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[Closed] Humming in house: any noise experts in?

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I’m hearing a low frequency hum in my house. But nothing outside when all else is quiet.

Switched the electric of, its not that. same with water and gas, not them either.

Can a hum travel externally, without being audible outside, only for it to become audible when inside?


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 9:47 pm
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Is it a detached house?

If not, things like washing machines can resonate at just the right (wrong) frequency to create a hum.

Any industrial units locally?


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 9:50 pm
 Drac
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Have you checked your wife’s bedside draw?


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 9:51 pm
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[url= http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4478526/ ]Hmmmmm.[/url] 😕


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 9:51 pm
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Misplaced dildo?

Edit: mere seconds!


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 9:52 pm
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Jimmy of this parish had similar, have a search....


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 9:53 pm
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[url= https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hum ]The Hum?[/url]


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 9:54 pm
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Electric problems. Had this in a house with old wiring.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 9:54 pm
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[url= https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hum ]The Hum[/url]

There was a program on R4 about it recently.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 9:55 pm
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I’ve pulled the batteries out from the vibrator!

Its a semi detached house, neightbour hears the noise sometimes as well.

There are refridgerated lorries kept up the road, but when outside of the house you cannot hear anything. Only inside!


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 9:56 pm
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I have an audio test cd and quite a powerful sound system, it's quite supprising doing virtually inaudible bass tones what parts of the house rattle at different frequency.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 9:56 pm
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If it was elecrics though, shouldn’t it have stopped when I switched the electics off at the mains?


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 9:57 pm
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There are refridgerated lorries kept up the road,

Presumably the lorries come and go though. Is the hum constant or intermittent?


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:00 pm
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Summon the Vicar


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:00 pm
 Drac
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I’ve pulled the batteries out from the vibrator!

I was talking about a back massager!


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:02 pm
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I get this too. Sounds like a truck ticking over outside.

It's not that as we live on a very quiet rural lane.

Mostly notice it at night/early morning when it's very quiet.

Not found the source yet, but do wonder if it is "the hum"!


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:02 pm
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Presumably the lorries come and go though. Is the hum constant or intermittent?

If it's a very low frequency hum, I'd think the trucks tyres would damp it.

Someone is using a sonic weapon in your neighbourhood?


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:03 pm
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I work during the day so only hear it during the evenings and night. Lorries are parked up during this time. However I have been up to them and cannot hear anything from them, from a distance of about 100m (which is the closest I can get to them without tresspassing).


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:04 pm
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I was talking about a back massager!

Of [i]course[/i] you were...


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:04 pm
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Yes sorry didn't read post properly. No electrics!


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:05 pm
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Turn off your trip switches in your fuse box one at a time until the noise stops.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:08 pm
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Yes we (or I) have the same hum. Haven't noticed it so much recently, I bet it keeps me awake tonight now.

Never got to the bottom of it, probably never will.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:08 pm
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It could be resonance from some sort of factory machinery not nessesarily close to the house but in the local area.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:09 pm
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Any pipelines run near property underground?


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:09 pm
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Or you could have tinnitus..


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:10 pm
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Or it could be your fridge freezer.. They can do that if they are not running properly and reverberate through the house.

If it's intermittent, it could be only when it's actively cooling, just an idea.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:13 pm
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I went through a period of waking up at night and going round the house turning things off to track down a weird noise. In the end decided it is probably tinnitus? When it is quiet your brain ramps up the gain and you start hearing stuff.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:13 pm
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Are you in Cuba?


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:15 pm
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As the wife and next door neighbours sometimes hear it, I don’t think its tinnutus.

As posted above I’m guessing its some kind of resonance coming from the lorries, or mayby a generator keeping the refridgerated units on while parked up, although you cannot hear it outside which is a bit frustrating!!


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:17 pm
 rt60
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Windows give a very different level of attenuation at low frequency to mid and high frequencies.

