The many materials that make up your house — wood framing, plywood, glass, metal ducts,
different rates.
When a house cools at night, these materials may move slightly, rubbing against each other
and making noises. Occasionally, they’ll contract with
an audible pop.
These sounds tend to be more noticeable in fall, when warm days give way to rapidly
cooling nights. The bad news? Not much you can do about it.
The good news? Those sounds are harmless and normal.
Zombie Odor
It’s either time to throw out the garbage, or you’d better call your
gas utility to check on your
gas lines and connections.
Natural gas is odorless, but natural gas suppliers add a foul-smelling odorant — butyl
mercaptan — to alert occupants to any leaks. The smell is
like rotten eggs.
Leaks can occur at your gas-fired water heater, fireplace, clothes dryer, and any gas line.
Leaking natural gas is potentially dangerous — leave the
house and call your natural gas provider to assess the situation. Most utility companies
perform safety checks for free.
Footsteps in the Attic
Amplified by an
unfinished attic space, a raccoon or even a good-size squirrel on your roof
might sound like an ax murderer is doing the polka
overhead.
These rooftop transits are normal for critters — roofs offer a nice long unobstructed
highway.
Make sure your soffit, rafter, and gable
roof vents are covered with screens and in good
shape, or your rooftop buddies might find their way into
your attic for real. Trim back branches that provide critters easy access to your
roof.
Something’s Burning
You can smell the odor of burnt wood, but the smoke detectors aren’t going off and there’s
no smoke in the house. The culprit could be your
fireplace — even if you haven’t had a fire for days.
The probable cause is a drafty chimney and negative air pressure in your home, meaning that outside air is infiltrating down your chimney, bringing
stale burnt smells with it.
Stop drafts by making sure your damper has a good seal. Regulate air pressure by adding
Moaning and Clattering
These classic spooky sounds often show up when the wind blows and there’s a storm
brewing.
Vents for clothes dryers, bathrooms, and
water heaters exit out the roof or the side of the
house. To prevent backdrafts, these vents have dampers
— flaps designed to let vented air out and prevent outside air from coming in. These flaps
sometimes move and rattle in high winds.
Because dampers often are located in attics or in between floor joists, the sound can be
difficult to pinpoint. You may need a new damper ($85).
