Ask Me Help Desk - Popping Roof/attic noise

Popping Roof/attic noise

Hi all.

I have an on going problem with my roof/attic. I live in a timber framed house,5 years old. About 7 or 8 months ago a very loud popping noise started to occur in my roof. The problem seems to be thermal related. During the day it doesn't happen as often, but it does happen. But at night when my heating is on and a fire is lighting it really kicks in. Worst of all, while the house is cooling down and fire is out, this is when it really takes over. It can then continue for hours, making it very difficult for me to sleep. To describe the noise I would say it is like a stone cracking against the roof or even like a pistol shot going off. While in bed in the dead of night the noise is loud enough to wake the dead. It also happens during the summer months as my house can get very warm. I have lots of big windows and the house is south facing. Also the timber frame seems to hold the heat.

Has anyone experience of this. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

You have thermal expansion and contraction due to different materials not expanding at the same rate. Do you have a shingle or steel roof? Stell will last a life time but it is prone to rapid expansion and contraction. You may fell that your timber frame holds the heat but historically they are very difficult to heat. When you feel 70 degrees at floor level you interior peak may be 85 degrees. A very tempoary fix is to maintain the same interior temperature 24/7. You should call your original roofing contractor and ask him to evaluate the situation. I am pretty sure this problem did not just start yesterday.

You may want to look at your attic insulation and venting. With good insulation and venting, you shouldn't get as big of temperature swings in the attic reducing expansion and contraction.

Labman, one of the problems with nearly all timber frames is that there is no attic. They usually have vaulted ceilings with, hopefully, thick insulated panels installed prior to decking. Ceiling to floor my living room is 28 ft. and the temp at the interior ridge has reached 90 degrees when the living area was 70. My log cabin contractor supposedly knew what he was doing but he only gave me 6 in. of insulation and that's what I have in the walls. 6in. Is not enough for a vaulted ceiling and it crazy what needs to be done after the fact. Same contractor installed a steel roof on my neighbors cabin and did not allow any movement in the fasteners. Like aluminium siding, if you don't allow for expansion you will get popping and even buckling. Not all builders do a perfect job, mine did not.

Popping sound in a timber frame usually is the result of sudden surface checking of the timbers. It is common .

I started searching this topic tonight because this same concerning issue has just begun to be experienced by me in our new home. (Two months old). It is a frame home on a crawl space with a full brick wrap. We are in Ohio. On Tuesday we got our first snow/ice storm here, and it was the first time that we had been in the home with snow/ice on the roof. But there is not a lot of it.

Nevertheless, we just now began experiencing very, very loud popping noises NOT the normal creaking that one would expect in a new home. This has been going on now for the past three days--about once every hour or two. I've actually become afraid that the roof may cave in, I mean this is loud! What is causing it, and should I have it inspected while it is still under warranty? I don't think the builder would be honest with anything he may find.

I haven't checked the insulation in the "attic" (not really an attic, as it has manufactured trusses (2x4's only), but could it be that they didn't properly insulate? They used a hose/spray type of blown-in insulation. The hose came from a large box truck that shot-in the insulation. Could they have left many areas uninsulated? Or is it something else? I have reason to believe that the framers did not properly nail the OSB to the roof trusses. Could that cause this?

I should point out that we have been in the house since this past Dec.1 st, and this is the first time this has developed.

I'm worried, as I paid this builder a good deal of money for this house. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

James

Anyone got any more ideas on this. It's still an on going problem for me. Please help.

The sounds that you are hearing are caused fromwhat is called{expansion and contraction}. All materials will do this from the changing of temp. you will really hear this at night after sun has gone down and early morning. Uselly up to noon. A railroad track,may have 1 to2 in. opening at night but by noon be closed,a loud noise. Concrete will expand up to 3 or more inches. There is no danger and there is nothing any human can do about thisbut live with it.:"

I have the same attic noise problems as Lewishead from his 2/07 post. I've had to live with it for 5 years as the builder and subcontractors and structural engineers could come up with nothing but "expansion and contraction" problems. No one knew how to fix this. Did anything help or eliminate your problem? Maybe it could help me!

The fix can be so expensive it is cost prohibitive. If expansion is thermal a color change in the roof would help. Most folks can't/won't go that far to rid themselves of a poppoing noise.

Can't be a roof color problem because I am not the only one who picked this roofing selection and color. They do not report a problem. Any other ideas or solutions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flying Blue Eagle

tHE SOUNDS THAT YOU ARE HEARING ARE CAUSED FROMWHAT IS CALLED{EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION}. aLL MATERIALS WILL DO THIS FROM THE CHANGING OF TEMP. YOU WILL REALY HEAR THIS AT NIGHT AFTER SUN HAS GONE DOWN AND EARLY MORNING. USELLY UP TO NOON. A RAILROAD TRACK,MAY HAVE 1 TO2 IN. OPENING AT NIGHT BUT BY NOON BE CLOSED,A LOUD NOISE. cONCRETE WILL EXPAND UP TO 3 OR MORE INCHES. THERE IS NO DANGER AND THERE IS NOTHING ANY HUMAN CAN DO ABOUT THISBUT LIVE WITH IT.:"

Are you sure I HAVE to live with it? There must be something one can do to eliminate these horrible noises so I can sleep. If not, then I just bought a $189,000 "LEMON" of a house in 2004!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by yorkiegirl

I have the same exact attic noise problems as Lewishead from his 2/07 post. I've had to live with it for 5 years as the builder and subcontractors and structural engineers could come up with nothing but "expansion and contraction" problems. No one knew how to fix this. Did anything help or eliminate your problem?? Maybe it could help me!

Sorry Yorkiegirl, I still have the same problem. I kid you not, but I reckon I'm heading for a nervous breakdown, I haven't slept for the last week.:(:(