Aliens...?

Not Tinnitus if everyone in my family is hearing it.

That leaves aliens.

sorry, but Virgil is funny.

We have a humming noise for over 2 months now, but we are in an established neighborhood. Turned out it is a neighbor's new spa heater, and we/they are having a heck of a time doing something about it. and we have the city municipal office and alderman to work with; you are on your own. I know part of what you are going through, the lost sleep, the annoyance, the "what the HECK can that be" frustration.

My understanding is that many alien choral groups may take requests...

Perhaps write your six most favorite choral numbers and leave the paper on your back porch...worth a try if nothing else seems to work...

Be thankful that the group doesn't have an accordian...

Perhaps it could be a water pipe vibration. After cutting the Mains Breaker, release all water pressure by opening a faucet until flow stops.

So an update. The builder is here today and we repeated some of the steps I've tried and some I did not do fully. All power cut off. Water main cut off. Gas completely cut off. I can still hear it. Our driveway is about 1/4 mile long so the transformer is not at the road on the pole but is closer to the house in a. big green box. I can still hear the sound. Builder called the power company to get them out here and cut off the power from the transformer to see if we can eliminate what the noise is. We don't think it's water, gas, or power making it in the house.

We don't have any neighbors nearby so I don't think it's anything like that.

Others in my family can hear it but seem to be ok ignoring it. To me, it sounds like a washer/dryer constantly running or something like that and it never stops.

Until the power company comes out I guess we are stuck with the noise.

Ug. Good luck, and nice that your builder is interested in helping you find it.

And it's good it's not something like a factory over the hill!

Our driveway is about 1/4 mile long so the transformer is not at the road on the pole but is closer to the house in a. big green box.

Do you have an overhead powerline? If so, it doesn't take much of a breeze to make the line vibrate, and the harmonics of the power line can reverberate through the house.

Another thought is the possibility of pumpjacks in your area.

beckysharp: Thanks for the note. There is an overhead power line at the road but we paid to have the line buried that runs from the road down our driveway.

This noise is constant, 24/7, sometimes it modulates and sometimes it is steady. I would think pumpjacks I would have heard before or would not be 24/7 steady. I'll keep that in mind. Builder made a comment that he wonder if the power going under the ground is somehow causing a vibration against the house foundation even with power turned off (with power running from transformer to meter). I guess we will have to wait and see how that goes.

Do you know if there is any underground mining in your area?

You have to let us know if this is from aliens or some other wonderful source...

Power transformer vibration would not be a surprise. Between the house and the transformer, there shouldn't be anything unless current was flowing. Or leaking. My meter sometimes 'buzzes' with high current draw, but I have to be standing next to it to hear it. We have underground power in the neighborhood so the transformers are large, like VW bug sized. They make a noise, but they are far enough away.

I'll mention that I had a strange noise in my bedroom. A low buzz. I thought it was the AC compressor running on the other side of the wall, but it was quieter than that. After a while, I figured out it was the external speakers for my TV.

Do you have an Amazon Echo? Mine makes an annoying noise (likely during her eavesdropping) and perhaps have it hooked up to a UPS so cutting the power doesn't stop it?

Just_Janni: No, we do not have an Echo. Even if we did, I still hear it when we completely cut power to the house.

sktn77a: I have double-checked around and the closest thing is a rock quarry that is about 21 miles away. In a year of building the house including spending some night here and passing that quarry, I've never heard this noise until we moved in.

It’s the emptiness of your bank account after buying a new house...mine never really recovered and instead of humming it one emits weak gasps.

Weedmeister: The builder was stumped. Power company is coming out but couldn't tell me when. I'm unfortunately not expecting much help. I stood next to the transformer they put in when they ran our buried line and it makes the usual low hiss/hum you would expect to hear. No problem there as far I'm concerned. This low/sub-woofer like sound is driving me nuts. We'll see if the power company comes back with but I may have to get an acoustical engineer to help me with it.

It’s the emptiness of your bank account after buying a new house...mine never really recovered and instead of humming it now only emits weak gasps.

Some people hear a continuous and objectionable hum produced by power generating wind turbines. Do you have some wind turbines nearby?

Bees?

I second the mention of wind turbines. There are several new wind farms in north Missouri and apparently a continuous hum can be heard by some neighbors, but not by some other neighbors.

HU is this the David Higgins home you were building?

There are no wind turbines anywhere near our site.

Please keep us updated. I want to know how this story ends,

Could it be teenager listening to like Dangerous (feat. Sam Martin)....

Very minor vibrations that reach a framed house can produce a quite noticeable buzz. The house structure itself acts like a speaker.

So, it could be the xformer. Even when you turned off power it could still be producing a vibration that travels in to your framed structure and then gets amplified. Not likely, but a possibility. It'll be interesting to hear the results of turning power off to it completely.

May be worthwhile to grab a tuning fork and walk around sticking it on various things and surfaces to see if you can locate where in your structure it's the strongest. This plus a spectrum analyzer on your phone might give you a good idea of the frequencies and thus help with other ideas for what it might be.

Have you checked inside your garage...?

Check your drainage and water supply/feed system for an air lock. also check topographic details of the area for an underground stream.

So let's review: Even with all power and gas turned off, there is a sound.

Just to be sure... after you shut off power run your water until it completely runs out. Even with the power off, you still have pressure in the pressure tank. Water moving through a valve (toilet fill valve leaking) could cause that kind of vibration.

Let us know if it continues with all power off and the water pressure completely down.

