Loud cracking/popping noise from roof

papamike

Hi, We live in a 9.5 year old bungalow and were woken the other night by very loud banging noise from the roof/attic. I thought at first it was someone throwing stones at the roof so the noise is a sharp crack or popping noise. We have never heard anything like this before.

I have had a look around the attic and can see no obvious source for the sound or any damage like cracked beams/trusses.

A quick google search brought up things like settling of timbers, expansion due to heat etc., but we've been in the house over 9 years so don't think it could be that.

This noise was very loud and we've heard it a couple of times during the day as well.

Anyone have ay experience as to what it might be before I start calling in some experts?

Thanks.

bertie 56

You don't have a closed metallic tank somewhere ?

It happens to me in a house where was stored old copper tanks, used before as flotation devices for a boat.
2 bangs per day per tank : when the heat was rising, and when it decreases. No need of a thermometer !

papamike

No, we have no pipes or tanks up in the attic. We've geothermal heat pump system with all tanks in the garage and pumped into hot press and around the underfloor heating then.

One thing I was thinking of was the fact that I increased the temp on the heat pump by one degree over the winter so perhaps that has had an affect on some of the timbers in the attic causing some expansion. I have since dropped the temp back and haven't heard anything today.

Someone in work mentioned perhaps mice chewing wires could make noise - how likely is that? I didn't see any droppings up there and haven't been hearing any scratching so unlikely.
Thanks.

Guest0000

Do you by any chance have natural slates on the roof, as the water carried up under the slates by capillary action, does freeze, and with expansion and contraction, leads to the loud noises.....

papamike

The roof is Tegral thrutone so not quite natural slate - think it's the fibre cement ones. Had read about water getting up under them and freezing but we've been in the house 9.5 years and never heard this before even in the mad temps of winter of 2010

Not to say that's not it so thanks for the reply and it had been frosty on Friday night where we live. Does the loud noises equate to cracking slates or just the ice cracking? Should I be looking for damaged slates?

tedimc

It wouldn't be something totally random like birds dropping snails/shells onto your roof from a height in order to break them open?

Do you live close to the sea - I've seen seagulls do this from time to time.

Or would it be something to do with your guttering, none of it is loose or the screws haven't popped out?

papamike

@Tedimc, I don't think so, we live in the Midlands and the loudest noises were at 5am.
Had a good look at the gutters and all look fine.

Haven't heard anything since Sunday so perhaps reducing the max temp of the heat pump by one degree may have explained it!!

Vego

get a young priest and an old priest !!!!!

slimjimmc

Probably just the roof timbers contracting in the cold of the night, you'll probably notice the same popping sometime during the late morning if it's very quiet. My house has being doing that for the past 20 years whenever there's a fair difference in daytime and night time temps and it hasn't fallen in, yet.