Vibrations, crackles, clicks, and rinsing: Holds in the house are trying to report something to you. Know how to decode these sounds, and when you have to ask for help.
Bumps, deaf blows, and cracks
We all went through there. The dryer knocks and one wonders if it is normal, or the floor of the bedroom cracks and we tell ourselves that it only happens in old houses. "A suspicious noise will arouse a sixth sense in most owners," notes Ed Padilla, founder and director of the Association of Certified Handyman Professionals. Some immediately go into solution mode, while others are doing this again.
However, according to Padilla, a category of owners has a particular donation to solve a problem. "According to my experience, they are the best women," he admits. Often, it is the woman who calls me for a noise in the attic, after being told by her husband that there was nothing abnormal. But when we arrive at the scene, we discover a very real problem every time. ”
Bumps in the washer
This knock that sometimes emits your washer - in general, because of a malicious load - is not only annoying. It can indicate a problem with the balancing ring - this ring is filled with liquid placed at the top of the washing basket to counterbalance the weight of your armful. "Most drums run at a speed of 1000 to 1200 rpm, and because the space is reduced in a machine, the drum is very close to the control panel," explains Scott McConnell, member of the Board of Directors of the United Appliance Service Association and owner of Lake Appliance Repair, a Sacramento, California company. "If you do not take care of this noise, the machine drum can unbalance the point of breaking the control panel, and what would have been a moderate expenditure will turn into a more expensive repair than your machine."
Bumps in the washer
This knock that sometimes emits your washer - in general, because of a malicious load - is not only annoying. It can indicate a problem with the balancing ring - this ring is filled with liquid placed at the top of the washing basket to counterbalance the weight of your armful. "Most drums run at a speed of 1000 to 1200 rpm, and because the space is reduced in a machine, the drum is very close to the control panel," explains Scott McConnell, member of the Board of Directors of the United Appliance Service Association and owner of Lake Appliance Repair, a Sacramento, California company. "If you do not take care of this noise, the machine drum can unbalance the point of breaking the control panel, and what would have been a moderate expenditure will turn into a more expensive repair than your machine."
Nuns in the washer or dryer
With their belts, cylinders, pulleys, and drums, washers and dryers have more mobile parts than most other household appliances - and certain sounds in these complex machines should make your ear. "We should never neglect a creak because it indicates that two metal parts rub one on the other at high speed," says McConnell.
A slight creak can degenerate into large problems, such as the complete sagging of the device drum. “We saw drums of dryer split in two which dropped the laundry in the heating area. We have also seen washer bearings drop completely at high speed, and in such a case, the damage does not stop at the tank. "
Grinding in floors
If your house has wooden floors, you must be used to hearing cracking here and there, but according to Padilla, we should not lose interest in it. "Regarding the cracking floors, I often hear saying:" Bof, it's an old house ". But a floor that starts to crack can point out a termite problem. Slight blows in the walls are another index of the presence of termites. If the insects do damage near the joists that support the floor, it can sag to this location, adds Padilla, who advises checking the inclination by placing a golf ball in the middle of the room to see if she Rolls, and in what direction.
Beat and click in the refrigerator
One of the most frequent noises reported to McConnell by its customers resembles the beat of a playing card taken on the shelves of a bicycle wheel on the move. "Refrigerators use air circulation to maintain their temperature. So there are generally two or three fans in a refrigerator and a freezer, ”he explains.
This sound usually means that ice has been formed on a fan and all around. If you do not deal with it, it may be that upon returning from work, you find your refrigerator hot, and you will not only pay for the repair of the fan but also the replacement of damaged food. For his part, Padilla had called for clicking in refrigerators. "If you hear a clicking - a noise different from that of the ice machine - this is a sign that the compressor is about to break down, and your refrigerator will be heating up."
Damn in the dishwasher
Regarding the dishwasher, it is better to make a noise that looks like a dice in a plastic cup. "This indicates that debris housed in the body of the drain pump, which will damage either the pump itself or the propeller, and your dishwasher will no longer be able to drain," explains McConnell.
Aware that some people seek solutions in online DIY videos, he says he has noted that the direct interventions of the owners could do more harm than good. He advises to use a pro for repairs.
Vibrations and whistles coming from windows
A window that vibrates tells you that its chassis needs to be adjusted, repaired, or replaced. "The window vibrates because two elements knock on each other without anything with anything to amortize the shock. After a while, wear and tear is likely to get worse to the point of cracking the window. "
As for whistles, if these are old windows, they indicate that it may be time to replace the putty that keeps the windows in place. "If your windows are not insulated properly, it will unnecessarily increase your heating or air conditioning costs."
Flow noises in the walls
If you hear a flow noise in a wall, there are perhaps flowing pipes, notes Padilla, especially if your smell is also a mold of mold. If you hear water flow while no one uses it, go around the house to check if there are fleeing toilets or defective valves, said Alfonso Jimenez, master plumber. "Then check if your nozzle system, your dishwasher, or your washer is running," continues Jimenez.
"And if you are still perplexed after these checks, close the water supply of the house and look for whether there are traces of water visible inside or an accumulation of water outside, without forgetting the crawl space."
Animal sounds in the attic
Animals can break into the attic and make all kinds of noises, from "chewable" to tedding, including scratching and trotting. Although it is unlikely that the owners have a deaf ear when hearing these noises, they do not always know who to contact.
Better to call a specialist, advises Padilla, specifying that the rat washer, for example, carries a parasite, the round verge, which passes in its excrement and can thus be transmitted to humans and dogs. A professional exterminator will be able to release the places of unwanted animals and securely clean the affected area, advises The Human Society of the United States.
Bumps in steam stelliferous
When the cold arrives, the owners of older houses know that hot steam heating can cause noisy bodies - and this noise should warn you that something is wrong. Steams can deform the floor because the alternation of dilation and contraction tends to crack the wood.
According to the US site Department of Energy, "These combined effects can include the calorific, which will prevent water from flowing normally when it cools. This will cause knocks when the calorific recovers to heat up ”. Walls should be placed under the stelliferous to tilt them slightly to the pipe in a system with a pipe, or to the steam plug in a system with two pipes, advises the American Ministry of Energy.
Crissements or clicking in your air conditioner
When the beautiful days come back, it happens that the owners of houses equipped with a central air conditioner note that their system issues various noises. "If the air filter is not replaced quite often, it will end up being completely invaded by dirt and dust," said the owner of the company Just Right Heating and Cooling. "This can lead the air distribution system to emit a kind of sharp groan, and the same can happen with the filter of your furnace."
In addition, air conditioning systems can vibrate a lot, loosening parts that will end up banging or slamming, notes in Good Housekeeping Scott McGillivray, entrepreneur. "A scrubbing will indicate that the fan belt is too loose, and a gargoyle, that you have to redo the refrigerant. The conclusion? Entrust your system to maintain a professional."
Roof scratches
Scrapes which, in your opinion, come from the attic can actually come from the roof. "Branches of trees neighboring the roof will rub on the shingles and damage them in the long run," said Padilla. “Composite shingles can contain porcelain. Once this layer is beaten, there remains only paved paper, and you will soon see that your roof flows. ”