Whatever that banging noise was it made me sit straight up from a sound sleep. Then I heard this low moaning along with gurgling that kept getting louder. It took me a while to remember where I was “oh yeah I live in Minnesota and we are having an extreme cold weather event”. That explains everything. Maybe you have heard a loud cracking noise inside your home during these cold spells. That is caused by contraction of wood framing members attached to each other suddenly releasing pressure as it adjusts to the cold temps. The moaning and gurgling was caused by my hot water boiler pipes expanding rapidly as warm water moves through cold pipes. Knowing this does not make it any less creepy by the way! Paranormal events also do increase in the severe winter weather. Ira Glass host of the podcast This American Life did a Halloween segment about the 1921 case of “Mrs H”. She and her family would hear footsteps, whispering and at times they felt as though they were being held down by some unseen force. The whole family would wake feeling nauseous and weak, plus the house plants kept dying. Luckily for them it was discovered they were suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. The furnace was not functioning properly, and this odorless gas was filling the home. We now have CO detectors we can purchase from any hardware store for around $20.00. Oh, you have one in your home…have you checked the manufacturer date on that? New CO detectors last for up to 10 years, units manufactured 2013 and earlier last for 7 years. If it’s beyond its warranted time frame buy a new one. If it is battery operated, make sure batteries are fresh. This next item can be a shocking subject, but we must talk openly with each other. My wife and I circle each other warily before our morning peck on the cheek, we’re just trying to get grounded, literally. I am of course talking about static electricity shocks. Humidity is important, too little and you get shocked and, in some cases, have nose bleeds. Too much humidity and you start a science project growing different species of mold and mildew in your home. The proper level of humidity is between 30-40 percent in the wintertime. If you hear loud bangs, groans and moaning you can likely go back to sleep. If you start hearing voices, seeing ghosts, and your plants are dying get out of the house and call a furnace contractor…they are real ghostbusters! I provide these articles in the hope of helping you understand your home better and to do so with a little humor. Most people, including many agents, don’t know this information so please pass this along to your friends, family and neighbors. If they happen to ask who you recommend as a Realtor, don’t feel the need to beg them to call me…give me their name and number and I’ll do that!
Please stay well! Comments are closed.
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