Jake-What we did was cut off the water main iand the separate control that was for the bibs around the house and then we went to each faucet and ran them until they were empty. We did not flush a toilet if I understand the question correctly.I also did not run the outside faucets to empty them come to think of it. I still heard the noise. I have near perfect hearing and when I am anywhere but the house I do not hear anything out of the ordinary. That said, I asked a FedEx guy and a UPS guy to come in my house today to see if they could hear the noise and neither one of them could hear it. This whole thing has me quite puzzled.

Radon fan that has battery backup perhaps that runs for 15 minutes after you killed all the power. Some devices will run for a while even after killing power. Maybe a sub left something crazy behind in a nook somewhere. Constant water pressure pump?

Hi, thanks for the info. Yes, my point was that a fluttering valve can cause that kind of noise (that comes from nowhere and everywhere) and that could happen even if the power was off (you are on a well) because there was still water pressure. The toilet fill valve was just an example of someplace that could happen unnoticed - sounds like you have ruled that out.

So here's something to consider - recording the sound. Use a microphone on your computer or use the recording app on your phone.

The file it creates will probably be a ".wav" file that you could share.

People may be able to have a better idea from the recording of it if it's a 60 Hz hum, or if it's mechanical or what.

One other possibility is the wind interacting with the structure - but a recording of it will help significantly.

I had a hunch only because I deal with it to some degree, too and it is always worse at my house - I guess because our house is a pretty quiet place and this is where I relax into the quiet. When I'm out and about I'm generally involved with activities or conversation - whatever - and not focused on the sound. Even going for a hike I'm hearing my footfalls and breathing over the tinnitus. I hope yours turns out to be largely treatable over time and this turns out to be temporary for you.

So sorry to hear you are having such issues but glad you figured it out. Odd though you could hear it only in certain areas.

My husband us dealing with it too and is worse at night.

Hope you recover quickly.

Do you have WiFi and smart appliances? You may have EMF sensitivities.

A doctor years ago mentioned there's an old Chinese cure for tinnititus. Unfortunately I don't remember what it was but it might be worth looking up.

I have induced Tinnitus caused by an airline announcement (Delta) that was overly loud when I was wearing ears to watch a movie. This happened about 11 years ago. I went to several experts about it and was told that there is no known cure for it. As a former sound engineer who occasionally still did special projects this was quiet distressing. Mine is definitely more noticeable at home or other quiet places and is not as noticeable out of doors or in noisier environments.

What a surprising and unexpected resolution. I hope you feel better soon.

I wanted to post this as my husband suffers from tinnitus also. He is a scientist and has researched this in order to better understand his condition. He says that you have suffered hearing loss in the past at a certain frequency. Your brain is now manufacturing the " missing " frequency. As others have noted it is much worse the quieter it is. There is a treatment for this. You go to the dr. You have your hearing tested to find the frequency you are missing. They then put headphones on you and broadcast that frequency so that your brain ultimately says " oh I CAN hear that ". It may take more than one treatment but it DOES work. I don't know where you are located but you will need to find a medical center that will perform this technique. It works and will allow you to enjoy the silence again. I am sorry you are going through this but there is a viable solution. Good Luck and please do post back.

https://www.google.com/search?ei=uLaOXL2IFO7m5gLs_qGYBQ&q=treatment+for+tinnitus+tinnitracks&oq=treatment+for+tinnitus+tinnitracks&gs_l=psy-ab.3...39095.47275..47957...0.0..0.194.4182.14j24......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j35i302i39j35i39j0i22i30j0j33i22i29i30j33i160.YGnLHgzkhe8

Sue Hawkins that is fascinating! I would bet real money that my hearing loss is from years of blow-drying my hair - wonder what that frequency is?!

Having a kind and loving family can have unexpected consequences, apparently!

Perhaps some mild background noise like an aquarium would be beneficial?

I have Tinnitus also and it sucks. My ENT is recommending hearing aides which supposedly help muffle the ringing. It is bearable in noisy surroundings and a huge nuisance in quiet surroundings. I sleep with white noise but still hear it so sometimes it makes me slightly crazy trying to fall asleep. Ugh I feel your pain. Good luck with yours.

DLM if you either use the link I attached or go to a hearing specialist you can have the frequency identified. It’s not that difficult. There is some research that shows just white noise will supplant the tinnitus. I hope this helps others. There is no reason to suffer needlessly.

Don't be embarrassed; you may have helped someone already or will help someone googling this problem in the future.

Yay for you! Hope you feel better.!

I am dealing with this exact same thing!!! No one can hear it but me. Some also say, well, maybe they hear something but to me it is constant and so awful. It is a newly built cabin in the woods WITHOUT any electricity or pluming, gas, etc. I will now go get checked for tinnitus.

I was hoping for a large chorus found to be hiding in your master bedroom closet...

There are a variety of strategies for mitigating noise. One is to broadcast "white noise" or a some sound louder than the objectionable noise. With regard to the latter, you could offer to do babysitting in your home or you could become a heavy metal fan. I'd probably opt for a pair of Bose headphones.

If the noise is constant, in most cases, it is the noise of pumping equipment of heating or water supply systems and elevators of heating systems. Through the control room, you can apply to the management organization to check the pumps and pipes coming from them to the house for noise and vibration and check the correctness of their vibration isolation. Pumps are usually installed in the basement or a separate heating point. When I applied for a mortgage through Mortgage Broker Manchester, I immediately checked the house for the presence of similar effects. Be careful and turn to a good plumber.