Mysterious “low vibrational hum sound”

NearlyForty

Hi there

I wasn’t sure where to post this, so please re direct me, if I’m in the wrong place.

Since March, I have been hearing or rather made aware of this strange sound that appears to be constant. I can only describe it as a low vibrational hum. It sounds like a Diesel engine running idle In the distance and it doesn’t appear to stop. I’m in Cork, and ‘almost anywhere‘ I have been, lately, I can hear this sound. I was also in Kerry recently and could hear it in some parts but not in others. Same with Cork. So I know it’s nothing to do with my hearing, as my husband thought, as no one else in the house can hear it.

I had thought it may have been the wind turbines, as there are many farms dotted all over West Cork, along with a few in Cork harbour etc.. But when I went to Brandon Bay, there are no turbines and I could still hear it. A busy city or town would help to drown out the sound, along with items in the house like a fridge, fish tank etc but as soon as I move to a different room I can hear it again.

It also appears to be louder indoors than outdoors but it’s still noticeable. Genie, might anyone also hear this sound? And any idea what it could be? I know there is a Known phenomenon around the world in relation to a “Hum”. Maybe that’s it? It drives me daft I have to say..!!

riffmongous

Drive west before your head explodes

NearlyForty

riffmongous wrote: »

Drive west before your head explodes

??

Leg End Reject

Tinnitus or aliens.

Aliens seem more probable.

Urquell

NearlyForty wrote: »

??

X-files : Drive

JasonStatham

What about a trip to the Dr.

Gretas Gonna Get Ya!

It's your biological clock... it's humming rather than ticking. Quick get yourself knocked up pronto... :P

It's a bit like an innie or outie belly button... some people get a tick, others get a hum. You're a hummer!

And very occasionally, you get that very rarest of individuals who is a "hum-dinger"! :pac:

Bob the Seducer

Since March you say?... it's possible the singer from the Crash Test Dummies could be stuck here as a result of the lockdown.

NearlyForty

Thanks for the input. Great to see so many happy campers here today

Gregor Samsa

Not saying this is relevant to you, just sharing a related anecdote.

When the Port Tunnel in Dublin was being built, my dad, who lived less than a mile from the construction site entrance, claimed that he could hear a low droning hum or vibration from the drilling every night when he went to bed*. It started to really annoy him. He had a few other health problems and eventually went to the doctor, and it was discovered that he had an ulcer in his oesophagus that was causing anemia due to blood loss. Turns out anemia can cause tinnitus due to increased blood flow in the inner ear. Tinnitus isn’t always a “ringing” sound, it can be droning or other sounds too. About a week after he started on iron supplements for the anemia, he no longer heard the low droning sound at night.

*(my understanding is that tunnel drilling didn’t actually go on during the night, but there was no talking to him until the iron supplements cured it).

cml387

By now the OP realises she's in the wrong place.
As to where the right place is....?

Gregor Samsa

Bob the Seducer wrote: »

Since March you say?... it's possible the singer from the Crash Test Dummies could be stuck here as a result of the lockdown.

Oooooonce, there was this kiiiid
Who heard a low vibration noise
Every where they went
But wheeeen they went to Boooooards
They
Got
Nothing but funny responses

Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmmm Mmmmm
Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmmm Mmmmm

NearlyForty

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

Not saying this is relevant to you, just sharing a related anecdote.

When the Port Tunnel in Dublin was being built, my dad, who lived less than a mile from the construction site entrance, claimed that he could hear a low droning hum or vibration from the drilling every night when he went to bed*. It started to really annoy him. He had a few other health problems and eventually went to the doctor, and it was discovered that he had an ulcer in his oesophagus that was causing anemia due to blood loss. Turns out anemia can cause tinnitus due to increased blood flow in the inner ear. Tinnitus isn’t always a “ringing” sound, it can be droning or other sounds too. About a week after he started on iron supplements for the anemia, he no longer heard the low droning sound at night.

*(my understanding is that tunnel drilling didn’t actually go on during the night, but there was no talking to him until the iron supplements cured it).

