Vinyl Siding Noises

[piejam]

Hello,

Recently remodeled a 2900 sq home. New roof, vinyl windows, and siding. Front of house is southern exposure. I am hearing snap, crackle and pops. Certainteed super max 5" soffit material( mfg. rated for vertical siding application)in front. Alside 16ft-25ft used on remaining 3 sides. Old tongue and groove removed. Tyvek was installed along with super tuf-r. Installed feb 2011. Originally wanted siding with attached insulation but was told above mentioned install was better.

Do not see any evidence of bowing, cupping or warping. Think I'm hearing the siding expanding. Windows are Softlite Imperial l/s triple pane. Called window distributor. He said it was not his material. He did recommend the installer who also did the siding. Contractor had good credentials with no outstanding or history of complaints. Was advised that these expansions sounds are normal..How long will this go on? Is this because its new?

Got so scared one day went up into the attic with flashlight in hand checking the trusses where visible. Roof material timberline hd lifetime 30% thicker shingles. 2 x 6 construction. Is this normal? Or did contractor nail this stuff in too tight and how do I fix? Planning to sell home in 3yrs and I'm horrified..Would you buy a house that made these sounds?? I'm a widow. Thanking your in advance..

 

[joefrompa]

Hi Piejam,

At this time of year, you should not hear anything from the vinyl under any circumstances due to heat/contraction when installed properly. It's allowed to expand and contract without noise - through like you named loose nailing + room for expansion in j-channels.

If you are hearing noises you should see it out of line, because the only way I know of it to make noise is due to it being installed incorrectly at the ends or where pieces overlap, and if it's a problem you should see pieces warp orpop out from the wall.

How long has this been going on for?

FYI, I had my entire house re-sided in July with vinyl. 4.5" dutch lap from mastic, and one part of the house in mastic board and batten style. New soffits and gutters. Have never once heard the siding make a sound - including in the middle of severe winds.

Quality siding nowadays is made to be almost fool-proof when it comes to installation. It's very hard to install it correctly and have a problem without it being blatantly obvious. Lines don't match up, things warp or sag or bow, etc.

 

[piejam]

Hello,

Thank you for your reply. It's what I suspected all along. Siding was install approx 6.5 mos ago. Heard the sounds from the beginning. May not have the eye myself to evaluate. Thinking of bringing in a third party, but don't want to give contractor#1 an excuse to void his warranty. Sadly he is a nice man but that doesn't rectify my situation. Glad DH is not alive to see this..Noises are bad every day.

I may just have to send a registered letter to protect myself. How does this get fixed? Does he have to remove all the siding and re-install? My guess is yes. Hard for you to comment since you can't see the job. Don't have camera. Computer illiterate. All grooves line up to soffits. To an uneducated layman, myself or neighbors the place looks stunning.

Thank you so much for helping me. I'm at the end of my rope.

Ps. My dad came from pa. Summit Hill. Aunt still lives in Split Rock....

 

[fishingpol]

Vinyl siding should not be nailed tight to the house. I am wondering if the nails were set a bit snug and you are hearing the vinyl rub up and spring along the nail holes. I would think you would see buckling along the length.

Here is a quick link to give you some good info:

http://www.vinylsiding.org/installation/faqs/

Good luck, I hope the installer makes things right.

 

[piejam]

Hi fishingpol,

Glad you guys are chiming in. The way I figure it the vertical siding should have some play if I try to move it Up/down..Well its 8pm here but went outside and started to try and move some panels in an up/down motion.

Well you guessed it. Some move fairly easy and some don't. Found a few near I think what you call a "corner channel" were hard for me to move. Please let me know if what I am doing is valid test. 2 story contemporary..Hear the loud noises especially in the 2nd floor master bedroom field windows( room has vaulted ceiling). Not going to go on roof.

I imagine contractors hate "do overs"..But if it's done right the first time.....

Thanks for the help. I have found all you guys, no matter what forum I'm in, are very knowledgable and kind. You are a fine bunch of gents...I'm not cut out for this, I'm a girl for Christ sake!

 

[piejam]

Fishingpol,

Just started to read the website you provided. Thanks. Good one. Need to study, absorb and digest. A lot of info. Have a pleasant evening.

 

[fishingpol]

If the noise is from the siding that is too tight, the contractor would just have to come back and use a zip tool to undo the edges where it locks to the next piece. Any tight nails can be pulled out just a little with a small flat bar to relieve the tightness. They would not have to strip the whole side of the house off, just lift each panel and inspect the nails for tightness.

 

[ckarotka]

After 6.5 months and you can see no evidence of "oil canning", pieces are not blowing off, no buckling I doubt it was installed wrong. You would see some problems by now. Is it a dark color siding??? The biggest prob would be where the siding meets the channeling. If it's short it will "pop" back in when it grows. Dark colors react in milder temps. Could be a material problem. Bad batch, too much expansion and contraction. I've installed hundreds of squares of siding. It makes noise when heated up for a while. How long?? can't say. The darker colors are the worst, along with thicker panels (more material to expand). It sicks together ever so slightly that when it moves it "pops". Even when installed properly. Six months seems a tad long. I would want a material rep and the contractor to come together because they are going to blame each other. I know from experience.

 

[piejam]

Thanks for posting..It is white vertical vinyl siding. It is really soffit material that's approved for vertical application. Installer is coming back at the end of the month(Oct). I thought that since most people hang horizontal that installer's crew may not be familiar or misjudged the vertical application. Panels near the corners are tight if I try to move up/down where others in the lineup move with ease. I can't move panels in the corners.

Hope it's not the product. It mimics a solid stained cedar on the front of my home. I used it instead of board and batten since I felt it was a cleaner look for a soft contemporary. Believe the pops are coming from the front where it is installed and not the back/sides where I used dutch lap. Just went thru hurricane Irene recently. Wind noise from structure was not that bad..Better than I expected. Installer advised that I would hear this based on a hardy southern exposure in front. Sun is tough, so strong that hubby planted a zoysia front lawn.. New vinyl windows don't have aluminum for integrity but kevlar.

The killer here is that my next door neighbor has same front set-up in gray. They too hear the pops and was diy installed a few years ago. The area is approx 10 square with a lot of glass..Considering the size of the house there really isn't a lot of exposed sided surface. Today is cloudy and so far no pops..If it's sunny whoa! In panic mode. Speaking with you gents is the best thing that's happened to me. Honest 2nd opinion evaluations. Cost was about 7k for the parts/labor in the front of house.

Go figure, used a well known mfg. Need to speak with them. Was afraid of them telling me bad install and void any warranty. Appreciate you chiming in. I'm particular but not a bb when dealing with contractors. Didn't stand over their shoulders because I wouldn't like it if I was working. I did check progress but tried to stay out of their way. Wasn't intrusive. Once again thank you and have a nice day. Sincerely-Diane.

 

[piejam]

Sorry for the PS..This setup not only pops but there is cracking sound too, so loud I thought the roof was caving in! lol..Only thing I got left is a sense of humor..