Noise/vibrations in new home. Neighbors not affected?? 2

[Amcmacken]

Hello,
I live in a 6 year old home that is wood frame 2x4 construction with mostly brick on the exterior. Base grade windows throughout which were poorly installed 18 months after the house was built there were 1/4 gaps around all of the windows that needed to be filled with caulk on the inside. I’ve noticed a significant amount of outdoor noise and vibrations in the house and sometimes when the noise is present it sounds like blowing over a pop bottle. I am having the windows replaced with Marvin Elevate casement windows in the hope it will reduce the sound/vibrations. I have also had my exterior walls injected with additional insulation and my master suite interior walls filled with insulation. I also experienced quite a bit of deflection in my master bedroom and to remedy this situation I have added blocking between the joists in the basement. This has helped with the deflection but I still have vibrations throughout my home. The noise and vibrations are more apparent above where my I-beams and support poles are located in the basement. In some cases it feels like my home is a giant tuning fork. I also have a significant amount of bass like echo/sound in the corner of master suite when my tumble dryer is running, 20’ away.

The home is on land that has a high water table and because of that the builder built up the land. All of the land around the house slopes down approx 3-4’ over 8-10’

I’ve contacted the utilities companies, the local metal stamping facility and am coming up empty handed. Does anyone have any insight based on the information I’ve provided? I don’t know who to reach out to for help. I feel it’s definitely related to the house, otherwise my neighbors would have to be affected as well. This has become a major nuisance in my life and I rarely get a good nights sleep. I love my home and want to stay but have to find a solution to this issue. Not sure where to turn for help.

 

[WARose]

Can you source what the noise is/where it is coming from? Do you notice it when [whatever] appliance is running?

Finding what the source is.....is the first step.

If you cannot find it.....take some measurements to see what kind of frequency of vibrations we are talking is. That would be a important clue.

[red]EDIT[/red]: One thing I've advised clients to do in the past is go to the fuse box and cut everything off and see what you notice then.

 

[Amcmacken]

I have used a vibration app on my phone and this is a screenshot.

Besides the source of the noise. I have shut off all utilities and the vibration is still present.


I feel like whatever is wrong with the house is contributing to the vibrations/noises caused by an outside factor. And I believe whatever is wrong with the structure of the house is whats leading to the bass like droning noise in the farthest corner of my master suite from the laundry room when the dryer is on.

 

[HTURKAK]

Dear Amcmacken ,

I think the source of vibration is piping..

Close the water supply from water meter, make empty the cold and hot water piping from suitable tabs and see the situation..

 

[r13]

I would have talked to the neighbors about the experiences. Is the vibration/noise constantly on all the time, or just certain times in a day?

 

[WARose]

I feel like whatever is wrong with the house is contributing to the vibrations/noises caused by an outside factor.

Looking at your plot, it appears (not surprisingly) the source is low frequency. Stuff in the 10-30 Hz range matches the frequency of a lot of individual members in homes. (Like wall panels and so on.)

If you could get a peak velocity & acceleration (locally) on a item that would help.

And I believe whatever is wrong with the structure of the house is whats leading to the bass like droning noise in the farthest corner of my master suite from the laundry room when the dryer is on.

Sometimes music that is heavy in bass can affect a home. But if you aren't hearing anything like that outside.....then that theory may be out the window.

If you can't find the source....in many cases you are stuck addressing the outcome by adding paneling and so on. But I'd get a vibration control guy out there before I went in that direction.

 

[WARose]

I think the source of vibration is piping..

Close the water supply from water meter, make empty the cold and hot water piping from suitable tabs and see the situation..

Yeah, pipes are a possibility as well. But I'd be surprised if that was the source since those vibrations tend to be at higher frequencies than I am seeing here.

 

[miningman]

This wont directly address your underlying concerns but my recommendation would be that when you replace your basement windows, pay the necessary $$$ for an upgrade to triple glazing. I did exactly this in my 16 year old house about a year ago and apart from the obvious increase in thermal efficiency, the basement become much quieter

 

[Amcmacken]

The noise/vibrations in home come and go. It’s always several hours or days and days. I agree that it is a low frequency. I have read articles regarding lift stations for water treatment facilities however mu local water department doesn’t have qualified staff. They showed up to my home on a day it wasn’t happening and expressed that it was probably my sump pump. It’s not my sump pump. They showed me a diagram of the main lines underground and said everything works from gravity. The reason I initially thought it could be related to the water department was that even in the basement I can hear it and feel it. Does anyone recommend that I hire a structural engineer to do an on-site inspection? I am done with having people come by and say, nope can’t hear anything or oh it’s not so bad. I would prefer to have an instrument that actually tests the noise and vibrations. Facts and figures, not feeling or opinions.

