Squeaks, Creaks, Bumps and Thumps

By Frank G. Ross

Picture this: you are tucked comfortably in your bed at night, sleeping soundly, when suddenly you are awakened.  What woke you?  You listen intently and hear creaking.  Is it the wind? A burglar?  No, it’s your home “breathing” and reacting to moisture and temperature changes.

Most of the noises you hear are natural and not a cause for concern unless the walls are leaning, doors are sticking or the floor is sagging.  The cause of these noises is the normal expansion and contraction of the building materials of which your home is made.

The components most likely to cause noises are wood framing, vinyl and metal siding, plumbing, and heating ducts.  As the moisture content in a wood member changes with the seasons it can shrink ¼” or more across 6” of wood grain.  This movement makes floors move, creak or crack.

The drywall attached to the wood framing has to adjust to allow for the moving wood.  Because of this you may hear cracks and pops.  Sometimes nails even “pop” out from the surface of the drywall due to the flexing of the wood behind.

Brick chimneys, the clay liners inside and the wood framing to which they are attached all expand and contract at different rates resulting in creaks.  Consider how much the clay liner must move inside the cold chimney as it is heated by a fire below.

Your home likely has metal heating ducts and metal plumbing pipes attached to wood framing.  As the metal is heated by hot air or water, it expands and bumps and slides along the wood framing until the expansion is accommodated.

Additionally, a water softener or sump pump can run at almost any time and when it does you may hear a whoosh, spurt or clunk as a valve closes.

Outside the home, vinyl siding is often a culprit for surprising noises.  Vinyl siding is meant to be installed to allow for horizontal movement.  As outdoor temperatures rise or in direct sunlight on a cold day, those clicks and thumps may be evident.

Aluminum siding, metal gutters and downspouts, and metal flashing also move when the temperature changes.  And you may hear the result of that movement.

In fact, everything in your home that is hot, cold, dry or moist or that moves water or air can cause noises.  In most cases, don’t worry about it – it’s just your living, breathing home talking to you.

Frank Ross is a Certified Utah Home Inspector for Pillar to Post Professional Home Inspection and a full member of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors and a member in good standing with the Utah Better Business Bureau.  Readers may contact Mr. Ross at (435) 867-6400 or frank.ross@pillartopost.com or www.pillarposthomeinspection.com