Do you hear a faint howling in your home? What about something scratching inside the walls?

You don’t have a ghost or ghoul problem. Well maybe you do, but more than likely you’re dealing with some seasonal issues that rear their ugly head when October hits.

October is a fickle month in the Midwest, especially here in Michigan. Some years the witches can take to the skies on their brooms in robes, while other years they need spooky scarves, mittens, and hats.

The thing is, October is a month that can be unseasonably warm or unseasonably freezing. So, instead of trying to speak to the other side to see why your home is freezing or why you hear knocking coming from the attic, let’s look at the scary challenges you’re facing and what’s causing them.

Terrifying Things Homeowners Experience in October

Because the weather can be so dramatic once October hits, there are some things that pop up that can leave you shaking in your boots.

Here are the scariest things homeowners face as All Hallows’ Eve approaches.

• Scratching coming from the walls and attic. It’s not a ghoul trying to claw its way out. It’s even worse – it’s likely a mouse, squirrel, bat, or something equally as gross making a home in your attic or walls. These pests and other creepy crawlies make their way into your home where they can find air leaks. When the temperature outside gets colder, they are finding spots around your home’s foundation and roof where your heated air is leaking out.
  
  
• Frost forming on the windows. Is someone trying to send you a message by writing on the frost on the windows? The only message coming through is there is no insulation around your windows. That frost is forming because the cold air has an avenue to get inside your home through and around your windows.
  
  
• A chill that goes right to the bone. Your cold home isn’t due to an evil presence. It’s because cold air is getting into your home through the crawl space, walls, and attic. That cold air is coming through your outlets, cupboards, floors, and walls. A lack of insulation or insulation that still allows for air movement is why you can see your breath, not the ghost of a previous owner.
  
  
• One room is colder than the rest of the house. Speaking of that now spectral previous owner, they aren’t the reason your back bedroom is cold and uninviting. If this room is an addition, it may not have been insulated as thoroughly as the rest of the house. It’s also possible the HVAC wasn’t extended to it, so the room doesn’t have any heat runs.
  
  
• The most terrifying of all – high monthly heating bills. The most terrifying and horrific of these scary problems is all the money you’re paying to try and keep those icy wraiths at bay. If your furnace is working overtime in an attempt to warm up your home, that’s money-draining into the void because of these air leaks. Your home can’t warm up when cold air is leaking in.

Avoiding a Nightmare on Your Street

You don’t need to call in a young priest and an old priest to exorcise these problems. 

You likely just need to replace or add insulation to your home.

October is when the Midwest really starts seeing the beginning of winter weather. As it gets colder in November and December, you’ll likely start to experience more home insulation problems that pop up in the winter. These scary problems you’re experiencing in October are just an omen of what’s to come.

As temperatures drop, you could see frozen pipes in your home, ice dams on the roof, and freezing cold floors. 

Adding an insulation material to your home, like foam that creates an air seal, can help you avoid these terrifying and costly problems. If you want to learn more about how foam can help, check out the Learning Center on our website.

Also, I hope you enjoyed my scary movie references.

Happy Halloween!

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