Homes are naturally noisy. This is obvious during the day when people are around. Children screaming, your partner calling for you, and the pets making their displeasure known. But when things are quiet, that is when you notice the natural noises of the house. From creaky floorboards to clattering doors, your house can make its sounds. But some of these sounds are a warning, so you should start paying attention to some of them.
Noisy Furnace
Your furnace is naturally noisy. It needs to be to warm up your entire household. But there are sounds that it can make that should have you calling an HVAC technician. An irregular noise from your furnace usually means that something wrong is going on. You can generally avoid this from happening by having a technician come in and do maintenance every few months. If you do skip on that, you might start to expect to hear noises. For example, squeaking or squealing from the furnace means that the ball bearings have no oil to ease their passage. Another bad sign is when the furnace starts banging. This is usually the fan or the cage around it. Anything that deforms it can cause the metal to hit other parts for constant banging.
Scratching In The Walls
If you hear scratching in the walls, you might need to call in the exterminator fast. Any number of furry pests could have gotten into your home. Squirrels and birds could have gotten in from outside and made a nesting place inside the walls’ crawl spaces. This is perfect since these creatures are always on the lookout for the ideal shelter. The worst-case scenario is that your house now has rats in it. No matter what the animals are inside your walls, they can cause a lot of damage. Their scratching and poking around can start to weaken your walls, and their waste can be health hazards. Look around for potential signs of pests and call in the professionals immediately when you find them.
Appliances Clanking
Another sound you do not want to hear is your appliances starting to clank. Whether it is your dryer or your air conditioner, this is a bad sign. Depending on what appliance is making the noise, different things could be happening. If the appliance has moving parts, there is likely a loose mechanism somewhere. For more complex items, there might be some stress on the appliance. No matter what it is, the best solution would be to bring in an appliance expert to fix things.
Water Dripping
It can be surprising how loud the sound of water dripping is. There can be several reasons why you hear that sound. The most obvious one is that one of your faucets is loose, so it is dripping water all over the place. Fixing this should be easy. However, a worse possibility is also there. If you hear dripping water and there is no obvious source, then you might have a water leak in the walls of your house. Fixing this will require an expert plumber to fix the leak, while you also need a contractor to potentially tear out the walls so you can reach the pipes. This sounds extensive, but leaving it alone can be worse. Water damage to the walls will require you to replace things anyway.
Hissing Sounds
If you start hearing hissing sounds, you should look into your HVAC system. A lot of air conditioning can require release valves for internal pressure. If your AC unit is under a lot of strain, it might be hissing to indicate it needs help. Additionally, most homes use gas for lighting and heating. A consistent hiss might mean that you are facing a gas leak. This is awful news and can be dangerous in various ways. For one, there is a chance of an explosion. If you want to avoid that, leave the house and call the experts to check your home.
Scraping On Windows And Roof
You might wake up at night from the sounds of something scraping on the windows or roof of your house. This is usually the branches of trees. It is a warning sign that they are too close. A strong wind could lead to them damaging your home. Trim them back so that your home is safe.
When you wake up at night and hear strange sounds in your house, you should pay more attention to them. They might be warnings that something could be wrong with your house. If you handle it right, then you can head off problems before they even begin. This means savings in both time and money.
