How can I stop my house from making popping noises?

To stop popping noises, try insulating your metal air ducts to slow down thermal expansion, ensuring your attic is properly ventilated, and maintaining a consistent indoor humidity level.

Can I stop plumbing burps?

Yes. Plumbing burps are often caused by air trapped in the lines. You can try draining your water system to reset the air chambers, or install water hammer arrestors to absorb shock.

How to Reduce House Burping: DIY and Expert Tips

Living in a noisy home can be stressful. While our homepage explains that many sounds are physically unavoidable, that doesn't mean you have to live with a cacophony of bangs and groans.

Learning how to stop house burping involves addressing the root cause: friction, pressure, and air movement. While you cannot change the laws of physics, you can dampen the effects with these DIY house sound fixes.

Top 5 Ways to Stop the Noise

Before calling a contractor, try these quiet home tips to reduce the volume of your home's "digestion."

Insulate Metal Ducts: The loud "pop" from your HVAC is metal expanding. Wrapping exposed ducts in the basement or attic with foil-backed insulation slows the temperature change, silencing the pop.
Control Humidity: Dry wood shrinks and squeaks. Using a whole-home humidifier in the winter (keeping humidity around 35-45%) keeps wood swollen and tight, reducing creaking sounds.
Install Water Hammer Arrestors: If your pipes bang when the washing machine stops, install these small shock absorbers on the valves. They are cheap, easy to install, and highly effective.
Secure Loose Pipes: Go into the basement and check where pipes run through floor joists. If they are loose, add plastic pipe clamps (not metal, which causes more noise) to stop them from rattling.
Clean Your Vents: A whistling or "gasping" return vent is often just dirty. Change the filter and vacuum the grille to lower the air pressure resistance.

Fixing the Sound: Burping vs. Creaking vs. Popping

Different sounds require different tools. Here is your quick-fix guide based on the causes of the noise.

Stopping "The Burp" (Plumbing)

The Fix: Clear the Vents.

If your toilet burps, the roof vent might be clogged with leaves or a bird's nest. Clearing this allows sewer gas to escape the roof, not your toilet bowl.

Stopping "The Pop" (Thermal)

The Fix: Lubrication & loosening.

Vinyl siding often pops if nailed too tightly. It needs to "float." While hard to fix without re-siding, you can sometimes apply silicone lubricant to window tracks or door hinges that pop in the heat.

Stopping "The Creak" (Floors)

The Fix: Talcum Powder or Screws.

For squeaky floorboards, sprinkle talcum powder into the cracks to lubricate the wood rubbing together. For a permanent fix, drive a trim screw through the carpet into the subfloor to lock it down.

When DIY Isn't Enough

You have insulated, lubricated, and tightened, but the noise persists. Sometimes, a noise is a symptom of a failing structural element.

If the sounds are accompanied by cracks or leaks, do not keep trying to patch it yourself.

When to Call a Professional →