Question:
I have a ranch home, which was built in 1979. I purchased the home two years ago, and one of the first things I did was call an insulator. The insulator not only blew a significant amount of insulation into my attic, but prior to that, air-sealed all pot lights, chimney and the tops of all inside walls with expanding foam insulation. They also sprayed expanding foam insulation in all the sill boxes in the basement. My home has a ridge vent, which extends the length of the house, and adequate soffit vents, complete with properly installed "air chutes" to allow ventilation past the blown-in insulation.
The problem I am experiencing is that when my house is closed up in the colder months, there seems to be a pressure difference between the house and the outside. For instance, when someone opens the outside door to enter or leave, there is often a loud "popping" sound that is coming from the ceiling. It sounds as if, but I'm not completely certain, the drywall may be flexing and either cracking, or moving on the nails that attach it to the rafters. It makes me cringe whenever I hear it, thinking the life expectancy of the drywall is being greatly impacted.
I would truly appreciate any thoughts and/or solutions you could advise.
Thank you, Steve Van Boxtel
Q: Our house is 32 years old, and about one week ago, it started to make this intermittent fog-horn noise. I asked a plumber to come and diagnose the problem. I thought the noise was coming from the furnace. Given the furnace's age, I decided to have it replaced. But while the furnace was pulled, we could still hear this fog-horn noise. Then we thought it might be something with the water heater, but that doesn't seem to be it, either. No one has turned on a tap or flushed the toilet and yet we get this intermittent noise coming from the basement. It's very annoying. I've been searching online but I can't seem to find an answer. It sounds like the problem might be behind a wall or in the venting. I thought maybe one of the pipes might be plugged up with hard-water deposits. The plumber suggested replacing the valves on the hot-water tank. If you could offer me any assistance, it would be great appreciated.
Sincerely, Anna
Answer:
I have chosen to answer your two different questions together, not because they relate to different situations, but because of the common issue: noises. While there may be several reasons for strange sounds emanating from our homes, many are unexplained and often harmless.
Diagnosing odd issues with homes can often be quite difficult without invasive or destructive testing methods. Those often involve cutting open portions of walls, ceilings, or other fixtures within the home to locate the source of the issue. When these issues may seriously affect the performance or durability of the buildings, this may be warranted. When the problem is simply an annoyance, it is often not worth the cost or effort to attempt to solve the minor issue. Both of your questions relate to issues that may fall into this category.
For the home with the noisy popping sounds, you are likely correct there is a pressure differential due to the recent high-quality air-sealing methods employed by your insulators. These upgrades should make your home considerably more energy efficient and comfortable. Those benefits should strongly outweigh any minor noise issues heard when outside doors are quickly opened or closed and the pressure is equalized. Despite your concerns, the drywall on the ceilings is not likely moving or pulling away from the ceiling joists or you would see visible fasteners and drywall seams showing up on the underside. Watch for these issues, and if they occur, re-securing the drywall may be required. Otherwise, you could install a fresh-air intake in the basement, with a damper if necessary, to let fresh air into the home to help equalize the pressure. Also, opening exterior doors slowly during the heating season may help to prevent the "popping" sounds. Aside from these, learning to ignore the harmless sounds should ease your mind.
The source of the "fog-horn" sounds in the next question is indeed a mystery, not only to you and your plumber, but to me, as well. I'm not sure I have come across an inquiry like this, and the only suggestion I have is to explore any changes inside or outside your home done around the time the noise appeared. Are there any new homes, buildings, or structures recently built near your home? Have you changed anything on the exterior or interior of your home, other than your furnace? Determining the source of the noise may depend on identifying something that has changed the interior or exterior environment of the home, and changing that may result in diminished noises.
I am afraid I can offer little definitive answers for cures for the noises in your homes, but whether you discover these on your own, or not, there should be little concern other than the nuisance factor. Homes often make sounds, often subtle but sometimes louder, due to changes in the building due to temperature, pressure and other factors. Many of these have no serious side-effects on the overall building performance, so learning to live with these minor annoyances is your best bet.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the Past President of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors -- Manitoba (www.cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
