Noise from installation ?

Accomodation, House and Garden
1
Hi guys!

Maybe you could advise me on this subject.

Recently I moved in a new, very small, one bedroom apartment ON THE TOP FLOOR. I was visiting it in September, when it was warm and there was no need on using heating. I moved late October and from the first night I noticed a strange sound. It is like tumbler ? wasching machne? but goes on all day, from 7 am till late evening, 11 pm/ 1 am. Very deep sound, almost make the wall vibrate, sounds like a turbine.

I was sure this is from my neighbour that I am sharing a wall with. But I found it strange that someone is wasching/ drying clothes every minute, 7 days a week. Recently I checked the storage unit in attic. There is a huge chimney and all those installations, also, I guess, for heating. It all make lof noisy but I assume that under them it is still this deep sound.

DO you have any experinece if this could be from that ? If yes, what steps would you take ? Calling the maintanence guy or the administration ?

It really maked me feel crazy, even earplugs dont help..

I would really appreciate any help on this.

Thanks!

2
As it's a new build, am I correct in assuming you're the first tenant?

In which case it's quite likely the noise is coming from machinery that simply wasn't functioning when you originally visited.

If you're not the first tenant then it's possible the previous one left for a similar reason and the agents are already aware of the problem. Or that something has been installed in the attic space recently.

There are several possible causes, but as it seems to shut down for several hours overnight it sounds like it's either connected to the buildings heating or ventilation.

Have you actually spoken to your neighbour about this?

It seems very unlikely they're the cause of a continuous noise such as you're describing but it's highly likely they're also hearing it and complaints from two tenants about the problem will be taken much more seriously than just one by the owners/letting agency.

So, do that first, asking them to also complain if they're bothered by the noise and then send a letter (registered) to the letting agents asking them to investigate. If they do nothing, continue to send letters, making sure you keep copies of all correspondance plus the 'send' receipts from the post office.

An email and 'phonecall might be okay initially, but the swiss prefer to do these things by post and with registered letters you'll have proof of the contact.

Keep a diary, listing exactly when the noise starts and finishes, if it's every night or intermittent.

This bit's important;

Join the local tenants association .

Mieterverband

Bäckerstr. 52, 8004 Zürich

Bürozeiten: Mo–Fr 9–11.30h und 14–16.30h

Telefon: 043 243 40 40 (nur allgemeine Informationen, keine Rechtsauskünfte)

Fax: 043 243 40 41

E-Mail: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) (nur allgemeine Informationen, keine Rechtsauskünfte)

It'll cost you about 100chf per annum, and they have lawyers and so on that specialise in this type of problem.

If you don't understand german very well ask if there's an english-speaker avaliable to help when you make an appointment with them, or take a friend to help.

3
What do your neighbors say?

4
I think 7 a.m. is a bit late for heating start and 11 p.m. late for switch off. Ventilation for bathrooms /WC or laundry room?

5
Could be something mechanical which is up against the wall which causes the sound to amplify and vibrate through to you. Even something like a fish tank pump or filter, or a dehumidifier could do it.

When I lived in the UK, the guy next door had a nebuliser running all night to help him breath but the machine part of it was hard up against the other side of my bedroom wall and when he moved it away the noise stopped.

Why don't you just knock on your neighbour's door and first ask if they've noticed the noise, then take it from there.

6
It appear that there is a noise even 1 hour after rest period. This means that it may cause trouble for you to sleep and is agaist the law.

You may be qualified for a 15% reduction of the rent while this problem persist. Please check with Mieterverband.

More info here (german).

...or maybe (most cases) just a noisy neighbor

7
We had it once that the bakery below us's aircon got noisey and vibrated the entire apartment. Nothing was done and we had to move out.

Where I am now the lift is very noisy and there was someone going up and down 20 times in the morning at 5am. Nothing was done and I was told if I don't like it move out. Fortunately whoever was doing it has now moved out.

We had a roof top extractor fan which started to scream and they replaced it.

We had one place the heating pump vibrate the pipes in the wall. Nothing was done.

Right now in my place the heating water circulates 24/7 very strongly and makes a gushing sound though the pipes. I hesitate to complain because last year the heating was never on more than 40C but now it's proper hot.

It shouldn't really matter what your neighbours think unless they are also disturbed by it.

If it's a newish build then ask someone to investigate but otherwise sadly you might be looking at having to find another place.

8
Could be a heat pump...

9
Or if they can fix it (as in example by Sandgrounder, above).

Or if they can at least tell you what it is. Sometimes, even if the noise itself does not diminish, knowing what it means can help to feel better about it.