Hey Everyone, I have a question about panels making a popping noise on the roof/ceiling. On the cool down of the day or during the roof heating up I will hear the panels make the noise of what I believe to be just expansion and contraction. Does anyone else have this issue? 

Sammy;

 

is it the panels or the roofing?

It could be your roof SIPs sliding past one another or a support member. I have metal roofing over metal SIP and it all "talks to me" all day long. popping, creaking, tapping.....its just the nature of the material. One gets used to it. I have since discovered ways to mitigate this in new construction. Glue "everything" meaning glue all SIP joints, glue intersecting SIP wall interfaces, glue wall and roof SIP interfaces, glue beam and roof SIP interfaces, joist hanger and beam bucket to SIP wall interfaces, etc. This is time consuming, but will make for a quieter and better quality SIP home.

My panels pop like crazy when ever there is heat up or cool down. Some days its quite impressive!

Thanks for the input guys, I've been in it for about 3 years and its about the same. I can generally tell the ones that make the noise and just guessed that they were moving during and expansion and contraction stage. I still have not covered the osb, I might just paint it, or use a thin plywood with stain.

Posted By Sammy on 05 Mar 2011 08:07 AM
Thanks for the input guys, I've been in it for about 3 years and its about the same. I can generally tell the ones that make the noise and just guessed that they were moving during and expansion and contraction stage. I still have not covered the osb, I might just paint it, or use a thin plywood with stain.

Sammy;

are you sure all the SIP screws and spline fasteners are installed? panels sholud not have that much movement.

Sammy, I hope you are not living in the home with the exposed osb. Do the panel joints have tape over them? As with all homes SIP's require a thermal barrier on the interior. For nothing else than fire protection. It is even required that, if you cover them with a wood product that they be treated with an intumescent paint to protect them before installing paneling over them. To me it sounds as though the panels were not installed to manufactures recommendations. If installed properly, with all the glue and screws at the required points, you should not be hearing this.

Tom Pittsley
[email protected]
www.eebt.org

As a side note if they are installed over post and beam structure they it could be the structure moving more than the SIP's

Panels are not sliding back and forth, I put alignment marks up on them a couple of years ago. they are still in alignment but thank you for your response.

Thank you for your response Tom,  the manufacturer of my panels retired and closed the company. I have spoke with some other panel companies and was informed that it is normal and once the ceiling is applied the noise should quite down a lot, maybe even stop.  

Sammy,

You are correct in that that the noise is a function of thermal expansion and contraction. The SIP installs that report this issue are usually ones that rely on a lumber spline design. It is clearly understood that the thermal expansion of dissimilar materials can cause friction. Eventually that friction is overcome by very small and sudden amounts of movement. If your SIP skin moves at ones rate and the lumber at a much slower rate, you may get the noise described. I have found three things that can help prevent the offensive noise;
1) Design a roof that does not rely on a lot of internal lumber.
2) Good installation with copious amounts of sealant, mastic, and/or gaskets act as a lubricant and allow the members to slid quietly
3) Back-venting the roofing will buffer the very fast temperature swings that result in the sudden movement.

The good news is I've never investigated or heard of an issue such as yours that was determined to be a structural problem. In addition, most homeowners have reported the noise subsides after the first year or two. However, I know of some projects that still pop after 5+ years of otherwise perfect service.

Al

Tom, It is not a requirement to use an intumescent product when cladding with wood. The code requires a level of protection based on a number of factors. A fire-rated assembly can meet this requirement by combining the resistance of any and all layers to create compliance. If 15 minutes is achieved through BOTH your SIP skin and the 3/4" wood cladding, you've met the 30 minute requirement. Is it possible your statement is the result of an overzealous municipal code official? Al

The International Building Code  requires foam plastic insulation to be separated from the interior of a building by an approved thermal/fire barrier of 1/2-inch gypsum wallboard or equivalent thermal barrier that will prevent temperature rise to not more than 250 degrees F (121 C) in a 15-minute time period. Codes regulating unoccupied or inaccessible areas, such as attics or crawlspaces, require that combustible building materials be protected against ignition. Other exceptions exist for special constructions and assemblies.

