When a house “settles” what is actually happening that causes popping, creaking, groaning noises, etc.?
In: Engineering
Are we discussing settling, or thermal expansion/contraction?
I’d you are talking about the mid morning and late afternoon groaning, the house is just growing/shrinking ever so slightly. As building materials heat up, they expand, often at different rates. Your home is a mix of wood, vinyl, abs, copper, pex, asphalt, rubber, plastic, paper, foam, and fiberglass. The CREAKING you are hearing is usually nails or screws moving ever so slightly, or the wood itself shifting a tiny bit. Some materials are insulated to stay warm (or cool), while others are directly exposed to the icey cold air or the summer sun. These materials, while screwed or nailed together, undergo completely different rates of thermal expansion. Therefore, minor twists and pops.
Settling is much worse. Basically, the house wasn’t built on a solid enough foundation, and the weight of the house “finishes” compacting the soil after usually a year or a few. Then that part of the house sinks to it’s new depth, bringing everything directly above it down with it. This is not good.
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