Excel VBA script freezes excel after running for a few minutes - vba

Question

While my code works for 10 loop iterations, it crashes for home = 30 or more. Can someone please provide me with a clue? Even weirder this code used to work fine... and is not working anymore.
Here's the code:
Sub datascrap_clean()
'
Application.Calculation = xlCalculationManual
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Dim home As Integer
Dim output_rows As Integer
Dim output_columns As Integer
Dim date_columns As Integer
'Output rows and columns starting values
output_rows = 3
output_columns = 3
date_columns = 8
For home = 3 To 33
With ActiveSheet.QueryTables.Add(Connection:= _
"URL;http://www.cqc.org.uk/directory/" & Sheets("Output").Cells(home, 1), Destination:=Range("$A$1") _
)
'.CommandType = 0
.Name = "Homes"
.FieldNames = True
.RowNumbers = False
.FillAdjacentFormulas = False
.PreserveFormatting = True
.RefreshOnFileOpen = False
.BackgroundQuery = True
.RefreshStyle = xlInsertDeleteCells
.SavePassword = False
.SaveData = True
.AdjustColumnWidth = True
.RefreshPeriod = 0
.WebSelectionType = xlEntirePage
.WebFormatting = xlWebFormattingNone
.WebPreFormattedTextToColumns = True
.WebConsecutiveDelimitersAsOne = True
.WebSingleBlockTextImport = False
.WebDisableDateRecognition = False
.WebDisableRedirections = False
.Refresh BackgroundQuery:=False
End With
For x = 20 To 250
Select Case Left(Cells(x, 1), 7)
'Is it a score?
Case Is = "Overall"
Sheets("Output").Cells(output_rows, output_columns).Value = Cells(x, 1)
output_columns = output_columns + 1
'Is it a date?
'Case Is = "Carried"
' Sheets("Output").Cells(output_rows, output_columns).Value = Cells(x, 1)
'date_columns = date_columns + 1
Case Else
End Select
Sheets(2).Select
Next x
'Clean sheet
ActiveSheet.Cells.Delete
'Reset column count
output_columns = 3
date_columns = 8
output_rows = output_rows + 1
Next home
MsgBox ("Done!")
End Sub

Answer 1

I had the same problem with creating QueryTable objects within a loop and having Excel hang at seemingly random times (usually after creating about 15 QueryTable objects). I noticed that the problem did not happen when I was in the VBE debugging and running with breakpoints inserted. So, in addition to deleting QueryTable objects after using them as suggested in a previous answer, I inserted a short delay at the start of my loop:
Application.Wait(Now + TimeValue("0:00:02"))
Was able to successfully run a case with ~300 QueryTable objects created with no hanging. Yes, a kludge, but it least provides a work around. Without the delay, I still got Excel to hang even after deleting the QueryTable objects.