A double glazed unit that will take out 32 dB for the across the spectrum down to 100 Hz will only take out 6 dB at 25Hz, this is around the frequency of idling large Diesel engines. The end result is that outside you may not be able to hear the engines as their Noise is masked by other background noises, but inside those noises are attenuated by the window and the low frequency noise isn’t, which is why it becomes noticeable.

Either that or if you have an old burglar alarm the old internal wiring in the control unit can become degraded and cause a hum at either 50 or 100Hz which the battery will still power when the electricity is switched off at the main. You should be able to hear that coming from the unit if you put your ear next to it.

Good luck! Low frequency noise issues can be very hard to track down.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:18 pm
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Fish tank pumps/filters.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:21 pm
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As the wife and next door neighbours sometimes hear it, I don’t think its tinnutus.
could be really loud tinnitus.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:23 pm
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I sometimes wake up and can hear a humming noise that disappears as soon as I go outside. Eventually worked out it was a ferry a couple of miles away getting ready to leave. So the refrigerated lorries could be a possibility, especially if they are running their fridges off the diesel donkey engines rather than plugged in to the mains.

Or, it could be wind resonating down a flue or through an aerial, telephone dropwire, or turning a freewheeling extractor fan? A laptop or bike lights can keep a charger powered even with the mains off (my bike lights do this), normally I hear a high pitched squeal but sometimes you get a hum.

Noise reverberating through the sewer from a pumping station? Coming from the neighbours, presumably they haven't turned off their power whilst you listen.

I'm sensitive to noise, I'll wake up to anything, couple of times to the noise of water moving through the pipes (they are on the other side of the house...at least it means I find the running tap or a hosepipe that has popped off the garden tap) or even a gentle hissing from the speakers if I forget to put the sleep timer on the stereo.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:25 pm
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Good luck! Low frequency noise issues can be very hard to track down

Definitely, sounds under 30hz you generally can't hear, or not hear much.

But they can rattle fixtures and fittings which might be what you are hearing.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:26 pm
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I’ve pulled the batteries out from the vibrator!

Had friends to stay recently. Luggage was brought downstairs before lunch, as they had booked a driver, and needed to be ready to go.

A humming started.

He "Darling, I think your electric toothbrush has turned on in your bag."
Her "I don't have an electric toothbrush."
Both *awkward silence*

Her (bright red of face) "I'm just going to nip back upstairs and repack my bag...."
He *continued awkward silence with an ever so slight grin*

🙂


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:28 pm
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You're obviously not entertaining your guests properly old boy....


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:30 pm
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You can always rely upon me for the same old meme..

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:42 pm
 Drac
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Her (bright red of face) "I'm just going to nip back upstairs and repack my bag...."
He *continued awkward silence with an ever so slight grin*

Back massager.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:42 pm
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Had the same a few days ago. Just one spot in the dining room (stone floor). The wife was saying it's the fridge/fish tank. No it wasn't.
Strange.
I reckon aliens.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:44 pm
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My annoying hum has turned out to be the central control box for the house alarm.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:44 pm
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Is the annoying Hum your wife?


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:47 pm
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Is the annoying Hum your wife?

Hang on I'll ask.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:51 pm
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Yes. Bloody hell you're a genius. 🙂


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 10:53 pm
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Windows give a very different level of attenuation at low frequency to mid and high frequencies.

A double glazed unit that will take out 32 dB for the across the spectrum down to 100 Hz will only take out 6 dB at 25Hz, this is around the frequency of idling large Diesel engines. The end result is that outside you may not be able to hear the engines as their Noise is masked by other background noises, but inside those noises are attenuated by the window and the low frequency noise isn’t, which is why it becomes noticeable.

Didn’t realize that windows attenuate higher frequencies better than lower frequencies , hence why I cannot hear it outside, but can inside. Thanks.


 
Posted : 19/10/2017 11:01 pm
 burt
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I can hear the next door neighbours heating kicking in early in the morning and at night while in bed. It's a very low level noise. I went round my place trying to find it before I realised. Maybe your neighbour thinks you can't hear his?


 
Posted : 20/10/2017 7:54 am
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