I had been thinking that perhaps I was having an unknown issue in my ears too

There are numerous threads, going back over the years, where others were questioning something similar

So it made me wonder

Thank you

un5byh7sqpd2x0

This is a known issue, happens all over the place. Bristol in the UK for example: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35344544

seamus

There's a theory that we can "hear" all of the noises inside our own bodies/heads, such as the beating of our heart, the blood flowing through our veins, scraping, creaking, grinding or sloshing noises as we move, but our brain learns to filter these out on a day to day basis.

However, when something changes such as a sudden accelerated heart beat, or some other internal anomaly, we will often suddenly be able to hear it, because our brain isn't filtering it out.

Timberrrrrrrr

Obviously its the new 5G tower trying to infect you with the Covid19.

upupup

If,,,Your head is humming and it won't go
in case you don't know
The piper's calling you to join him.

Dear lady,can you hear the wind blow?

riffmongous

NearlyForty wrote: »

Thanks for the input. Great to see so many happy campers here today

Sorry

I would say tinnitus too, but thats usually high pitched rather than a low hum i thought, for me at least.. I'd say get it checked out first anyway just to be sure

Archeron

Bob the Seducer wrote: »

Since March you say?... it's possible the singer from the Crash Test Dummies could be stuck here as a result of the lockdown.

Everybody who reads this will spend the rest of the day singing it, so I suspect the humming sound is about to get louder.

Victor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hum

riclad

You need to see a doctor., you probably have a mild form of tinnitus.
There's no real background hum,
It's a personal medical problem you have.
Building sites make noise. But they are only open 7am til 7pm.
Usually Monday to Friday.
Many famous people have tinnitus due to working in concert venues in the music industry.

Bobblehats

YellowBucket

Could be a few things:

1. Tinnitus.
2. Traffic - the sound of collective movement of cars can be quite like a low drone and there’s definitely enough traffic, even at night, in Cork City for that effect.
3. Proximity to the port. Sometimes large ships engines may be running and that can create a low hum.

There used to be other sources of heavy mechanical noise in and near the city, notably things like the ESB Marina power station, but that hasn’t been running for a long time now. The large old part of it is off line for more than a decade and the smaller open cycle gas turbines are no longer used either as they aren’t economic relative to other sources.

NearlyForty

seamus wrote: »

There's a theory that we can "hear" all of the noises inside our own bodies/heads, such as the beating of our heart, the blood flowing through our veins, scraping, creaking, grinding or sloshing noises as we move, but our brain learns to filter these out on a day to day basis.

However, when something changes such as a sudden accelerated heart beat, or some other internal anomaly, we will often suddenly be able to hear it, because our brain isn't filtering it out.

That’s very interesting !!

NearlyForty

Timberrrrrrrr wrote: »

Obviously its the new 5G tower trying to infect you with the Covid19.

Lol

NearlyForty

YellowBucket wrote: »

Could be a few things:

1. Tinnitus.
2. Traffic - the sound of collective movement of cars can be quite like a low drone and there’s definitely enough traffic, even at night, in Cork City for that effect.
3. Proximity to the port. Sometimes large ships engines may be running and that can create a low hum.

There used to be other sources of heavy mechanical noise in and near the city, notably things like the ESB Marina power station, but that hasn’t been running for a long time now. The large old part of it is off line for more than a decade and the smaller open cycle gas turbines are no longer used either as they aren’t economic relative to other sources.

I’m living in the country, away from the usual day to day sounds. I had thought maybe it was wind turbines but no one else here hears it..! So it mustn’t be

YellowBucket

If nobody else around you is hearing, it’s very likely tinnitus.

However if it’s localised to your house, check things like plumbing - you’d be surprised at the odd noises that can be made by pipes and stuck valves. They can make vibrations.

If you’re hearing 50Hz mains hum or high pitched noises in one room, it’s very likely a failing or faulty transformer / power supply in something like a charger.

iamstop

NearlyForty wrote: »

It also appears to be louder indoors than outdoors but it’s still noticeable. Genie, might anyone also hear this sound? And any idea what it could be? I know there is a Known phenomenon around the world in relation to a “Hum”. Maybe that’s it? It drives me daft I have to say..!!

Let me think about this for a minute...Hhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm :pac:

YFlyer

OP is it like a swarm of bumblebees?

Hamsterchops

I've investigated several 'hums' in the past, one was caused by the (faulty) transformer built into my bedside clock radio, the next was caused by the PVR-hardrive plugged into our satellites box!

