What can a family do when their home roof starts making scary noises? Which noises are a concern and which ones are just a normal part of roofing? There are 4 types of roof noises that can happen for different reasons. Some noises happen in new homes and others are part of a home aging. If the noises are causing the family concern, call a roofing contractor to inspect the roof and find the causes of the roof noises.
Finding Out What Those Noises Are and If Something Needs to Be Done About Them
How is a homeowner supposed to know what is causing strange noises on their roof? The best way to solve the mystery of roof noises is to contact someone such as https://eriemetalroofs.com/ or another local roofing contractor for a roof inspection. Keep track of where you hear the noises and when you hear them. Keeping a roof noise journal for a while before getting a roof inspection can be very helpful to the roofing expert inspecting the roof.
The local roofing expert can tell the homeowner what the noise is caused by, how serious it is, and if repairs are needed to get rid of the noise. Some noises are an irritation, but not serious and require no repairs. These noises might have to be lived with as part of the house.
4 Types of Roof Noises and Their Causes
There are 4 basic types of noises the roof can make.
1. In a new home roof or a recently replaced roof, new wood materials might have some residual moisture that dries out with time and makes cracking noises. This problem will solve itself in many cases but it is best to have a qualified roofing contractor check it out to make sure there are no repairs required. Metal roofing if improperly installed can make noises.
2. If the house has an HVAC unit such as a swamp cooler on the roof or if ductwork runs through the house’s attic, noises can occur with changing temperatures or moisture levels around the system. Dirty ductwork can also cause noises. A malfunctioning HVAC unit can even dump water on the roof causing damage to the roof and attic or a mold problem. Fans, chimney caps, and other roof-mounted equipment can be loose or improperly installed causing noises. Skylights can cause or transmit noise.
3. The outside temperature can cause the roof to make noises if it changes too quickly which causes the roofing materials to expand and contract. The expanding and contracting can cause the roof to make noises such as banging. In this situation, a roofing specialist can check the roof to make sure it has not sustained damage from extreme temperature changes. Metal roofs and other roofing materials can be affected by these temperature changes. The wind can cause roofing to make howling noises when it blows from certain directions.
4. The environment and leaks in the roof can cause noise such as dripping or plopping noises. Roof leaks can be caused by storm damage, tree branches, roof materials breaking down with age, wind damage, or missing roof tiles. There can be noise from a tree branch rubbing against the roof doing damage even before it causes the roof to leak. Trees overhanging roofs can drop small branches, leaves, and acorns on roofs causing noises. Trees can also host animals that go from the tree to the roof making scampering noises.
It Is Important To find the Cause of Roof Noises
It is important to find out the cause of roof noise so that it can be avoided or if there is roof damage, it can be repaired. Regular roof inspections after bad storms, or when new noises develop can help roofs to last longer and make less noise.
