There's a B grade SF monster about to explode out from under my tub....

[geojlc]

Seriously... For the second time in a week, there is some seriously loud and weird noises coming from under my bathroom, particularly my tub. Scratching, banging noises. The first time it woke me up, I thought it might be some animal trapped under the house. My mom had raccoons last summer and you could hear them scratching at things under the house. Tonight though, I'm not so sure. If it is an animal, it's a dang big one. I mean I suppose it could be raccoons... Big, sword-wielding ninja raccoons that are having an epic battle that involved hitting the pipes and the floor under the tub and producing vibrations through the floor when you stand in the bathroom. Noises that are loud enough to wake me up...

I don't know if it's related, but the other evening, we heard more, but different noises. There was scratching, but not nearly so loud and not under the tub. But there was also this really weird sucking noise, kind of like a pump with an incomplete seal. That set of noises seemed to be coming more from under the house between the kitchen and bathroom (they share a wall).

In any case, the really loud bangy noises from tonight have me spooked and I'm having a hard time going back to sleep. I keep thinking, "what if giant, 30 foot long, man and beast eating worm come erupting through my floor? I don't have a personal arsenal of explosives at my fingertips to fend the thing off with...." heck. I don't even have a really good baseball bat...

Yes, I'm a whimp. But it does make me nervous...

I called the Landlord the first time to tell him I had heard something weird. Jeff says he's going to call the landlord tomorrow and confirm that he heard it too and that it sounds like a B grade SF monster is going to explode from under the tub.

No, I have no clue how to see under the house. We don't have a crawlspace hatch in our apartment. There are some metal grates in the sidewalk outside, but... I don't think they've been moved at all.

anyone ever had anything like this?

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Yes, we had a hole in the eaves in an apartment back in Atlanta, and some squirrels got in... you've probably got rodenta or maybe some raccoons in there.... don't know what the sucking noise is, but getting it investigated sooner rather than later is a Good Thing.

[spencer-chatfie.livejournal.com]

It's a dying sump pump. Even when it was new, our sump pump scared the youngest son. Now, I know you're going to say that it hasn't been raining...

[epawtows.livejournal.com]

If the place has a crawlspace, there will be an access someplace, as well as vents. The vents will be on the outside along the bottom, typically below the level of the siding. If there are no vents, then you're built on a slab and there isn't a crawlspace.

Access will either be from a hatch in an exterior wall (which should be obvious, unless a bush grew in front of it) or through a hatch on the floor, most likely in a closet. The hatch may be covered over by stuff.

You can probably see in through the vents- you'll need a light, or have someone shine a light through one vent while you look through an adjacent one. That might be enough to give you a clue about what is happening down there. If there is a side hatch, you might be able to see it. Unlikely you would be able to see a floor hatch.

No explosives? No baseball bat?

[jeffreycornish.livejournal.com]

How could you forget the faux-japanese Katana above the the foot of our bed? And my 4-foot long sword in the corner with all of the charts? Neither have an edge worth mentioning, but they are both basically large, flat crowbars.

[typographer.livejournal.com]

anyone ever had anything like this?

Yes. But after I helped the trio of sword-wielding ninja raccoons defeat the giant mutant centipedes, they swore me to secrecy.