Can't locate source of humming noise in house

bajangal

I agree with Whitehorse. I had a similar problem. Constant hum, but could mainly hear it in the bedrom. Traced it to my electricity meter which was on my bedroom outside wall. EON changed it to a newer type and now, bliss.

birkee

You have my opinion already expressed above.
The 50 Hertz hum from some transformers can get amplified by certain equipment.
i.e. Video recorder with the transformer mounted on a pressed tin case, that spreads the vibration out like a speaker.
Turn off the mains electricity to confirm.

TighterThanTwoCoatsOfPain

i have an occasional 'hum' in the bathroom. Took me months to realise it was the Alarm central box thats inside the ajoining airing cupboard that stopped when the towels leaning on the case where moved! Used to drive me mad as only really heard it at night!

plainsie

cepheus wrote: »

From around 12 noon yesterday I have heard an annoying low frequency humming noise which tends to be concentrated in some areas more than others. At first I thought it was an engine outside, but it carries on for hours at a time. The most likely source is a faulty central heating pump, but I can hear the neighbours pump going even when the humming is stopped and no water is gushing out of the drain pipe suggesting a washing machine spin isn't the cause either.

At least it was off late last night.

The bizarre thing is, I can't hear anything much near to the neighbours wall, or in the adjoining kitchen. It seems concentrated in the middle of my house. Obviously I have got nothing turned on.

It seems to be a strange acoustic effect of low frequency noise such as interference of waves, were one spot is very noisy and a few metres away it is impossible to hear anything at all.

It is rendering my living room difficult to live in so I will have to find the source.

I bought a new TV and had this problem. It was getting on my nerves. Was faulted and had to get a refund.

LauraLeah91104

silly question, what fridge freezer do u have? just ive just read a thread about a samsung fridge freeze and the fan freezing up and the all made a humming noise.

cepheus

I think the source is a faulty computer fan, so it seems Whitehorse was nearly correct (must have been fibbing when I said everything was turned off!).

All quite obvious with hindsight & rather embarrassed I didn't spot it earlier! However, I can barely hear the computer when sitting next to it, but from downstairs it seems to transmit long wave vibrations into the floorboards, possibly resonating and causing interference patterns around the downstairs room. I have rested it on some cork board now, and need to purchase a faster computer soon anyway.

Thanks for all your suggestions (except the humming bird).

fionaculzean

I just joined, and have been trying to get info on the humming low frequency noise which is driving me crackers.. I live near prestwick airport, and the noise is switched on and off at will..but at night from 10pm, its as though a switch is flicked, and the low penetrating, ear splitting continual constant pulsing noise is awful. I try to sleep with cotton wool in my ears, I have had the electrics checked and ripped out and replaced, I have had the tv aerial replaced, the gas boiler checked, the house literally hums..My partner doesnt hear it, and most people dont, but a teenage boy across the road does, and another lady and she is always very tired from it.. exactly the same time I hear it turn on, andthe boy gets sick headaches, and feels generally unwell..I do wonder if it is something to do with low frequency micro waves from the airport...I see many heavy military planes, some with what looks like circular dining tables on top, and heavy stuff comes in and goes out in the middle of the night..It feels like being microwaved...inside my head just vibrates...its bliss when it stops..this started a year or so ago, and initially, whatever it is was being calibrated I guess, .. it was so loud it brought tears to my eyes..I have also noticed there seems to be an awful lot of folk with brain cancer tumors..and maybe thats always been the case, but the whole thing is odd...when I am down south, as we have a little house in the midlands, I never hear anything, its wonderful..anyone got any thoughts on this...I have read about a thing called haarp, which is very low frequency, resonating pulsing every 3/4 seconds sound, and it does sound very similar..any thoughts anyone, other than moving??

cepheus

There is a short thread on this here

http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-327392.html

have you contacted environmental health, they may know something about it or have the equipment to measure it. In the meantime you may find having a fan on less annoying than the noise even if it is louder!

ormus

will you please put your post into bite size paragraphs.
i cannot read it like that. if we cannot read it, we cannot help you.

i gave up after two lines.

Ellym_2

fionaculzean wrote: »

I just joined, and have been trying to get info on the humming low frequency noise which is driving me crackers.. I live near prestwick airport, and the noise is switched on and off at will..but at night from 10pm, its as though a switch is flicked, and the low penetrating, ear splitting continual constant pulsing noise is awful. I try to sleep with cotton wool in my ears, I have had the electrics checked and ripped out and replaced, I have had the tv aerial replaced, the gas boiler checked, the house literally hums..My partner doesnt hear it, and most people dont, but a teenage boy across the road does, and another lady and she is always very tired from it.. exactly the same time I hear it turn on, andthe boy gets sick headaches, and feels generally unwell..I do wonder if it is something to do with low frequency micro waves from the airport...I see many heavy military planes, some with what looks like circular dining tables on top, and heavy stuff comes in and goes out in the middle of the night..It feels like being microwaved...inside my head just vibrates...its bliss when it stops..this started a year or so ago, and initially, whatever it is was being calibrated I guess, .. it was so loud it brought tears to my eyes..I have also noticed there seems to be an awful lot of folk with brain cancer tumors..and maybe thats always been the case, but the whole thing is odd...when I am down south, as we have a little house in the midlands, I never hear anything, its wonderful..anyone got any thoughts on this...I have read about a thing called haarp, which is very low frequency, resonating pulsing every 3/4 seconds sound, and it does sound very similar..any thoughts anyone, other than moving??

I've heard the same noise down near Beith and it's really annoying...makes my head feel like its full of pressure. I thought it might have been a water pump used at a local farm or the quarry over the fields from my house as this year has been extremely wet.

I'll be calling the environmental health department as its giving me sore heads and sleepless nights. It starts around 10pm at night then stops around 9am. Sometimes it comes on during the day as well. I can only describe it as a low penetrating hum and some of my family hear it but it doesn't bother them the way it bothers me. Wish I could turn it off.

I've heard it since around July/August time and has only not been heard on a handfull of nights! Aargh!