{"id":404,"date":"2015-10-26T22:16:58","date_gmt":"2015-10-26T22:16:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/movingaheadcommunications.com\/blog\/?p=404"},"modified":"2015-11-01T13:36:23","modified_gmt":"2015-11-01T13:36:23","slug":"whats-causing-those-footsteps-in-the-attic-spooky-sounds-and-smells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movingaheadcommunications.com\/blog\/whats-causing-those-footsteps-in-the-attic-spooky-sounds-and-smells\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Causing Those Footsteps in the Attic, Spooky Sounds and Smells?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"spooky<\/a>

Spooky house issues? Let’s take a CLOSER look….<\/p><\/div>\n

By: John Riha<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Are you haunted by strange noises and weird odors? With the proper maintenance, you\u2019ve got more than a ghost of a chance to rest easy.<\/p>\n

Creaking and Popping in the Night<\/strong><\/p>\n

The many materials that make up your house \u2014 wood framing, plywood, glass, metal ducts, nails, plumbing pipes \u2014 all expand and contract at different rates.<\/p>\n

When a house cools at night, these materials may move slightly, rubbing against each other and making noises. Occasionally, they\u2019ll contract with an audible pop.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Zombie Odor<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s either time to throw out the garbage, or you\u2019d better call your gas utility to check on your gas lines and connections.<\/p>\n

Natural gas is odorless, but natural gas suppliers add a foul-smelling odorant — butyl mercaptan \u2014 to alert occupants to any leaks. The smell is like rotten eggs.<\/p>\n

Leaks can occur at your gas-fired water heater, fireplace, clothes dryer, and any gas line. Leaking natural gas is potentially dangerous \u2014 leave the house and call your natural gas provider to assess the situation. Most utility companies perform safety checks for free.<\/p>\n

Footsteps in the Attic<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

These rooftop transits are normal for critters \u2014 roofs offer a nice long unobstructed highway.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Something\u2019s Burning<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can smell the odor of burnt wood, but the smoke detectors aren\u2019t going off and there\u2019s no smoke in the house. The culprit could be your fireplace \u2014 even if you haven\u2019t had a fire for days.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Stop drafts by making sure your damper has a good seal. Regulate air pressure by adding more cold air return ducts to your HVAC system. You\u2019ll get rid of the odor and save on your energy bill, too.<\/p>\n

Moaning and Clattering<\/strong><\/p>\n

These classic spooky sounds often show up when the wind blows and there\u2019s a storm brewing.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 flaps designed to let vented air out and prevent outside air from coming in. These flaps sometimes move and rattle in high winds.<\/p>\n

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).<\/p>\n

–
\nVisit HouseLogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS\u00ae.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
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\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: John Riha Are you haunted by strange noises and weird odors? With the proper maintenance, you\u2019ve got more than a ghost of a chance to rest easy. Creaking and Popping in the Night The many materials that make up … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,26,74],"tags":[87,86],"class_list":["post-404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-home-maintenance-schedule","category-ohio-real-estate","category-real-estate-fun","tag-spooky-house","tag-spooky-house-issues"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movingaheadcommunications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movingaheadcommunications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movingaheadcommunications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movingaheadcommunications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movingaheadcommunications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=404"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/movingaheadcommunications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":428,"href":"https:\/\/movingaheadcommunications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404\/revisions\/428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movingaheadcommunications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movingaheadcommunications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movingaheadcommunications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}