Deck making noise ….?

[luberhill]

We are renting a house while looking for one to buy .

 Beautiful two story 2300 sf home .

Has two wood decks on the back .

A couple times now I have heard what sounds like a softball dropping on the deck.

  Is it the cold causing this ?

[New York Hillbilly]

1 hour ago, luberhill said:

We are renting a house while looking for one to buy .

 Beautiful two story 2300 sf home .

Has two wood decks on the back .

A couple times now I have heard what sounds like a softball dropping on the deck.

  Is it the cold causing this ?

I would not be surprised.  Over the years, when it gets this cold, there have been times our deck sounded like a rifle shot going off.

[First-light]

Screwed or nailed? Most likely screwed and the cold is doing that. Job for the inspector for sure. Make sure it's secured into the plate on the wall and not just sheathing. 

[landtracdeerhunter]

I like a deck built on posts, in the ground next to the house. Attached to the house yes, but the full support on the post.

Edited January 21 by landtracdeerhunter
spelling, of coarse

[Doc]

I heard some house noise this morning when the temperature went below zero/ I think it was the vinal siding. It was a loud bang. It did it a few times.  Likely it is one material slipping against a different material when the temperatures get high enough or low enough. Different thermal expansions and contractions. There may be a similar thing going on in your deck. Or maybe it isn't your deck at all that is making that noise.

[JJBat150]

Have a deck that's done that for the past 30 years - only when temps get down into the single digits

Take a walk in the woods - trees are doing the same thing.

[luberhill]

11 hours ago, First-light said:

Screwed or nailed? Most likely screwed and the cold is doing that. Job for the inspector for sure. Make sure it's secured into the plate on the wall and not just sheathing. 

The deck boards are screwed on , plate is lagged to the rim joist 

The deck was built about 15 yrs ago 

[First-light]

12 hours ago, luberhill said:

The deck boards are screwed on , plate is lagged to the rim joist 

The deck was built about 15 yrs ago 

Funny I walked out onto mine this morning and made a big popping noise. 

[BuckTracker]

My deck does the same when temperatures plummet

Same thing happens with trees when we get a deep freeze

must have something to do with moisture/freezing and expansion/contraction 

[suburbanfarmer]

Its the extreme temperature swings. My steel barn would do it for the first few yrs in summer like a rifle shot and then eventually settled.
The deck boards pop when its cold over night and then during day as it warms up.