Property I've just moved into has given me tinnitus...?

Preface: Tinnitus = persistent ringing in ears, like what you get if you listen to high pitch or overly loud music (kills ear folicles)

This is messed for real.

Former LL was selling the old apartment, found me this new place and it looked lovely so took it.

First couple nights there I noticed this ringing in my ears but thought, weird, no real explanation but whatever.

Then I noticed there's this whirring coming from the parking garage beneath.

Come to find out the water pump for the entire building is directly beneath my bedroom.

No other apartment is affected by it except mine, and it's only the bedroom.

The pump whirs and generates a high pitch which has actually given me a persistent ringing in my ear.

I have since moved the mattress into the kitchen/living room (1 bed apartment), put a towel over the infernal immersion timer and hope to Christ the fridge doesn't make too much noise throughout the night.

Do I have any recourse here?

I'm literally in the place 4 days, and the date of termination on my old place wasn't until the end of April.

I'd like to move back into my old place (they're currently painting it etc), and use the time to April to find a better place.

Is that possible?

Can the RTB lend a tinnitus afflicted dude a helping hand?

The other outside possbility is that I could convert the kitchen into a studio (god damn that fridge though), and use the bedroom as a walk in closet.

But do people do that?

Deeec

Who do you want recourse from?

You moved into the new place so I don't think the landlord owes you anything. Are you sure the noise is what's caused the tinnitus after only 4 days of exposure to the noise.

I think you may need to start looking for somewhere else - may be the only option. I hope the problem improves for you soon.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118363401#Comment_118363401

I want recourse from being hustled into this substandard apartment from my former 1 bed Hilton which I had 4 legit months rent left on.

.....

Rental agents man, I'd like to string them up by their ankles.

And 4 days is a long ass time to be exposed to noise damage.

Easily enough to kill ear follicles (and they don't grow back).

At least I'm not hearing that soul destroying high pitch whir any more though.

Sleeping in the kitchen and all.

😡

whomitconcerns

Not sure if this is legit or not...

But if it is, your former landlord owes you nothing, you need to contact your new landlord, explain the situation and start looking for a new place

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118363575#Comment_118363575

Right.....have you had a drink tonight

MacDanger

Are you sure someone isn't downstairs grinding coffee just to wind you up?

JayRoc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058224007/property-ive-just-moved-into-has-given-me-tinnitus

Messed...for real.

maybe someone is grinding coffee so loud it's turning you into an american?

StupidLikeAFox

Hearing a legit high pitched tone isn't tinnitus. You need to look up the definition of tinnitus for real bro.

MrMusician18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118364232#Comment_118364232

Don't you mean americano?

Quantum Erasure

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118364270#Comment_118364270

yeah, tbh I'm half convinced that it's all the electronic devices, chargers, power blocks / converters, motors / circulation pumps, and especially the ultrasonic rodent repellent devices around the place, that have my ears ringing 24 / 7 ....

Peregrinus

Do your ears ring when you're not in the apartment? That sounds like a tinnitus.

The potential causes of tinnitus are varied, but exposure to a particular external sound is not generally one of them, so the fact that onset occurred just after you had moved into this apartment does not necessarily mean that the move, or exposure to the sound of the pump, caused your tinnitus. The timing of the onset could be coincidental, or the exposure to the annoying external sound may have sensitized you to a tinnitus that was developing anyway.

Tinnitus is a medical issue and, before I'd think about moving apartments, I'd go and get medically examined and seek medical advice. If the underlying cause can be identified, the condition may be treatable. The commonest underlying causes are noise-induced hearing loss, age-related hearing loss or an ear infection, but there are other possibilities. There might be things less drastic than moving house that you can do to address the problem, and there is at least a sporting chance that moving house will not address it at all, so maybe explore other options first?

Yes, noise induced hearing loss, i.e. that high pitch affected my ear follicles and now I have persistent ringing.

And yes I'm absolutely serious.

I know the rental market is horrible but do I really want to stay in a place that will negatively impact my health/hearing?

JimmyVik

What did your doctor say caused the tinnitus?

I had a cold and got tinnitus. Thought it was never going to go away.

Two years later it suddenly stopped.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118364270#Comment_118364270

A legit high pitched tone that's intolerable and causes death of ear follicles and a subsequent "ringing" sound in your ears, even when no longer around said high pitched tone = tinnitus.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118364760#Comment_118364760

Four days of a bit of noise isn't causing any tinnitus. Go to your doctor.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118364782#Comment_118364782

Ever go to a rock concert?

Come away with your ears ringing?

Now imagine being at said concert day and night for months on end.

Is that healthy?

HeidiHeidi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118364794#Comment_118364794

The decibel level of a rock concert, and a pump whirring away beneath a floor (while very annoying, I'm sure), are not remotely comparable.

I've must confess I've never heard of ear follicles, nor the potential for killing them with noise, so I'll have to take your word on that front.

Have you actually been to your doctor about this, or is your diagnosis from Dr. Google?

It all sounds highly improbably to me (IANAD), and more likely coincidental timing than anything sinister.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118364794#Comment_118364794

yes, I’ve had tinnitus before temporarily. You should probably move. Whether you have any recourse depends on any medical analysis you get. I don’t know who your nee landlord is though - it’s something that could be perhaps fixed by the managers of the building. A pump should be making no noise unless it’s pumping. You’d think. Sounds faulty.

Sarn

Prolonged exposure to over 70 decibels could possibly lead to some damage. However, it is unlikely that the pump is generating that level of noise through the building structure. As mentioned by someone above, you could already have some tinnitus and the pitch may have just tuned you into it.

In relation to moving to an apartment with that noise, I wouldn’t be happy either, and would consider it justification for alternative accommodation.

touts

Tinnitus? After 4 days. From a pump in the parking garage below your apartment building?

