8 things that make your home seem haunted—and what’s really going on

We’ve each been there: You’re watching a scary movie, and abruptly you perceive a creak connected nan staircase down you.

Or, you’re moving successful your location office, and nan doorway slams unopen each connected its own. And what astir that pouch of acold aerial you passed done connected your measurement to refill your greeting coffee?

You don’t request to spot a shade aliases perceive maniacal cackling coming from your attic to fishy your location mightiness beryllium haunted. Even nan astir cool-headed homeowner mightiness get nan jitters erstwhile they hear, see, aliases consciousness creepy occurrences wrong their house.

But earlier you tally retired and prosecute an exorcist aliases move to smudging and sage sticks, location whitethorn beryllium perfectly reasonable, non-supernatural explanations for these startling phenomena.

Just ask Jon Christensen, laminitis of Bidmii, which connects homeowners pinch contractors. He erstwhile had a broadside hustle overhauling older homes pinch his wife.

“Renovating these period homes taught america that almost each ‘hauntings’ person logical explanations,” says Christensen.

Ready to consciousness a small little freaked retired by those unnerving noises and different happenings? Here are immoderate frighteningly acquainted sounds and nan not-so-scary reasons they occur.

Banging down nan walls

In 1 of nan first period homes nan Christensens renovated, they often heard large banging noises coming from down nan walls, particularly successful nan evening.

“It was unsettling, to opportunity nan least,” he says. “After immoderate investigation, we discovered it was owed to a water hammer effect. The antiquated plumbing strategy successful operation pinch our washing instrumentality caused abrupt stops successful h2o flow, creating daze waves that made nan pipes bang against nan walls. Installing h2o hammer arrestors resolved nan rumor and saved america from galore sleepless nights.”

Creaking floors and phantom footsteps

Over time, wood expands and contracts owed to changes successful humidity and temperature, explains Mike Wall, CEO of EXP Realty/ EZ Sell Homebuyers.

“Nails loosen and woody floorboards swipe against each other, starring to that creepy creaking noise,” says Wall. “It’s an particularly communal occurrence successful older homes. If you ever perceive footsteps coming from an quiet room, it mightiness beryllium owed to an description of hardwood floors aliases settling noises successful nan structure. These sounds tin lucifer footsteps, particularly successful homes pinch larger unfastened spaces aliases attics.”

Doors that unfastened aliases adjacent connected their own

Christensen recalls moving connected a Victorian-era location wherever definite doors would slow creak unfastened of their ain volition.

“It felt for illustration a segment from a scary movie,” he says. “The reality was little melodramatic but still interesting—the location had settled complete time, causing nan doorway frames to go somewhat off-kilter. Gravity did nan rest. Rehanging nan doors and adjusting nan hinges fixed nan problem.”

Differences successful aerial unit caused by unfastened windows tin besides push doors to plaything unfastened and closed.

Flickering lights

Flickering lights were almost expected successful older houses because electrical wiring wasn’t ever up to modern standards, notes Christensen.

“In 1 case, we recovered knob-and-tube wiring that was causing inconsistent powerfulness flow,” he says. “Rewiring nan location was a important investment, but it eliminated nan flickering and made nan location overmuch safer.”

A loose bulb tin besides origin this issue, Wall adds. Nevertheless, he ever recommends homeowners person it checked retired by an electrician since faulty wiring tin lead to bigger problems down nan road.

Cold spots successful definite spaces

If you person a acold spot successful a room, past nan likelihood are nan insulation successful nan wall closest to nan extracurricular is nonexistent, failing, aliases damaged successful immoderate way, says Al Ruggie, of ASAP Restoration, LLC.

“Many times this happens because builders didn’t afloat seal that conception of wall pinch location wrap, nan insulation wasn’t installed decently aliases astatine all, aliases h2o has gotten into nan area caused mold connected nan insulation, and degraded it’s thermal capacity,” says Ruggie. “Other times group conscionable person gaps and cracks successful their windows, aliases moreover their siding that is letting successful much aerial than they realized and causing a acold spot aliases draft.”

Improved insulation and sealing gaps tin make nan rooms much comfortable, advises Christensen, who adds that akin gaps pasing done aged chimneys tin could create eerie noises.

“Sealing cracks and installing chimney caps helped trim these sounds,” he says.

Scratching successful the basement

As months turn colder, pests tin commencement to skitter into your location done openings successful your crawl abstraction and origin a assortment of problems, says Matt Wojciechowski, of Groundworks, instauration and h2o guidance solutions company.

“The germs from immoderate discarded aliases carcasses near successful nan crawlspace besides tin go airborne and coming toxic wellness hazards to you and your family,” he says.

Instead of Ghostbusters, a (seed) disease power work should beryllium capable to free your location of this issue.

Appliances turning connected by themselves

Empty toaster oven abruptly heating up? There’s besides a logic for that.

“Old wiring aliases faulty outlets could origin appliances to behave erratically,” says Christensen. “Updating nan electrical strategy resolved these issues.”

Rumbling furnaces

Old furnaces tin make each kinds of unsettling noises — rumbles, bangs, aliases moreover what sounds for illustration groans.

“This is often owed to delayed ignition, wherever state builds up and ignites each astatine once,” says Wall. “It mightiness sound for illustration a shade successful nan basement, but it’s usually conscionable a furnace successful request of maintenance.”