When you say vibration control guy, do they have a technical job name? Just want to make sure to reach out to the correct person.

Thanks all!
Amy

 

[JoelTXCive]

Where is the air conditioner/furnace located? I'm assuming you have turned these units on/off to identify if they are the source?

I do not know if a structural engineer would be your best source. It might be a materials testing company.

Materials testing engineers are often civil engineers, just like structural engineers, but they specialize in materials; and have a lot of testing equipment.

 

[Amcmacken]

Hi Joel,
Thank you for the reply and recommendation. I have shut off all electricity and water to the house. The HVAC is in the basement and the noise is present without electricity.

 

[LittleInch]

Is there any correlation with wind speed or direction?

If your house has settled it could be stressed in a different way to your neighbours and be more susceptible to vibration caused by wind. I noticed on your photo some vents in the front and the top of the roof?

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[oldestguy]

How about industries in the area? Could your house natural frequency be amplifying noise or other vibrations from afar?

 

[Amcmacken]

@oldestguy - I am within a mile from a metal stamping facility. I also went down this route and my emails and requests were dismissed. They told me they don’t have complaints and one of their employees lives near me and doesn’t hear a thing. Also I was told what I am probably hearing is the power lines approximately 1/4 of a mile north of me. A good friend lives in the sub which backs up to the power lines and it is not the power lines. If this is the case, can you change the natural frequency of a structure?

 

[CarlB]

Are the sensations like those described in this sudy?

https://www.noiseandhealth.org/arti...e=6;issue=23;spage=29;epage=35;aulast=Findeis

 

[oldestguy]

Remember I'm talking about natural frequency. With the instrument you used to measure your vibrations can that be brought near or in the factory and then measure things there? With the sweep increased, looking at the waves and getting that frequency would be needed. Even if so, what to do about changing your frequency? For instance use a portable hand winch can put a strain on the house frame to change its stiffness, or similar? If that does it, there may be other permanent ways to do it. Try adding a support post in basement to change the floor natural freq. That measurement with an oscilloscope. I'd look for an electrical engineer or electronics technician with a scope and device to measure vibrations. Possibly a speaker or mike. Transducer that is used for measuring vibration s will work.

 

[WARose]

I have read articles regarding lift stations for water treatment facilities however mu local water department doesn’t have qualified staff.

I've heard some stuff about that over the years. It's a possibility. But unless the station is close by....I'd think it would attenuate at that far of a distance.

Nearby transformers are another possibility. I've seen that a few times as well.

I am within a mile from a metal stamping facility.

I'd (casually) find out about what they are making. There are stamp machines......and then there are STAMP machines. I'd doubt that would be your source at that far away.....but part of the process here is eliminating possibilities.

Does anyone recommend that I hire a structural engineer to do an on-site inspection?

If he specializes in it? Yes. If you cannot find one locally who can deal with it......you may have to contact some national chain of vibration consultants. (Like Vibro-Acoustic Consultants (VACC).)

But outfits like that don't come cheap. This is part of what I do for a living and I'm not cheap either.

You may have to weigh the cost of a consultant vs. just eliminating the problem through alterations.

 

[MikeHalloran]

Raise the dryer by adding a layer of concrete blocks under it.
The extra weight will reduce the floor's response.
That will save your back too, if it's a front loader.

Mike Halloran
Corinth, NY, USA

 

[LittleInch]

Your first action will be a detailed diary of days and times over a number of weeks to find if there is any correlation from external events or not. Your frequency trace shown no real predominant frequency to me.

You might need better and more accurate sound measuring than your phone.

Like the report says, these are very annoying to the resident but can be very difficult to trace or resolve.

Your structure may need stiffening or have some compliant sections to absorb vibrations.

Not easy.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[Amcmacken]

Hi @CarlB, Thank you for the reply. I checked out the link you sent over and I found the following to be very similar to my experience. The noise seems to be louder closer to the inside wall of my bedroom. There have been some nights where I will sleep with my head at the foot of the bed as the droning noise is not as strong. Also, when I crack a window the droning/bass like noise is audible but if I walk outside not so because of the ambient noise. I’ve walked around my neighborhood in the middle of the night, when it’s present, searching for the source but have been unsuccessful. Since I’ve been searching for a few years and am at my wits end I’ve started with the home improvements to try to dampen the level of intensity.