Tapping noise coming from ceiling

Ally Dick

My mother in law is in a home and her house is unoccupied. My wife and I stay over about once a fortnight. Lately i've started to notice a sharp tapping sound on the ceiling below the attic. This sound happens in the morning only, and consists of four or five taps, a pause, then the same again. It doesn't last more than ten seconds in total. Could it be rats? I'm afraid to go and check!

Pac1Man

Does the heating get switched on at that time? It could be the pipes.

JustTheOne

It's Bart Simpsons evil twin Hugo.

maudgonner

This lady has obviously decided to move to Ireland.


(My money would be on the heating, as mentioned above)

Boom_Bap

Sounds like a ghost or some king of ghoul.
Burn the house down.

buried

Same thing was happening in Linda Blairs house before she ended up crawling down the stairs like a inverted spider vomitting the pea soup. Watch your back Ally

ixoy

JustTheOne wrote: »

It's Bart Simpsons evil twin Hugo.

Hugo wasn't the evil twin..

Deep Six

Rats on stilts or a murderous poltergeist are the only 2 possibilities.

Car99

Ally Dick wrote: »

My mother in law is in a home and her house is unoccupied. My wife and I stay over about once a fortnight. Lately i've started to notice a sharp tapping sound on the ceiling below the attic. This sound happens in the morning only, and consists of four or five taps, a pause, then the same again. It doesn't last more than ten seconds in total. Could it be rats? I'm afraid to go and check!

More than likely mice. Big f**king mice.

vicwatson

Car99 wrote: »

More than likely mice. Big f**king mice.

or bats, rats or birds:p

sjb25

Shotgun fire a few shots into the roof then go check

henryporter

Sounds like a rat that knows Morse code!

12Phase

If it's a tap, tap, tap noise it's just central heating pipes expanding.

If it's scurrying it's either birds in the roof or rodents in the attic.

Highly unlikely to be extraterrestrials, but you should take a look.

Mr. CooL ICE

Found it

gandalf

Two possibilities is its the pipes expanding if the heating has just been turned on or it is rats who have gained access to the attic because it is cold outside. The only way to find out is to throw a few traps up there and see if you catch anything.

Boardz Fiend

If you have any gaps at all in the roof ie degraded Fascia/Soffits then it could be a bird nesting. I heard the same thing in my house recently, tap, tap, tap .. only at crack of dawn. Initially I set rat traps before eventually figuring out it was a bird.

elefant

I listened to a radiolab podcast recently about tapping noises in old houses. It can sometimes be caused by Deathwatch beetles butting their heads on the rafters of houses while trying to attract mates.

Likely not the cause of your problem, but interesting anyway...

http://www.radiolab.org/story/hard-knock-life/

ahnowbrowncow

elefant wrote: »

I listened to a radiolab podcast recently about tapping noises in old houses. It can sometimes be caused by Deathwatch beetles butting their heads on the rafters of houses while trying to attract mates.

Likely not the cause of your problem, but interesting anyway...

http://www.radiolab.org/story/hard-knock-life/

Did it work for them? Cause I might give it a go.

Dial Hard

More than likely starlings nesting in the cavity. They are noisy fcukers and tap tap tap away like they're doing DIY

failinis

Dial Hard wrote: »

More than likely starlings nesting in the cavity. They are noisy fcukers and tap tap tap away like they're doing DIY

I suggest starlings, we had some as well - tap tap tap.
Could be deathwatch beetles but they sound like this though

Xaracatz

Is it somebody clicking their fingers?

Gator88

The building expands and contracts, well some of the building does anyway. Most buildings make noise. This noise could be the sun heating the attic a few degrees or as stated above most likely the heating pipes

corner of hells

Send your wife up into the attic to see what's going on , maybe throw a firework or two in there as well.

suicide_circus

Probably these individuals crawling around your attic

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/dd/b4/13/ddb4137e7d2fa90b61cf0c0b5fbe28da.jpg

maudgonner

Have you seen the film Shallow Grave? If not:

Good news: there may be a suitcase full of money in your attic.

Bad news:

Christopher Ecclestone may also be up there waiting to kill you with a hammer.

my3cents

A few suggesting its pipes expanding but the same pipes also make a noise as they cool down at night.

JupiterKid

As others suggested, probably the heating pipes expanding and contracting.

Either that or poltergeists.

rsh118

Can only be one of the two mammy explanations for house noises. Pipes or the house settling. Never anything else!

Ally Dick

I have heard the sound of pipes heating up and it is not this sound I don't think. It's like someone tapping a coin on the ceiling from the attic. More pronounced than heating expansion. Another thing is that it is only recent. Could it be to do with starlings nesting in spring????

granturismo

Ally Dick wrote: »

I have heard the sound of pipes heating up and it is not this sound I don't think. It's like someone tapping a coin on the ceiling from the attic. More pronounced than heating expansion. Another thing is that it is only recent. Could it be to do with starlings nesting in spring????

If only there was some way of recording the sound and posting it to this thread.

Let me just fire up my spiritometer. Yes definite readings of paranormal activity coming from the far right corner of the attic. Just beside the old photograph of a family who once lived there. The story goes that the husband went crazy and hung wife and four children from the big tree outside your window.

Oh wait something else is happening. The poltergage is firing up. Hmm possible evidence of poltergeist activity. They say that they are attracted to the disturbed minds of children in a house.

Just sayin'.