Humming noise in walls

extropy

Hi, Ive noticed a couple of weeks ago, a noise that is coming from all the walls around and its like humming noise, it resembles a fan heater or a water heater but its not coming from a specific location, or I am unable to determine it. I live in block of flats with 2 floors, so it could be coming from another flat. I am really worried, that it could be something dangerous and something could happen! Could anyone advice me, what to do? Its not council building so I cannot just call them up but neither do I want to be paying for someone to come out in case the problem is not even in this flat. More than the noise bothering me, its just im worried that it is some serious problem and that something bad could happen, and in that case surely someone from health and safety I would imagine, would have to investigate? Could anyone advice me please Im really distressed about it and dont know where to turn!
Thanks Kris

ukmaggie45

Hello there Kris,

How about asking the people in the other flats if they are affected? You could ask one of your neighbours to pop into your flat and see if they can hear the noise, and if they have any idea what it is.

I'm afraid I don't have any ideas, but you might find this thread interesting.

Actually on second thoughts, I wonder if it's something that is switched on all the time in another flat - a dehumidifier for instance.

I expect someone with more knowledge about how sound travels will be along later and have better ideas than me.

Try not to worry too much about it, there's probably a really simple explanation.

Best wishes, Maggie

Edit - some people can hear those ultrasonic things that are used to keep spiders or mice away from houses. Son in law is one, he gets migraine if one is running, which is a bit of a nuisance as both him and daughter are really arachnophobic but can't use the spider scarer things.

ceridwen

I have two thoughts on this:

1. The obvious one - to check out carefully your home and neighbours homes for the source of the noise. One can be bothered by noise from a neighbours central heating system for instance or they have swopped to an electric-powered doorbell. Maybe the neighbours have added something electrical to their home that is impacting on your home.

That is the first thing to do.

2. If that doesnt work - then check out what you are/aren't hearing in various different locations: in your home/in your local area/within a several mile radius/further afield.

I am saying that to have you check whether the noise is internal - ie tinnitus has started. If you hear the noise wherever you are - it's down to tinnitus. If you hear it within a small radius of your home - as well as in your home - then its The Hum. This does exist - I've heard it myself before now - luckily only briefly (I identified it was The Hum because I could hear it everywhere within about a 4 mile radius - but not outside that area). See:

http://homepages.tesco.net/~John.Dawes2/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hum

Just put "the Hum" into Google Search Engine and it comes up with a lot of entries.

evilgoose

Has the other flat installed an extractor fan or something recently?
I've gone from my parents old terraced house with close to 2ft thick walls to a my ex council semi with cavity walls. The windows are been changed so that the cavity is open, the sound of their C/H system and extrator fan ressonates through the cavity to a whirr/wush sort of sound in my eventually to be living room.

ariba10

A member of my family lives in a terraced house just over 100 years old, stone built and thick walls.

They hear very little from the houses on either side.

A next door neighbor said one day that he thought he had a problem with his electricity meter as he had a humming noise coming from it.

To cut a long story short the problem turned out to be an air pump for a small fish tank next door. The tank had been pushed ap against the pump and trapped against the wall.

You could not hear the sound in the house the pump was in.

Hope it helps.

evilgoose

ariba10 wrote: »

A member of my family lives in a terraced house just over 100 years old, stone built and thick walls.

They hear very little from the houses on either side.

That's what I meant to say but forgot! :rolleyes: