Your Life your connection to The Boston Globe  Pop go the
windows, and she'd like it to stop  Q. We built our home in 2003
and noticed a ``popping" noise from the windows. The windows are
metal, and the noise comes mainly from those exposed to the sun.
But we do hear the popping in the middle of the night. We have
been told this is due to expansion and contraction. Is there
anything we can do to remedy the problem? Also, why doesn't this
popping noise happen to all windows? ELLEN MILLER, by e-mail A.
Yes, it is the metal expanding when it heats up and contracting
when it cools off. Metal is a poor choice for windows, partly
because of this expansion and contraction problem, but mainly
because it is poor insulation and a good conductor of cold and
heat. Better material s are wood, vinyl-clad wood, and vinyl.
The popping is more likely in windows exposed to the sun because
the heating up and cooling off is more intense. Why do the pops
sometimes occur at night? The window frames are held rather
rigidly in thei