The 15-minute period is thought to typically be a sufficient time for occupants to escape from a building before they can be trapped, or overcome by smoke from burning wood, plastic or other construction and finish materials. Historically, code regulations regarding thermal barriers apply to occupied areas of commercial buildings, but have often been followed as safety guidelines for residential structures by local code officials.

The table below lists a variety of building materials and spray coatings used as thermal barriers, as well as those that provide protection from ignition. The chart includes the minimum thickness, where applicable, of the material required by code for occupied and unoccupied space. Fire barrier information provided here is for informational purposes only. Before proceeding, consult your local building code or inspector. While decisions made within one code jurisdiction may be considered as a precedent for others, the final decision on materials, not specifically listed in the code, are usually made on a case-by-case basis within each jurisdiction.

See Section 2603 of the IBC “Foam Plastic Insulation" for more detailed information.

Materials for Thermal and/or Ignition Protection

The

	15-Min. Thermal Barrier (Occupied Space)			Protect from Ignition (Attic & Crawl Space)
Material	IC	IM	PA	IC	IM	PA	C
Wood structural panel sheathing or tongue & groove planking	15/32"						X
Wood Boards			≥ 5/8"	1/4"
Particle Board, Plywood	15/32"						X
OBS sheathing*			15/32"			1/4"
Sheetrock Gypsum Wall Board	1/2"			3/8"
Lath and Plaster  - 5/8"			5/8" – 3⁄4"			X
Steel - Base Metal	.016			.016
Aluminum - Base Metal	.032			.032
Mineral Fiber Insulation	2"			1-1/2"
Rated Grid Suspended Ceiling System			5/8"				X
Monokote® (spray coating) W.R. Grace Co.		3/4"					X
Zonolite® (spray coating)		3/4"					X
Stayflex" (spray coating) Preferred Solutions, Inc.		1/16" – 1/8"					X
K-13" (spray coating) National Cellulose Co.  (and similar products)		1 – 1/2"					X
Gunnite  (spray coating)			X				X
NTEC (spray coating)		X			X
Thermax		X					X
Intumescent Paint						X
Exposed w/sprinkler			X				X
Masonry or concrete construction - 1" or more	X

Temperature changes,especially rapid ones will make an older house make few creaks and moans,it is to be expected!


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SIPs

I put an addition onto my house using SIPs in the spring of 2006.  It has been 5 years now and my roof panels are making more noise than they ever have.  It starts about 8:30 pm and continues until around 10 pm.  Then I get another dose that lasts around 20 minutes starting at ~4:30 am.  I am not too happy about this because my builder never said it was an issue.  I took a sound meter home and recorded peak noise levels and a few of them hit 110 dB.  They are short pops and bangs and so my borrowed meter had a hard time, but it confirmed my suspisions that they are indeed loud.

The spines my builder used are 3/4 plywood and they glued them in place and used a lot of screws.

Will this really go away?  Did my builder do something wrong?

My husband and I have a house that was built in 2005 with Insulspan for the walls only. We love it for its energy efficiency. We noticed the very first season change that we had these loud crackling noises that came from specific areas on our outside walls. They are in primarily 2 locations near the ceiling. They do only happen at more extreme temperature changes. If it is warmer than gets cold. Or when it is getting really hot outside. Mostly in the winter we don't hear them as often.  We need to sell our house and we are concerned about how to deal with this issue because it has not lessened over time. Do we disclose this noise to prospective buyers and what do we really tell them about it? If we don't disclose it can we later be sued when a worried homeowner thinks something is wrong. I wish there were some acknowledgement from the manufacture's about this so that we would have something to tell prospective buyers. I wold like to know what if anything we can do to stop this. It has been 5 years close to 6 now and still as loud as ever. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I am no expert but I have sold quite a bit of property over the years since I own and manage a large subdivision.  I think any attorney will tell you that it is in your best interest to disclose anything known to you that can affect the value of the house.  That is a policy that I live by.