Your house is talking are you listening?

11/4/2019 (Permalink)

If you are of a certain age you remember a commercial that said, “When EF Hutton speaks people listen”. Well when your house is talking to you, then you should listen.  Is your house letting you know there is trouble before there is trouble? There are some noises that simply should not be ignored.

Some things to listen to when your house is talking to you are. 

• Your water heater sits in a closet or in the garage and is silently heating the water. When it is silent no news is good news. But if it starts to bubble or sounds like crackling that may be sediment rumbling around in the bottom of the tank. It may be a sign that it is getting ready to fail. One way to prevent this is to flush it out every few months. It will prolong the life of your water heater.
• You flush the toilet, wash your hands and hear the modern-day convenience of running water. Well what if no one is using water and you hear it running or dripping? Well then you might have a leak. Weather it is a freshwater supply or a drain you will need to call a plumber.
• Ever been laying in bed and suddenly hear scratching or scurrying in the wall or attic? Well this is not to be ignored either as mice, squirrels, or other critters can chew holes in walls or worse wiring that could lead to a potential call to SERVPRO of West Forsyth County.
• “Clang clang clang goes the trolley”, well this is not how your furnace should react when you turn it on. Normal clicking or ticks is ok for baseboard or hot water systems. But the pump and system itself should be relatively quiet.
• Cat call whistling is not socially acceptable anywhere, but especially with your furnace. When was the last time you changed the filter? You should use a high-quality filter and do so quarterly or monthly if you have pets.
• Boo hiss is usually a sound made at a ball game, but if your home has gas and it is hissing at you then you may be getting ready to lose the game. If you smell gas or hear it near the meter or at the home’s outdoor gas post, then get out and call the gas company immediately.
• If you have worked in electronics you know that sound a relay makes when it is energized, it clicks. It sounds like two decent sized magnets coming together. Well water users have a pump in the house or the yard that pulls water into a holding tank and stored for use. If you hear that click each time you turn on the water, that could indicate you have a leak. If it turns on so frequently that could wear out the pump prematurely.
• Things that make you go hummmmm. Appliances that have working perfectly normal and suddenly develop a hum should be considered for repair. Clothes dryers hum but if they start squeaking or making new noises time call the repairman.
• Birds chirping in the morning is ok but chirping from a smoke detector is never a good thing. This usually happens at my home around 2:30 AM but not having it ready could be a an even worse day.

Any of these could lead to a reason to need SERVPRO of West Forsyth County. If you need to call us we are available 24/7 it’s best to call us directly 336-946-1131