I've also encountered a noisy fridge that hummed just enough to be annoying, my wife's old 1990s radio cassette player used o hum before we plugging it out, fish aquariums can hum too ....

Anything that's plugged in might cause a hum.

worded

Power off the mains to stop all electric devices In the house to rule that out

SlowBlowin

Logical idea ?

OP, buy or borrow a set of noise cancelling headphones and put them on when you can hear the hum.

If there is no reduction in the hum, then its an "internal" sound, tinnitus etc. If there is a reduction then the hum is an external sound.

Badly Drunk Boy

Victor wrote: »

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hum

I was going to mention this. I used to experience this a lot, usually late at night when I couldn't sleep. I wouldn't necessarily be in bed, but it could be 4 or 5am, and I'd hear what sounded like a car's engine ticking over. I even thought I knew the spot it came from. The 'car' sounded like it was outside the house 7 doors up from me, to the left. It was that precise and real.

I often opened my front door to check but there was nothing there. It stopped about 5 years ago, but came back once last year.

Montage of Feck

A U.S. Navy antenna array emitting ELF waves?

deise08

Sounds like a water pump...but no water pump around . I've been experiencing it the past few years...

JustAThought

deise08 wrote: »

Sounds like a water pump...but no water pump around . I've been experiencing it the past few years...

Might not streatch as far as Ketty or Cork thou!

I had a hum & it drove me nuts for
months -I even went to the doctor. Turns out it wasn’t my ears but my stereo! I had it plugged in and the speakers & it were both turned on - turns out between the cabling for the doorbell and wifi gadget plugged in alongside it, it was causing a steady hum of feedback even thou the volume was turned 00% down. Nearly drove me insane. I discovered it by accident When I unplugged the stereo to mive the couch - the silence was screaming at me. It felt like I’d been carrying an elephant on my shoulders that had finally jumped off. Bliss.

sydthebeat

Stress

Quantum Erasure

The sound of a man humming

auspicious

Ear plugs to rule out tinnitus.

Capt'n Midnight

Probably a fridge compressor.

riclad

even in the city theres not much traffic after 2am at night,
if a fridge is faulty or old it can make a humming noise from the compressor.
pipes can make a noise as the water goes through them they vibrate,
but its not a humming noise.if you hear a noise all the time its likely you have a medical problem, using earpugs does not help tinnitus as its a noise from inside the ear.

https://www.domesticandgeneral.com/content/help-advice-section/hints-tips/article/fixing-noisy-fridge

TheBlackPill

Its when the hum stops is when you should get worried

Sac O Spuds

TheBlackPill wrote: »

Its when the hum stops is when you should get worried

Yeah thats when the bass guitar solo starts.

giles lynchwood

This happened to a mate a while back.turned out it was a ventlation fan in a grow house net door on a timer.Neighbours gave him something to help him sleep.Happy ending all round.

SlowBlowin

SlowBlowin wrote: »

Logical idea ?

OP, buy or borrow a set of noise cancelling headphones and put them on when you can hear the hum.

If there is no reduction in the hum, then its an "internal" sound, tinnitus etc. If there is a reduction then the hum is an external sound.

that's a great idea
if it's external start plugging stuff out to see if you can identify

hatrickpatrick

Aurora Borealis!

tringle

Yes this has been spoken about before here and i had it for a few years and it drove me mad. Some people suggest it is powerstations and the hum can travel very long distances through certain rock formations. Other suggestions have been electric magnetic sounds and some peoples hearts beat at the same frequency so they hear and feel it. I had my family driven mad trying to find it. Always more obvious at night, can hear it the house but not in our garden (a stream drowns out the sound) and louder in the summer. We even went through a stage of turning off the electricity at night and had a carpet and a rug under the bed.
Anyway, i found the answer 4 years later out for a walk. It was the noise created by the local meat plant. 6km as the crow flies the sound travelled down the river and whatever rock formations are there. Still hear it on summer nights but just knowing what it is means it doesnt bother me as much.

1990sman

the wang of the hum

Capt'n Midnight

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.intoorbit.spectrum
measure it and then lookup the frequency.


22Hz would be for pigging