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Loud Pop Upstairs

Dbeasy

By Dbeasy
in Can You Help Me With This?

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Dbeasy

Dbeasy 15051

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We periodically hear a very very loud pop coming from upstairs every once and awhile.

 

We are fairly sure it’s in the attic, and we originally thought it was the gas to the gas heater. But the sound is happening when the heater isn’t even running. We thought maybe it is the water heater but we don’t think the sound is coming from that part of the attic and the water heater is only one year old. It’s a new house. Any ideas?

 

 

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Onboard 2.0

Onboard 2.0 9083

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2 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Because it's a new house, I might assume that shifting is causing something in the attic to pop.   A truss, a joist, roof plywood, something of that nature.

My first thought as well.  The up thread answers are much more entertaining though.

Edited by Onboard 2.0
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Incredulity

Incredulity 11675

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1 hour ago, Dbeasy said:

 

We periodically hear a very very loud pop coming from upstairs every once and awhile.

 

We are fairly sure it’s in the attic, and we originally thought it was the gas to the gas heater. But the sound is happening when the heater isn’t even running. We thought maybe it is the water heater but we don’t think the sound is coming from that part of the attic and the water heater is only one year old. It’s a new house. Any ideas?

 

 

 

I would speculate it could be house framing moving against itself.

I lived in a 60's vintage house for about 10 years, and has a similar phenomenon that lasted for a couple years then stopped.  Every once in a while, and it seemed to be predominantly in the afternoon I would get a fairly loud "pop" sound out of the attic above the living room.  Seemed like the afternoon breeze and sun were factors, but I could never make a singular diagnosis.

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Onboard 2.0

Onboard 2.0 9083

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9 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

I don't know if Austin has received the kind of rain Dallas has received, but if it has, that's the kind of thing that makes a house move around a bit.

Like an Ark on the high seas ?  

Man, Coronavirus, super volcanoes, and now flooding !!  We already had the locusts though.

Edited by Onboard 2.0
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Digger

Digger 2

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Does it happen in the mornings, after it has been cool/cold at night?

PVC drain pipes would be cold, water draining (drain pipe runs from upstairs, down through a wall) from a shower would be warm. The PVC drain pipe will expand and make a sort of popping sound against the metal clamps that are holding it in place. This will usually stop in the summer,  but then re-appear in a year.

This is the theory that I settled on, but now I have to investigate the weasel idea.

 

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Stunns38

Stunns38 3461

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Because it's a new house, I might assume that shifting is causing something in the attic to pop.   A truss, a joist, roof plywood, something of that nature.

Yeah, I bet your house has a lot of moisture fluctuation and shitty OSB/plywood nails. The framers fly through their stage and inspectors can’t really catch a lot of potential problems.
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Dbeasy

Dbeasy 15051

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Yeah, I bet your house has a lot of moisture fluctuation and shitty OSB/plywood nails. The framers fly through their stage and inspectors can’t really catch a lot of potential problems.


Gawd dammit that OSB! (WTF is an OSB)
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Onboard 2.0

Onboard 2.0 9083

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4 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Oriented Strand Board.  An ultra-cheap form of plywood because it contains no plys, just wood chips glued together.  In some circumstances, I have heard it referred to as GLIT for glued-together-shit.

Well there is structurally rated OSB.

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MonkeyDoughnut

MonkeyDoughnut 10239

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Does it happen a few minutes after someone finishes taking a shower?

If so, likely from pipes heating up and then cooling and shifting as they cool. If so, go up in the attic and find where they are nailed down and "loosen" them as likely they were just nailed in too tight and loosening them very slightly will give them room to shift without making that noise.

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Upgrayedd

Upgrayedd 5812

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1 minute ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

??

 

1 hour ago, TwiceHorn said:

Oriented Strand Board.  An ultra-cheap form of plywood because it contains no plys, just wood chips glued together.  In some circumstances, I have heard it referred to as GLIT for glued-together-shit.

 

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NeverMarryAStripper

NeverMarryAStripper 21907

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Are you sure it was upstairs and not in the backyard?  I was watching a movie with my daughter Saturday and we heard a loud pop from the back yard and saw sparks flying everywhere.  I went outside and there was a small fire in the bushes so I sprayed it with the water hose.  The power flickered off, but came back on.  I assume that some creature got crispy crittered by the transformer, but I didn't see any burnt remains.

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Dbeasy

Dbeasy 15051

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Does it happen a few minutes after someone finishes taking a shower?
If so, likely from pipes heating up and then cooling and shifting as they cool. If so, go up in the attic and find where they are nailed down and "loosen" them as likely they were just nailed in too tight and loosening them very slightly will give them room to shift without making that noise.


No water usage. No heater usage. But it sounds like the heater popping. Confusing.
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ROFL BOX

ROFL BOX 6649

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13 hours ago, Hate said:

It would also be common more during this time of year with the drastic changes in temperature if it is your house settling. I’ll bet it stops during the summer.

This is correct.

It is not at all uncommon for movement in any structure, whether steel framed or lumber.  & FYI, decking is (supposed to be) installed with "H Clips" to allow for expansion movement AND provide some structural rigidity on the 8' sides.

Nothing in the slightest to worry about.

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crash_davis

crash_davis 23113

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When I was just a wee lad, my house attic would make popping noises at night. It always scared me thinking I had ghost or a serial killer in the attic. Turns out it was just the boards, pipes and shit cooling down and contracting in the cooler night time temps.

That's what the ghost told, anyway.

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