What would shake the house?

[HotHolly]

No perverts please...

So silly question...Last night I was watching TV and all of a sudden it sounded like superman crashed into the side of the roof. THUD!

Windows shook.

Dog ran hid under the table.

This keeps happening. What the heck is it?

Any ideas? Do I have a whooping roof rat in my attic?

Can the B1's do that (without hearing them coming or going)? Its freakin me out!

I thought a truck fell off the highway (across a feild from my house) and rolled off the bridge and exploded. It was freakin' loud...but nothings there. (I saw that happen once). I dont recognize the noise, other than stuff like that.

Can the furnace do that? Shake the windows and make the dog run for her life? (Shes kind of dumb hiding under the table - that made me think of the duck and cover drills in the 80s - MY DESK WILL PROTECT ME FROM A NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST! I could use one of those super desks now...maybe thats what flew into my roof? Hee hee.)

Okay, I gotta go help mike pack for the PPA thingie. Im not going. I get to stay here in freaky-something-flying-into-my-roof-ville. FUN!

[JohnT]

There have been a couple of things around here (Ft. Worth) lately that caused house shaking: a sonic boom caused by an aircraft and a gas well blowing some sort of part due to pressure.

[Tim-in-TX]

Are you close to some railroad tracks? When I was young, we lived about a half-mile from some tracks, and, on two different occasions, there was a train derailment nearby that shook our house pretty good...enough to rattle dishes.

Or, it could have been a jet breaking the sound barrier overhead...they are not suppose to do that over populated areas, but rules are for "bending" occasionally!

Originally Posted by HotHolly

Can the furnace do that? Shake the windows and make the dog run for her life? (Shes kind of dumb hiding under the table - that made me think of the duck and cover drills in the 80s - MY DESK WILL PROTECT ME FROM A NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST! I could use one of those super desks now...maybe thats what flew into my roof? Hee hee.)

That's funny! I remember those! But we were told that they were tornado drills. It wasn't till I was much older that I found out the true nature of the drills.

[laurielblack]

We had something similar happen to us about 10 years ago...for just a few seconds, the house shook, the glass rattled, then everything was fine...come to find out it was actually a very small earthquake. They don't happen often, but they do happen.



We have the occasional sonic boom here as well, with L3 right up the road, but we can usually tell what that is. The earthquake was a little off-the-wall. ;)

[HotHolly]

It was long enough to be an earthquake - but that chart is cool!

It sounded like an explosion or something whapping into the side/ roof of the house. The B1's do shake the house when they fly low doing their touch and goes. They were doing those the other day. But, like I said before, you can hear them coming and going.

There are RR tracks about 1 mile from here. I can hear the whistle in the early AM, but I dont recall them saying anything crashed last night.

Maybe I should ask the neighbors. If its my furnace, I am so moving. And should probably duck and cover. The dog freaking out and running to hide was the best part. Usually when you see the animals fleeing, it means its time to go.

Live is never dull...

[ShutteredEye]

Originally Posted by HotHolly

It was long enough to be an earthquake - but that chart is cool!

It sounded like an explosion or something whapping into the side/ roof of the house. The B1's do shake the house when they fly low doing their touch and goes. They were doing those the other day. But, like I said before, you can hear them coming and going.

There are RR tracks about 1 mile from here. I can hear the whistle in the early AM, but I dont recall them saying anything crashed last night.

Maybe I should ask the neighbors. If its my furnace, I am so moving. And should probably duck and cover. The dog freaking out and running to hide was the best part. Usually when you see the animals fleeing, it means its time to go.

Live is never dull...

The B1b is a big plane, and capable of supersonic speeds. If one did break the sound barrier near you house, you might not hear it coming or going, only the sonic boom. How close do you live to Dyess?

[Stephen H]

If you've got supersonic aircraft flying overhead, that would be my guess for the effect.

You might try calling the non-emergency number of the local police- I expect they get other calls about it, too.

[lancemoreland]

Sometimes the low rumble of thunder will do that.

[ericf]

Much more interesting to think along the lines of the "Twilight Zone", "outer limits", poltergiest,
you know,,, graves under the house sort of stuff.... When it happens, do you tell your signifcant other to "check it out". but leave the "equalizer" with you.
Just thinking "outside the box."
My daughter wants to spend the weekend here. I may need a faster lens
http://www.myrtlesplantation.com/

[Don_B]

Holly: I would do the "better safe than sorry" thing and get your furnace checked since that was one of your first impressions. Mine did that several years ago and I replaced it.

[Hogleg 44]

Originally Posted by Don_B

Holly: I would do the "better safe than sorry" thing and get your furnace checked since that was one of your first impressions. Mine did that several years ago and I replaced it.

Assuming it is Gas, good advise! Might peek at the vent pipes in the attic, and at the roof vent, and see if anything looks odd. If so, call the Gas Company or a HVAC company.
If electric, probably something else, or you'd know it by now!

[HotHolly]

Aww man. Now you guys have me freaked out. The sound didnt come from where the furnace ignites. It was the only logical thing I could think of - besides the jets.

And dont even talk to me about supernatural stuff. I watched Haunted Hotels (for which I received endless ridicule from *mike*) and couldnt sleep for a week. Creepy...

And, if a truck falls off the bridge, I apparently wont hear it. One fell off today with all the sleet. Nothing.

So, we got B1, freaky guest in the attic, or the furnace. Maybe its all 3 and I just have super great luck!

[Don_B]

Holly: Not saying it IS your furnace, just wish you would get it checked for your own safety and peace of mind. Believe me, a gas furnace that doesn't fire up when it's supposed to will shake the entire house, windows, rattle dishes and send terror into small animals (probably large one's too).

[Hogleg 44]

Maybe it was just Jim! My son's imaginary friend when he was 6!
Jim was a good Guy. A real Angel. So not to worry!

[krodgers]

i also agree it was probely thunder, had a couple strikes here last night also that the sound shook some things in my house