Hearing upstairs neighbours urinating!

urv123

Hi there,

I hope there is SOMEBODY here who can help me with what i'm about to ask..as i'm hitting a brick wall now!

I purchased a ground floor flat in London and I can always hear my upstairs neighbor when they go to urinate, and sometimes, a number two! i'm referring to the sound of when the wee hits the water in the bowl... not the noise of the flush itself. It's so LOUD that it wakes me up from deep sleep.

I live in a 1930's ex-council flat, with solid concrete ceilings, so i'm confused as to how this sound is travelling?! The council arranged for a plumber to come around (didn't know it was a plumbing issue... i thought it was a 'sound' issue as the issue doesn't relate to pipes!) and the plumber said the pipes are fine and he doesn't know what to do about the sound issue.

Can someone please try and shed some light on HOW this noise is travelling (a general explanation) and if there is anyone I can call out (whether there is someone specialist?). I can see a lot of threads where people are complaining about the problem but nothing on how the problem can actually be fixed!

I even lowered my ceiling in the toilet hoping it would help, but nothing has improved.

Any help/feedback would be appreciated.

Thank you

hazyjo

Two similar threads from the OP:


https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5659866


https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/72413565#Comment_72413565

theartfullodger

Move to a detached property with no close neighbours...


Sleep with a white noise generator on nearby... e.g.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/KEDSUM-Portable-Machine-Conditioner-Sleeping/dp/B01J9YCH4O

G_M

If you notice interruptions to the flow into the bowl, suggest to the neighbour he has a prostate examination as difficulty with flow is a symptom.....

Sorry - no practical suggestions

Michellew

Hello! I have EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM! I bought last year a Ground floor 1960s council flat, I can hear the lady who lives above peeing Louder than if she was in my own flat. I wake up to the sound of her heavy flow a few times a night. It’s a 1 bed flat, and her flat is the same layout as mine. I can hear here urinating in every room of my house, the sound echos down the structure of the building. The slab I thought was concrete but it’s a hollow pot slab - yours might be too. I can also hear her on the phone and her tv so acoustics are generally poor throughout the flat.

I had an acoustic engineer over to assess, and the only option is to install an acoustic layer in the room that bothers you the most - probably the bedroom. You would need to lose about 150mm ceiling space, and potentially also build a false wall on the same wall as bathroom. There are special details you need to pick up, installing a false ceiling without the correct layers of plasterboard, insulation etc won’t do anything.

I’m yet to do this as it still isn’t guaranteed to work. Acoustic consultant suggested I replace the neighbours toilet with a ‘german shelf toilet’ and install a rubber mat under the toilet.

All options seem expensive .... I’m at a loss too! Earplugs every night

Any ideas welcome!

theartfullodger

Taking the p#ss....

comeandgo

Could you ask the neighbour to place some toilet roll in the toilet prior to her sitting down? I had heard this will deaden the noise as she is weeing on to wet paper, not direct onto water.

Davesnave

comeandgo wrote: »

Could you ask the neighbour to place some toilet roll in the toilet prior to her sitting down? I had heard this will deaden the noise as she is weeing on to wet paper, not direct onto water.

I wouldn't do that!

For a start, would you wish to subsidise the upstairs tenant for the extra toilet roll they'd use?

The neighbour above has the right to pee however he/she likes. Anyway, you'd probably just be viewed as an interfering busybody.

If someone made that request to me, I'm afraid I might have to play Guns N' Roses very loudly whilst in the bog, especially the guitar parts, featuring Slash.

Mnd

Are you in Scotland? If so it's a wee problem.....sorry��