevent when you are actually taking steps to mitigate issues ahead of time,” said Courtney Klosterman, a home insights expert for Hippo, a property insurance company.
If you hear running water when you shouldn’t, “Shut the main off and see if the noise goes away. If it does, you’ve got a leak somewhere,” says Richardson, “and a plumbing problem in need of fixing.”
Whistling or Hissing Noises Near Gas-Based Appliances
Hissing sounds can happen for a variety of reasons, and some can be spookier than others. If the hissing sound happens when the HVAC system is running, there may be a leak somewhere in the system. Leaks can happen at the compressor, in radiators, or inside air ducts.
However, if your home uses natural gas, the strange noise that sounds like hissing could indicate a bigger problem like a gas leak, says Richardson. Sometimes you can hear a hissing outside at the gas meter or at a home’s outdoor gas light post—places where the line could have corroded, he says. “You should be able to smell it, but you never know.”
Klosterman recommends you remove yourself and your family immediately from the home.
There’s a Strange Sound Coming From Behind Walls
If you hear strange noises like scratching and possibly chittering coming from places where no human or beloved pet lives in the house, you probably don’t have ghosts. You may have mice, squirrels, raccoons, or even bats sharing your quarters, says Richardson. “Any kind of wild critter could be up in the attic,” he says.
And these freeloaders aren’t just a nuisance; bats can carry deadly rabies. The droppings of mice can sometimes spread hantavirus. Some animals will tear up insulation to nest, or chew through siding or even electrical wires, causing fires.
The Floor is Squeaking and Cracking
A creaking and squeaking wood floor is a typical example of a common house noise, but it shouldn’t always be quickly dismissed. Bob Villa says some of these squeaking floor noises are just wood boards rubbing against each other as temperatures change and the house settles, there are other reasons worth investigating.
One big concern is termites. If there’s also a low point in the floor, it’s an even bigger sign that termites might be munching away at the wood structure. Other wood destroying insects may include boring wood bees, carpenter ants or powderpost beetles.
Contact Us
Tucker Benner Realty‘s professional agents can recommend professionals for many type of issues that may be causing noises in your home. Call or text today 231-730-8781.
Marilyn Tucker
Tucker Benner Realty, Michigan’s destination for Our Michigan Home
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