To be honest that doesn't make sense.

BUT it could be related to stress and blood pressure. You are clearly distressed with the move and that could be aggravating an existing underlying condition. My advice, in all seriousness, is to go to see a doctor and have your blood pressure and stress levels checked.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118364794#Comment_118364794

You have been there 4 days, according to yourself, and it cannot be heard anywhere else except in your bedroom, so it's not that loud 🙄

Living Off The Splash

As someone who suffers from Tinnitus it is a dreadful affliction. Many things cause Tinnitus. It is possible that the loud high pitched noise from the pump etc caused this problem for you, if so you are very unlucky because many people have worked in situations where there is loud noise and are not affected.

The fact that when you move in to the kitchen area and the tinnitus noise is reduced suggests to me that what is happening to you is that you are actually "hearing" the sound of the pump. People who suffer from Tinnitus have the sound in their heads and not necessarily in their ears.

If it is bad, then try and find somewhere else to live.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118364926#Comment_118364926

Yeah, just spoke with the building manager.

Out of the entire facility my apartment is the only one located DIRECTLY above the water pump.

And it's the latest greatest most well insulated water pump on the market.

i.e. a proximity issue and according to threshold, it's just my bad luck.

.......

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.....................!!!!!!!!!!!!

..........

Spoke with Dr, he advised to me seek a consult with hearing specialists to determine for damage, and that he'd draft a letter to support evidence of tinnitus corresponding exactly with the move.

It may be worth noting that I've always had pretty sensitive hearing though, especially when it comes to pitch and this situation is affecting it.

God damn even now I can hear that god-awful screeching whir, it's like a jumbo-jet but pitch-wise.

In any case the outcome is this horrible constant bell in my ears.

No no no.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118364940#Comment_118364940

Could be.

How does a Dr check for stress though?

To me it's that high pitch whir.

WHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

Makes me want to claw my eyes out.

High wave pitch, frequency/vibration.

For real it makes me loco.

Eliminating that definitely feels like it could cut down on my stress.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118364985#Comment_118364985

Can you expound on what you mean by "hearing" the pump?

Cause what you're saying feels like it makes sense.

I hear the pump less in the kitchen vs the bedroom, but I can still hear it and for real it makes me want to pull either my or someones else's hair out.

If you mean "sensitive hearing" then yes, you are correct, always been as such.

You sound like you’re trying to get a big claim out of your previous landlord. I’ve read your other thread.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118366545#Comment_118366545

You are a muffin.

chicorytip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118364773#Comment_118364773

You did not get Tinnitus then. It is a permanent, irreversible condition which does not just suddenly go away. I know.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118364760#Comment_118364760

Hearing loss is not synonymous with Tinnitus. Your ability to hear things is not impaired if you happen to suffer from it. I know.

JimmyVik

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118367622#Comment_118367622

Well I was diagnosed with tinnitus by an ENT. If I ever have to see him again I'll tell him I want my €500 odd that I paid him over the few months back, because I could have asked you for free :)

Living Off The Splash

Tinnitus Research Community | StuffThatWorks

Have a look at the Tinnitus thread on StuffThatWorks and you will get a better understanding of the types of tinnitus and causes out there.

chicorytip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118368846#Comment_118368846

Medical Consultants are not infallible. Most of them just think they are. Seriously, a GP ought to be able to diagnose the issue. I have had Tinnitus for over thirty years. It developed after a particular incident when I was in the vicinity of a very loud explosion. It's not severe at all, barely noticeable most of the time particularly even in bed at night. For those with a more severe form it really can lessen one's quality of life dramatically. It is a permanent affliction. There is no magic pill you can pop to make it go away. That's why I maintain that you were misdiagnosed.

You’ll be grand once you move out. Think that’s probably your only option.

Someone said new carpet odors can trigger it.

There was a new carpet in the bedroom when I moved in.

Since transitioned to the kitchen, converting it into a studio.

Ringing has reduced significantly since.

Hopefully another few days it's gone entirely.

It could be either being further away from the resonance of the water pump, or away from the carpet odors.

I'm just relieved it's improving and hopefully won't have to move cause in this market....

Victor

Talk to your new landlord, ask them to get the building management company to add insulation between the pump and the building structure.

The pump should only run intermittently, not continuously. If it is running continuously, it is set up incorrectly.

Holy.....

https://www.reddit.com/r/tinnitus/comments/l1rmyh/a_cautionary_tale_do_not_repeat_my_mistake_and_a/

Check his out.

Before I moved in new carpet was installed.

Perhaps this is the cause?

It seems likely.

I attributed it to the pump but who would have thought?

The adhesive used for the carpet releases fumes that can cause tinnitus.

I never experience ear ringing in my life, and it seemed absent earlier but even now I can hear it, and it's permanent according to that.

Just checked again.

The f**king smell of solvent in there.

Almost 100% that's what caused the ear ringing.

What do?

It's unlikely it will air out.

Crazy to think even in modern times companies still use unsafe practices like solvents.

I made this thread on the 23rd

I got the covid booster on the 21st

I moved from the bedroom to the kitchen on the night of the 22nd (early morning of the 23rd) cause I couldn't tolerate the ringing in my ears.

....

I just want to know the cause already.

Carpet adhesive fumes,

water pump although annoying seems unlikely to have caused the tinnitus at this point,

covid booster?

Caranica

Tinnitus can be spontaneous, it can be caused. Knowing the cause won't stop the ringing. Talk to your doctor about treatment/distraction techniques. I'm on medication for tinnitus and other side effects of a head injury. Doesn't help the tinnitus at all.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118371756#Comment_118371756

Go to a doctor.