Recall the chart of science's explanations for paranormal activity.
(highlighted ones are measurable)
So far we've looked at four of the five testable explanations. How about drafts?
Are Drafts a Big Deal?
Yes. Slamming doors are a common paranormal complaint. Science says it's drafts, or changes in air pressure or humidity.
For drafts specifically, one tip is to talk around your house with an incense stick.
By holding the smoking stick and tracing it slowly around doors and windows, you can easily see if there is a draft. The next logical question might be, is this more effective at certain times? Would it help if it was a windy day? (Obviously?)
Changes in air pressure certainly do cause a house to rattle. This is most prevalent in the spring and fall, when its most windy and stormy.
Nailing down these details in a concise essay is difficult.
Search results are long on examples and short on technical details. We've even checked the indexes of our BIG THREE reference books. (Internet is indispensable. Real books are priceless.) None of the indexes mention drafts. (Personally, I know I've seen some good material on this, but so far those specific concise references are elusive. And I don't want to post crap material from the net.)
For now we'll have to apologize and leave you with a promise to come back with more information, and a picture of our "Big Three" reference books. These are the biggest experts in the field of debunking the paranormal. This might be a coincidental time to mention that we plan to ask directly for some advice on testing for drafts, air pressure, and humidity (among other things). We have a certain expert in mind. We'll report back if that person offers any pointers beyond the incense stick trick, and random gadgets that test for air pressure and humidity.
Our BIG THREE Reference Books
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe - How To Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake
(Dr. Steven Novella, Bob Novella, Cara Santa Maria, Jay Novella, Evan Bernstein)
Investigating Ghosts - Benjamin Radford
Scientific Paranormal Investigation - Benjamin Radford
Gadgets for Drafts, Air Pressure, and Humidity
Just from perusing Amazon (because it's uniformly available to all) we found a lot of gadgets for these conditions. How to pick the best ones? We chose four options that seemed to best suit these purposes. (We are NOT affiliated with Amazon. These are for information only.)
Each of these has benefits. They have a range of prices.
- Electric would be better than battery, especially considering the paranormal cliche that ghosts drain batteries. (Pause for laughter.)
- Data logging is a great feature. That means it records the readings, with timestamps.
- A gadget with a big illuminated screen would be visible on Home Surveillance Systems.
- The cheap manual one at the bottom might be the most useful for video.
Before anyone gets too excited, there are some drawbacks, or rather things to be worked out.
- That big illuminated screen that's visible to your video recorder? Make sure the screen doesn't go dark when its "inactive" or the video won't see it.
- Data logging is a great feature. How it usually works is it takes a sample every x minutes. That's great but what if there's "paranormal" activity in the time between readings?
Digital Laboratory Barometer NIST Traceable
Brand: Control Company
3.4 out of 5 stars 5 ratings | 4 answered questions
Price: $147.21
Traceable to NIST for assured accuracy
Four-line LCD display shows barometric pressure, temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure trend, and time-of-day
Minimum/maximum readings for barometric pressure, temperature, and relative humidity are stored every hour for the last 24 hours
Recalls previous readings with the simple touch of a button
https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Laboratory-Barometer-NIST-Traceable/dp/B019YMK4A0/
ThermoPro TP67A Waterproof Weather Station Wireless Indoor Outdoor Thermometer Digital Hygrometer Barometer with Cold-Resistant and Waterproof Temperature Monitor,330ft/100m Range
Brand: ThermoPro
4.1 out of 5 stars 1,851 ratings | 115 answered questions
#1 Best Seller in Barometers
Price: $32.99
Are Batteries Included Yes
Item Dimensions LxWxH 6.37 x 3.6 x 0.86 inches
Power Source Battery Powered
Number of Batteries 2 AAA batteries required. (included)
Display Type LCD
https://www.amazon.com/ThermoPro-Thermometer-Hygrometer-Cold-Resistant-Temperature/dp/B07FXB76J5/
Logia 5-in-1 Indoor/Outdoor Weather Station Remote Monitoring System w/PC Connect | Temperature, Humidity, Wind Speed/Direction, Rain & More | Wireless Backlit LCD Screen Forecast Data, Alarm, Alerts
Brand: Logia
4.3 out of 5 stars 270 ratings | 31 answered questions
Price: $99.99
Power Source Corded Electric
Display Type Lcd
https://www.amazon.com/Logia-Monitoring-Temperature-Humidity-Direction/dp/B085T66LLW/
Eisco Labs Small Anemometer
Visit the EISCO Store
4.0 out of 5 stars 27 ratings
List Price: $19.99
Price: $15.82
Perfect for students of any age
Corrosive resistant for prolonged outdoor use
7" height, 8.5" diameter
https://www.amazon.com/EISCO-Eisco-Labs-Small-Anemometer/dp/B01FGCZUCE/
We are actively researching this facet of investigation. We'll be back shortly with more and better information.
.
QUICK LINKS for Debunking Self-Help
1. Start Here
2. Air Quality
3. Infrasound
4. EMF
5. Drafts
6. Home Surveillance Systems
7. Movement
8. Psychology
9. Shadows
10. When Self-Debunking Fails
APP HOME PAGE
FEEDBACK
Share your reviews, and knowledge. Don't be shy if you have a quality contribution. (But please be polite and proofread.)
For quick comment about this post, just reply to this thread. To add more in-depth commentary, add a new post to this forum: Go back one page (hit the "BACK" arrow or use the breadcrumbs near the header) so you can see ALL the posts on this topic. Then look for the "NEW TOPIC" button. It has bright purple text.
If you have GOOD INFORMATION, please choose to add a new post rather than a reply here. That way you'll generate comments of your own.
TIPS FOR POLLS: Polls appear on some topics, if the post's author has created one. They're open to ALL registered users. All APP-written polls are set to be ongoing and allow you to change your vote later. Feel free to comment your suggestions for improving any poll, ours or others', just be kind and helpful.
CREATING A POLL: When writing any post (not comment replies) the option for "Poll Creation" is in a tab below the "submit" button. You can always edit the poll later via editing the post itself and navigating back to that tab, but that sort of defeats the purpose if you change it after people have answered, right? To start, try to think through the answers and provide an option for all likely points-of-view. Lastly, the poll will display below the post after it's published. In "preview" mode it shows on top.
.
.