What is the source of the pulsating/vibration noise in my flat?

[Dean072]

Hello,

I live in a house converted into two flats - I'm in the upstairs flat. For several months now I have been hearing a pulsating/vibration sound throughout my entire flat. It often starts after midnight and continues to late morning or early afternoon and sometimes it is loud enough to stop me from sleeping. However, I don't hear it every night.

It seems to be coming from the roof or up through the walls and sounds electrical.

Any ideas what might be causing the noise?

 

[pc1966]

Someone knows their Little Mix song titles... (3 daughters, I’ve got an excuse)

I salute you.

and I did say “isolate” .... didn’t say “disconnect”

Any electrician will know exactly what you meant. But having done remote support for folk that were (on paper at least) in "skilled (electrically speaking)" category you learn just how strangely others can interpret your instructions. And how wrong they can be.

At least until the point when you tell them what they can do with the telephone and a tub of Vaseline. They usually understand that bit!

 

[buzzlightyear]

Any electrician will know exactly what you meant. But having done remote support for folk that were (on paper at least) in "skilled (electrically speaking)" category you learn just how strangely others can interpret your instructions. And how wrong they can be.

At least until the point when you tell them what they can do with the telephone and a tub of Vaseline. They usually understand that bit!

or ear plugs in listening to the phone falls on deaf ears .

 

[littlespark]

At least until the point when you tell them what they can do with the telephone and a tub of Vaseline. They usually understand that bit!

Cheers. Now I’ve got a Kev Bloody Wilson song ringing round my head....

 

[Red Tony]

Its not Tinnitus is it?

 

[static zap]

Any gas cental heating / hot water cylinder--pumps running.
I know motor slip can come in at a juddering 3-5Hz ..
(Or you have a lorry park on the hill some where -Cooler trucks park).

(Why I slept one night in the street -( hid in my van) Where I planned to move.. a bit OCD i know .. )
..cos I lived by by a busy main rd once
..it can stop some from sleeping)
.. Preparing with a list of things that don't keep time/ treasured sky box schedules ...shut your power off one night -to test.

 

[freddo]

Its not Tinnitus is it?

Hopefully not, I've had that 17 years and it's bloody awful.

 

[static zap]

I've had that 17 years and it's bloody awful.

Is yours like mine-- it's at the back of your mind /senses -going less noticed.

Then someone ..describes it -or mentions Tinnitus .and it's back like someone threw a switch.

..eeeeeeeeeeeee... ( I have a high freq-steady-tone one )

 

[freddo]

I hear it throughout the day as it's quite loud, my hearing is good but I have to listen carefully past the tinnitus noise sometimes. It is a continuous sound for me as well similar pitch to the 10.125 KHz line whistle produced by 405 line TVs. Recently it has been getting noticeably louder for a few days at a time. I also get sudden very short loud blasts of lower frequency buzzing if I'm really tired. I don't like any of it at all...

Last year I mentioned it on here I said I'd had it for 6 years, I'd missed off the 1!

 

[ClaireColo]

Hello,

I live in a house converted into two flats - I'm in the upstairs flat. For several months now I have been hearing a pulsating/vibration sound throughout my entire flat. It often starts after midnight and continues to late morning or early afternoon and sometimes it is loud enough to stop me from sleeping. However, I don't hear it every night.

It seems to be coming from the roof or up through the walls and sounds electrical.

Any ideas what might be causing the noise?

Did you ever figure it out? We just purchased a 1970's brick ranch. Three weeks in, I'm a wreck. There is a noise 24/7. It also seems to be coming from the roof or through the walls. It's a pulsating hum/noise/vibration, with no discernible pattern. The volume varies slightly throughout the day/night. During the day, with ambient noise it's easy to ignore, but at night, in this quiet neighborhood, it keeps me from sleeping and even ear plugs don't work...like it's vibrating through my body. We've ruled out all the usual suspects...frig and other appliances, noise from neighbors, etc. I've lived with mild tinnitus for years. This noise is not coming from my head. The variation in the "non-pattern" is odd...sort of like Morse code. If we don't figure this out we may need to sell

 

[pc1966]

I don't think the original poster has been on since Oct, so nobody has updated on the results.

If you can rule out medical/tinnitus problems (e.g. more than one person is hearing the noises and they are described as the same) then you can try getting a couple of torches for light and turning off EVERYTHING at your main panel.

If the noise stops after a minute or two then it is something in your home that is electrically powered. Finding might be less easy, but you can then put the main power on and do one breaker at a time until the source goes quiet, and trace whatever that powers.

If cutting the whole home power makes no difference, then it has to be some "external" source of noise. It might be related to water flow, possibly wind, or it might be coming via the ground from something nearby like a water or sewage pump.

I guess you have no subway trains or similar nearby?

 

[ClaireColo]

I don't think the original poster has been on since Oct, so nobody has updated on the results.

If you can rule out medical/tinnitus problems (e.g. more than one person is hearing the noises and they are described as the same) then you can try getting a couple of torches for light and turning off EVERYTHING at your main panel.

If the noise stops after a minute or two then it is something in your home that is electrically powered. Finding might be less easy, but you can then put the main power on and do one breaker at a time until the source goes quiet, and trace whatever that powers.

If cutting the whole home power makes no difference, then it has to be some "external" source of noise. It might be related to water flow, possibly wind, or it might be coming via the ground from something nearby like a water or sewage pump.

I guess you have no subway trains or similar nearby?

Thank you for your response...good suggestions!

No...super quiet neighborhood. No trains or city noises at all. Hadn't thought about the idea of something coming from the ground, like a water or sewer pump. We're on city water and sewer.

My partner doesn't hear it, but he's been playing trumpet his entire life and has lost some hearing. I only hear it on our property. I didn't hear it at our previous house or anywhere else, including in our RV that we camped in for several months.

We have an electrician coming out on Friday. Hopefully he'll be able to run some tests with a multimeter, and try shutting off the breakers one at a time. I would do this, but this house has an old Federal Pacific panel that had been recalled years ago before the company went out of business. I'm afraid to touch the thing! We're going to upgrade the panel soon to a higher amp. Hopefully that won't make the problem worse!

Thanks again for your suggestions.

 

[stevethesparks]

but he's been playing trumpet his entire life

He must be out of breath

 

[ClaireColo]

He must be out of breath

lol. Yeah, it would be great if he'd put the trumpet down for a few minutes and learn some handyman skills, to save us some money on contractors!

 

[pc1966]

I would do this, but this house has an old Federal Pacific panel that had been recalled years ago before the company went out of business. I'm afraid to touch the thing! We're going to upgrade the panel soon to a higher amp. Hopefully that won't make the problem worse!

Changing the PF board should be a priority due to the serious risk of it failing to prevent overload fires.

Boards are not commonly a source of noise, though can hum slightly at very high currents. however, that would be obvious when you are next to it and would be unlikely at night unless you have lots of electrically operated heating.

Incidentally, do you have a ground-source or air-source heating system? It is possible the compressor/pump for one of those might make a noise.

 

[freddo]

Also check heating/ventilation equipment if you have ducted forced air heating etc.