Any plumbers able to advise me?

Jenna64

My friend is having problems where she is living. She and her children live in a flat and they claim they feel a vibration coming from the next door flat. The children can't sleep at night as it often doesn't stop until 1am and it's usually starting again at 5 - 6am. They say their beds 'buzz' and it wakes them up.

My friend has spoken to the neighbours. The neighbour next door to her on the first floor claims not to hear or feel anything, yet the vibration occurs usually when that neighbour is home or just getting ready for work (she leaves at 6am, so it starts at 5am). The only other possibility is the neighbour beneath that neighbour, but that seems unlikely.

My friend has also mentioned that the little white outflow pipe from the neighbour's bathroom is dripping.

Any plumbers have any ideas what might be going on? My friend said she's not getting any joy from environmental health as yet. Meanwhile she and her kids are constantly unwell with colds, bugs, etc, and we're all sure it's lack of sleep.

Owain_Moneysaver

Ball valve is faulty causing water hammer.

Might be on toilet or might be on a cold water header tank, the water level in which will vary slightly as the water in the hot water cylinder or radiators underneath expands/contracts with heating (assuming there is a c.w. header tank and a h.w. cylinder or radiators).

sevenhills

Jenna64 wrote: »

My friend is having problems where she is living. She and her children live in a flat and they claim they feel a vibration coming from the next door flat. The children can't sleep at night as it often doesn't stop until 1am and it's usually starting again at 5 - 6am. They say their beds 'buzz' and it wakes them up.

Just a way out guess, growing cannabis, any empty flats?

Find out why, note the times, 1am - 6am?

Jenna64

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

Ball valve is faulty causing water hammer.

Might be on toilet or might be on a cold water header tank, the water level in which will vary slightly as the water in the hot water cylinder or radiators underneath expands/contracts with heating (assuming there is a c.w. header tank and a h.w. cylinder or radiators).

She said her and her neighbours there don't have radiators, they just have electric heaters. The water heaters are unvented, I don't know what that means but she was told by a plumber previously.

Thanks I'll tell her it might be the neighbour's ball valve.

Jenna64

sevenhills wrote: »

Just a way out guess, growing cannabis, any empty flats?

Find out why, note the times, 1am - 6am?

Someone else told her this, she thought it was unlikely. No empty flats and the neighbour works very hard, 6 days a week, so probably doesn't need the extra money. What do I know, I've no idea what sort of money's involved in that sort of thing, lol. She's bothered by the fact that the woman next door shows no interest in talking about it though.

Apodemus

It could be a washing machine on spin cycle anywhere in the building, or perhaps a tumble dryer - again it could be anywhere in the building.

sevenhills

Jenna64 wrote: »

She's bothered by the fact that the woman next door shows no interest in talking about it though.

Cannabis growers have heaters and fans that you would not notice until everything else was quiet.
It could be just in one room or even the loft space, the police can sometimes fly over with their thermal imaging cameras.

Jenna64

Thanks. She's certain its not a washing machine. She doesn't think it's cannabis growing.

She thinks it's to do with the leaking outflow pipe, it has a constant drip and it seems to all happen in the early hours when the person is going to work, unfortunately for the children that can be 4am, they don't have to be up till 7.30 and they won't go back to sleep. It's also often between midnight and 2am.

In the last few days she said there's a terrible vibration, but this one is short lived, she's wondering if it's when a toilet's flushed.

Cornucopia

Could it be an extractor fan in the bathroom?

If it is related to the hot water system, it could be a pressure/temperature relief valve firing/misfiring - that's unlikely to be as regular as you are suggesting, though.

Apodemus

Cornucopia wrote: »

Could it be an extractor fan in the bathroom?

Good suggestion! Once the bearings start to go, the vibration can be awful!

Has she tried going outside and walking round the building, when the noise is noticeable? That might help narrow it down.

Jenna64

She's pretty down about it all. She's tried everything. Doesn't seem to be extractors because it doesn't happen when she hears them on. She thinks it has to be water of some sort, pipes, always when people tend to go to bed, or get up for work, but very early, so the kids stay awake from 4 - 5 onwards. I'm going to stay there soon so I can back her up that it's happening, for some reason no one takes her word for it and kids are not seen as valid witnesses.