While we don’t think it’s wise for someone without experience to perform his/her own investigation of a possibly haunted home, there are a few things that you can do to find out if the activity you’re experiencing is nothing more than environmental issues within your home.  

Feeling cold spots?

Check your windows and doors for drafts. You can do this by attaching a light piece of material to a short stick or ruler and holding it in front of your windows and doors. If the cloth moves, there’s airflow.

Check for drafts where pipes or wires enter the home from the outside. The smallest hole can be the reason for the coldest spot in your home. Check for drafts in the area where pipes or wires come up from the basement, as well.  Even if the basement is heated, remember, heat rises and this can make a basement the coolest area of the home. You will most likely feel a temperature change as you ascend the basement stairs and it could be this cold air that you’re feeling.

Check the fireplace flue. Is it closed? If it is, how drafty is it? 

Feelings of being watched or seeing shadows, images, etc. in the bedroom or perhaps the basement?

Believe it or not, in your bedroom your digital clock or clock radio could be the culprit! These devices emit high Electromagnetic Fields (EMF). Someone who is sensitive to high EMF can experience feelings of being watched, they can see shadows, or even images of what they believe to be spirits. Rashes have also been reported in people who are extremely sensitive to EMF. Try removing the digital clock from your night table and place it to an area as far from the bed as possible. Think about purchasing a good old wind up clock.

Older or poorly wired electric boxes in the basement can also emit high EMF. Take note as to where you are in the basement when you see or feel something strange. If you’re near an electric box or even the transformer for your doorbell, it could well be high EMF that’s causing you to feel uncomfortable. Very old appliances and the ballasts in fluorescent lighting can an also give off high EMF. Your computer monitor, your TV, even dimmer switches can be the cause of high-strength EMF.

While electrical codes require that metal plumbing lines be grounded, plumbing lines and even natural gas lines can serve as conduits for small amounts of electricity which produce EMF fields. It is even possible that a neighbor’s house could be the source of the high EMF in your home.  If there’s a water pipe grounding issue in a home that is interconnected to yours by plumbing lines, you could be experiencing higher than normal EMF fields in your home.

Noxious odors from things like paint remover and other solvents can also cause the same effects as high EMF. These odors can travel through the vents reaching every area of the home.

Some EMF issues can be tough for you to diagnose yourself, so do what you can and if you have not come up with a possible explanation, let us know and we’ll come out to your home to help you.

Doors opening and/or closing on their own?

Check your doors to make sure they are level. If you don’t have a level, use a clear glass or pan with water in it. With any vibration, doors can open or close if they are not level. You can also check the doorway for square by measuring from the top left corner to the lower right corner, then measure the top right corner to the lower left corner (like measuring each “leg” of an X). These two measurements should be exactly the same. If not, the door frame is not square; therefore the door will not hang level in the frame. Even if the door isn’t open, you will certainly get drafts with a door or window that isn’t square.

Make sure that the door in question latches properly. Is all the hardware in place? We investigated a particular home many times, not having any trouble with doors opening or closing. One evening when we were at this home it was somewhat windy. Without any warning, the front door slowly opened. There didn’t appear to be a gust of wind to blow the door, but after close inspection, we noted that half of the latch mechanism was missing, allowing the door to open with just a small movement of air.

Items moving on solid surfaces?

Easy….check the floor, the table, the chair, whatever the surface is to make sure it’s level. Walk around the area to see if you cause enough vibration to make things move. Is there a draft that could be causing this?

Strange Sounds?

There are so many reasons for the sudden appearance of strange sounds. Consider a changing humidity level. Humidity causes wood to swell, the same way cold or dryness can cause it to shrink. Both of these conditions can cause creaking or snapping, sounds.

Air in your heating or plumbing pipes can cause a great deal of noise. You can also hear sounds through the heating ducks that originate in other areas in the home. If you have any loose pipes, you may hear banging sounds when the heat comes on. My ice maker makes a great deal of noise late at night when an ice cube drops into the container below. Simple sounds can seem magnified when there’s nothing else going on in the house, when all else is quiet.

In short, there are a host of environmental conditions that could easily cause you to think that there is something paranormal in your home. Don’t feel foolish, if it concerns you, it needs to be resolved. Investigate what you can, if you’re comfortable with doing that, and if you still have a problem, let us know. No question or concern is too trivial; if something is frightening you or a member of your family, don’t hesitate to contact us! We’re here to help.