Attic Noise Cold Weather

Mouse scratching noises are heard directly above the attic hatch or access into the attic.

Attic noise cold weather. As the attics get cold in the winter months mice will congregate at these attic hatches to stay warm. There are loud banging noises coming from our attic roof. Experts call the noises thermal expansion and contraction. If this is the main attic noise you ve been hearing it could be mice.

It literally sounds like someone punching sheetrock. Heating ducts as they cool also make banging. Many times when we move the attic hatch we will find lots of mouse droppings. That means the components in your home are shrinking and expanding with extreme temperature changes especially with the sub zero.

Its not all in one area. As the temperature in your house goes up and down the materials used to build your house expand and contract with the heat and cold. House noises a loose shutter on an attic window or loosened attic vents can cause a banging sound if it s windy as can branches hitting the roof. As i sit here in bed trying to get some sleep i cannot.

Most of the noises seem to be coming from the top of the walls. It comes from all around the room. Signs mice are in your home. What you re hearing however is the effect of low temperatures on the building materials.

Often this expansion and contraction causes popping sounds in the wood or other materials. A loud popping noise in the attic is often very common especially when there are extreme temperature differences such as large and rapid fluctuations between night and day temperatures. As you crank up the heat when temperatures drop the airflow affects the metal ducts and hot air coming through a cold duct causes the metal to expand. Also when the temperature becomes very hot or very cold or when sunlight warms one part of a home and not another these noises may become more pronounced.

Throughout the cooler months mice tend to enter our homes or businesses searching for food and shelter. The bad news is once inside mice tend to reproduce quickly causing an infestation before you even knew it was happening. If it s the fall or. No that s not the sound of chains rattling in the attic.

This is an area where there is a lot of heat loss. There are a few possible sources for this sound but none of them ghostly or even worrying enough to call in the pros. Your home s hvac system may be behind some of the bangs and groans in your attic.