...in the sticks and bricks that is. In one of our rear bedrooms, if you stand in a certain spot, there is a low frequency hum that can be heard. Drives the wife crazy. Not loud, but a soft hum. Sounds like some sort of electrical hum and I can't tell where it's coming from. In that part of the house, there is nothing in the attic and nothing unusual in the walls.To see if it was something hidden and electrical, I turned off the power to the house. The hum is still there. What say you Batman?

constant or it comes and goes? in the right weather conditions our rooftop TV antenna will vibrate and sound like a hum. but it has to be the right combination of temp, humidity, barometric pressure and wind. orif you live near a high powered VHF radio transmitter like at a major airport the radio modulation can cause metal pipes to vibrate and hum. rare but it can happen.

It's constant. Never goes away. I can't rule out some sort of harmonic but can't see what could cause it.

Turning the electric off eliminates a lot of possibilities. It has to be harmonic unless it's generated from off site and only being picked up in that particular spot. Any wind turbines, factory, power plants, etc. nearby?

Mmwtdh wrote:Turning the electric off eliminates a lot of possibilities. It has to be harmonic unless it's generated from off site and only being picked up in that particular spot. Any wind turbines, factory, power plants, etc. nearby?None nearby. And it's very localized to about half of the room

Riddle Me This Batman; Low Frequency Hum: SOLVED

Ron3rd
Explorer III
Dec 14, 2018
pianotuna wrote:
try changing the resonant frequency of the room.

Tell me how to do that and I'll give it a try!
Ron3rd
Explorer III
Dec 14, 2018
schlep1967 wrote:
Use the old mechanics trick. Get a piece of wood like a broomstick (poor mans stethoscope). Put one end against your ear and the other against different walls/sections of the wall, floor and ceiling. You should be able to pinpoint the area the sound is coming from.

Good point; I have one of those mechanic's stethoscopes so it might be worth it to poke around.
DrewE
Explorer II
Dec 14, 2018
Is there a laptop or other (partly) battery powered device in the room? Some little cooling fans on low speed can sound like a slight hum.

I haven't heard it myself, but I suppose many battery powered or battery backed gizmos could malfunction and emit a bit of a hum...so I would see if I could localize it to e.g. a smoke detector, alarm clock with battery backup, etc.
2112
Explorer II
Dec 14, 2018
I've realized it's more prevalent in the afternoon and rarely occurs in the morning
Could be bees
bgum
Explorer
Dec 14, 2018
Once worked in a office with open floor plan where roof was supported by the metal stancions. Fellow employee who played in college band and had advanced degrees in music said one of the stancions near his desk hummed. He claimed it was so loud he had to relocate. No one else in the office could hear it. Management had it checked out and sure you he was right. We were not interested in why it hummed...
wnjj
Explorer II
Dec 14, 2018
Even without power poles in the neighborhood there are still transformers. You likely share one with several neighboring houses. Maybe the hum comes and goes with demand. It may even be underground.

Found this after writing my response: http://articles.latimes.com/2009/sep/05/local/me-hum5
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Dec 14, 2018
Turn off water to house and open a faucet both hot and cold.
Johno02
Explorer
Dec 14, 2018
May need to call in professional tracers to see if the sound can be picked up or detected by microphone or other electronic means. if so, it might be traceable. Sometimes a sound is an interaction of other sources, and may only occur where these other sources intersect. If so, just sell out and move.
2oldman
Explorer II
Dec 14, 2018
As usual, I'll say there are many google hits on this.
coolmom42
Explorer II
Dec 14, 2018
Is there a sewer lift pump in your neighborhood?

Do you or anyone else close by have a battery powered sump pump?