Loud popping noises

gabsgranny · Wed Feb 02, 2011 9:37 pm

I live in a doublewide mobile home. Just this past week it has started making very loud popping noises. Almost like someone ran into the side of it or something. It is very scary and I don't know what it could be. It is eight years old. It is very cold out right now, if that makes any difference. My husband who is disabled is scared the roof in going to fall in on us or something. Someone please help!!

Harry · Thu Feb 03, 2011 5:50 am

Do you have snow on your roof?

My DW makes a variety of noises. The loudest is the ac ductwork in the winter.

Harry

gabsgranny · Thu Feb 03, 2011 7:53 am

No snow on the roof. Maybe some ice though. Kept me awake most of the night. Sounds like something bad is breaking. I think we have some kind of flexible duct work. This noise is real loud almost like a gunshot. Guess eventually we will figure it out. Thank you for your reply.

Greg · Thu Feb 03, 2011 6:40 pm

Hi & welcome. Mobile homes are notorious for weird noises. If you have aluminum siding that will make noise in the cold as it contracts, in the sun as it expands, it the wind as it ??? Cold (frost in the ground) in general can cause a home to shift slightly and make all kinds of noise. As harry said heating & cooling system can make a lot of racket.

If possible for peace of mind you may want to grab a ladder and pop your head up to visually check the roof for any damage.

Greg

gabsgranny · Thu Feb 03, 2011 7:27 pm

Thanks everyone! We have vinyl siding. Still loud popping today as the sun is going down. I looked at the roof from a distance on the road. Couldn't see anything. If there was roof damage would that make loud noises?

Greg · Thu Feb 03, 2011 8:32 pm

I suppose that heavy snow COULD cause noises. I am not sure where you are but much of the nation has been slammed by snowfall amounts not normally seen. If you live in one of the areas you may want to get the weight off as a preventive measure.

If there are no interior signs of damage such as ceiling cracks I don't think that it is a roof issue.

Is this your first winter in this home? As I said mobiles are known for strange noises, once you get used to them you don't even hear them.

If it is very cold, I would bet it is the home shifting slightly, a normal problem in the cold.

Greg

gabsgranny · Thu Feb 03, 2011 10:06 pm

We are in Missouri. No snow on the roof, it all blew off! Very cold though. Pops on one side then the other side. Hope nothing breaks. This is our 8th winter in this home. Never did this before. That's why it is so scary. My husband worries about it all the time. No signs of anything yet other than a small drip in the fireplace. Figured ice blew in there and is melting from the sun.
Thank you!!

Lorne · Fri Feb 04, 2011 7:01 am

Does the sound seem to come from the floor, walls or ceiling?
You said "One side then the other".
Do you feel something through you feet when the popping starts? Or just hear it?

How often does it pop?

It might Sound stupid, but use a drinking glass and put your ear to it and press it against the wall, is it louder? Also lay on the floor with the glass and see if you hear the popping from it.
I am thinking maybe the house is settling a tiny bit due to a frost heave, MAYBE.

The glass acts like a doctors stethoscope to amplify the sound.
Worth a try I guess.

AbbottsManor · Fri Feb 04, 2011 8:29 pm

Our 1990 single makes all sorts of noises. There is the snapping sound the ductwork makes when ever the heat comes on as the ducts expand and contract. Our home sits on good 'ole Adams County clay so it is prone to movement by frost heaving. It's like a slow motion roller coaster ride. The house occasionally makes a very loud crack! as the house moves. Sometimes you can even feel it in the floor. It can happen anywhere in the house. This is most likely what you are experiencing. Also ice breaking off the roof can make a similar noise.

Chris

WildIrish · Tue Feb 08, 2011 1:58 am

Harry wrote:Do you have snow on your roof?
My DW makes a variety of noises. The loudest is the ac ductwork in the winter.

Yours, too? Our ducts with the thinnest metal make awful sounds every time the heat goes off. It's a big, startling BOOM, when the metal expands and contracts. I'm going to go into the crawlspace when the weather is a little better, and see if I can prop those areas of the ductwork with PVC pipe, in hopes of preventing how much the metal can expand/contract, which (if I'm lucky!) might make the noise somewhat softer.

Weirdly enough, the noises weren't too bad when we first moved here in 2008. But last year and this year, the ductwork REALLY makes a racket. Maybe it's because the home is shifting, or the winters are colder than usual, I don't know.

I'm thinking this could be the sound OP is hearing, if it's coming from BELOW. (I know it scared the bejeebers out of us, until we knew what it was.) If the noise is coming from the roof, then that sounds more serious, and I'd get it looked at by a handyman or roofer.

gman · Thu Feb 10, 2011 8:15 pm

i think you can rest easy. i too live in missouri and i for the first time i had this very same thing happen. i have lived in this home for 11 years and this has neve happen before. Until this winter.

The reason i think this was happing is for the first time in 12 years missouri has had the coldest temps that went o or below long term and along with this at the same time we had ice. i had 1-1/2 inch of ice on the roof when i was sitting in my house and it started sounding like someone was smacking my roof with a ball bat. it lasted about 5 to 10 mins and then it stopped. Now heres is what i think triggered it.

It was very cold this day already and with a forcast of high winds coming and fast dropping temps to even lower temps and with ice already on the roof. It hit right at dark. Sure enough as soon as the winds came and the temp started dropping even further thats when the house started this popping at roof level. I went outside to see where it was coming from and for sure it was up high along or at the roof. Then as soon as it adjusted to the big change it stopped other than an pop here and there. i think with the weight of the ice it could not move fast enough to adjust. So it was trying to move but could not.

Since then we had a thaw and i was able to check and all is fine.

I know for a fact my roof is in great shape. it just got re-roof and all the deck is in good shape too. Mine is sitting on solid concrete pad with 18" footings it has not shifted enough in 11 years to have to do any repairs. But this night was a new event that has never happen. Also this house has never been in this kind of weather before. Unless you already had some kind of shifting troubles or house damage i dont think you have anything to worry about.
-Gary

HouseMedic · Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:26 pm

Don't know for sure but if it sounds like it is coming from the floor or lower walls it could be your skirting. If it is not cut to the right length and there is frost heave that will buckle the skirting and it could be snagging on the side of the mobile and then popping loose especially if the skirting is made from vinyl. Check and see if you have any play in the skirting during the day and then check it in the evening and see if it get any tighter.

Ron