Humming / vibration

Tiddlywinks

I have no idea where to post this problem really....

I've come home and there is a low level humming / vibration throughout the house. It is almost constant with only a brief break of less than a second every once in a while but does not have a uniform rhythm.

I've switched off the electric, boiler, water and the humming is still there. It is louder in the house than outside. My neighbours cannot hear it in their properties - my OH can't hear it in ours BUT he hasn't got perfect hearing.

No, I'm not going mad (although it's going to drive me that way soon :mad:) and it isn't tinnitus (as I do not hear it everywhere). I have taken a walk around the streets and hear it more to the left of my house than to the right but cannot pinpoint it.

The house is detatched on a relatively new development and there are no building sites, factories or roadworks nearby.

Any suggestions?

Tiddly

panchenlama

love eggs?

dragon47

Sound travels better through solid objects. If you press your ear up against some of the walls you should get a better idea where it's comming from.

ankspon

Is it pylons

roger196

Get yourself a mechanics stethoscope to help you pinpoint the humming...they are available from machine mart about £7. Otherwise a rolled up sheet of newspaper makes a cheap alternative. Try to be certain whether the noise inside or outside the property.

Sit somewhere in the house where you can hear the humming. Get someone else to turn off each electrical apparatus in turn to see if it makes any difference.
Repeat with each water tap being turned on and off.
Try turning each CH radiator off in turn.

I assume you do not wear a hearing aid as these sometimes go into hum mode. Do you have a wind farm nearby.

Tiddlywinks

roger196 wrote: »

Sit somewhere in the house where you can hear the humming. Get someone else to turn off each electrical apparatus in turn to see if it makes any difference.
Repeat with each water tap being turned on and off.
Try turning each CH radiator off in turn.

I assume you do not wear a hearing aid as these sometimes go into hum mode. Do you have a wind farm nearby.

I've turned everything off including heating and main breaker - sound still there.

No hearing aid for me - I only hear the noise in the house and very faintly just outside. It is louder inside than out.

I'm now thinking that it may be coming from the ground up and vibrating through the fabric of the house - but why doesn't the neighbour hear it?

newlywed

Do any of your neighbours have a tumble dryer on?

That's what the upstairs flat's tumble dryer sounds like, with a break every now and again while the drum changes direction.

The noise would sound totally different in their house so might not think it's the same noise.

Barneysmom

It could be The Hum.
Jeremy Vine did a feature on it a few years ago, it seems it's mostly women that hear it.


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