# Creaking wall boards, possible hvac problem



## altoon (Jan 3, 2008)

Hey guys, brand new over here, thought id lay out my problem and see if anyone can help.

Heres the situation.

Me and a few buddies (with the help of some professionals for the plumbing and concrete work) totally finished my basement.  It was pretty much 4 bare walls and we added a bedroom, living room, bathroom and kitchen.  The plumber put in some baseboard heat, but we also had the heating duct in the basement and while putting our walls up we cut out 2 vents to get some extra heat down there.

Everything worked out pretty much as best as i could have hoped considering i was a beginner at all of this.  

Now, heres the problem, in my bedroom the overhead vent is on the right side of the room and lately when the heat is flowing through the duct(and sometimes when its not, but def more pronounced when it is) , i hear this very irritating noise every few seconds.  Its creaks pretty  much every 5 seconds while the heat is flowing and then sometimes every like 10-15 when its not, but sometimes it doesnt creak at all.  Sometimes Ill use the old DIY solution of banging the wall cutout right next to the vent and that is a temporary solution, but i dont know what else to do.  Ive actually resorted to leaving my wifes side and sleeping in the living room (the torturous creaking seemingly doesnt bother her).

At first i thought it may have something to do with the baseboard, but there are no pipes at all near where the sound is coming from and im just at a loss for what to do.  I literally cannot get a good nights sleep.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys


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## glennjanie (Jan 4, 2008)

Welcome Altoon:
The creaking aperantly is caused by heat expansion from the vent nearby. A clear plastic diverter or protector attached to the vent may cure the problem. They even make them with magnets to just stick up there.
Perhaps some glue in the wall could prevent the moving and thus the creaking but then, its too late for that. Diverting the heat flow is your best bet from here.
Glenn


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## altoon (Jan 4, 2008)

thanks for the reply...so just get a magnet and attach it to the vent?  Should i  not even have used the register there?   Was that a mistake?


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## glennjanie (Jan 5, 2008)

If it is a ceiling vent which is the concentric circles, it would not matter where you placed it on the ceiling because the round vanes push the air to the wall to go down.
The magnetic diverter has a clear plastic diverter attached to it.
Glenn


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## jbettridge (Oct 14, 2010)

Dear Altoon:
How did you fix this? My wife and I are having the exact identical problem only she is the one who can't take the creaking noise in the wall and sleeps in other room. Thank you. Joe


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## binahweb (Oct 16, 2010)

Check for ghosts


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