Have you ever taken your kids (or spouse) to the Worlds of Fun Halloween Haunt for a little scary fun? The amusement park has 5 scare zones filled with deranged clowns, witches, maniacal monkeys, ghosts and psych ward patients all itching to scare you to death. Once the sun goes down and the fog starts rolling the Haunt comes alive with screeches, growls, thumps and thuds that make you wanna scream. It’s great fun when you want to be scared and you expect the frightening noises, but have you ever heard similar sounds coming from your house?
Maybe it’s footsteps in your attic or groaning in your walls? Or creaking doors, whistling murmurs and popping that seem to surface every fall? As exciting as it would be to be listed as one of the most haunted places in Kansas or Missouri there is probably an earthly explanation to your ghostly clamors.
Footsteps in your attic-
Before you call Ghost Hunters you may want to check your soffit, rafter and gable roof vents to be sure they are covered with screens and free of holes. An unfinished attic, could amplify the sound of squirrels and raccoons as they run along your roofline and easy access to your warm house, could make them a permanent resident. Also, look for daylight shining in through your attic and patch any holes you find. This will stop the smaller rodents from coming in and walking all over you…
Groaning in your walls-
If you sing “…I ain’t afraid of no ghosts…” enough times at the top of your lungs it might stop the noises in your walls….but if it doesn’t it could be coming from your water pipes. This could be from a faulty fill valve in one of your toilets or water pressure being set too high. Most home water supplies are set at 40 to 60 psi but if your pressure reads higher than that, install a pressure regulator to protect your plumbing from water pressure damage and to reduce those groaning ghost noises. If that isn’t your problem, check your fill valves. Either way, it’s an easy fix compared to calling Ghostbusters.
Whistling murmurs-
Whistling ghosts. It’s a thing. Look it up. But, since they seem to haunt an island near the equator it is probably safe to assume the whistling you hear is coming from your furnace. Sometimes that sound can be an indication that you need to change your air filter. When your furnace kicks on, and the filter is clogged, it has to work overtime to pull air from around the filter which creates a whistling sound. If replacing your air filter doesn’t work, try whistling back…
Whatever sounds you may hear coming from your attic, walls or basement, it can usually be chalked up to your house contracting and expanding throughout the day, at different rates. Most noises are tied to simple issues that can easily be fixed or managed but if you can’t figure it out, we recommend calling in the pro’s.
Have a safe and happy Halloween!
