Heat Pump noise and Neighbor

I am having some major problems with my heat pump. Long story short we had oil wanted gas, wasn't available on our side of the street, we had no heat due to broken oil furnace, the dealer told me about a heat pump, but never explained to me what it was.. and being an idiot, I didn't ask the right questions... I had no idea this would iclude a huge piece of machinery outside. The installed it right under our bedroom window, and about 7 feet away from neighbor's bedroom window. Neighbor has MAJOR issues with this... we are trying to be a good neighbor without going into debt over it. We have a Trane XL15i, which is suppose to be pretty quiet, but we live in older homes so the sound is noticeable.... We just put up a fence to the cost of 750, and this has been no help to her!!! Any suggestions as to what our options are to reduce noise????

Thank you!!!!

Reply to
Abigail Baker
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My next door neighbor installed a heat pump 6 feet from my bedroom and next to her garage; she never hears it but I do??..it's so loud, a constant humming and sometimes a constant buzzing. One night she was not home, so I left a note asking her to turn it off at 10:00 p.m. and she would not comply. Another night I went over at 10:30 p.m. to ask her to please shut it off; she opened the door and yelled at me and then slammed the door in my face. Last summer she would not respond to Community Mediation Service's letter. I contacted Code Enforcement and the Police and learned the City Counselors decided to exclude heat pump noise from the law. Community Mediation contacted her again this summer and asked her to turn it off at 10:00 p.m.; she responded to them that she fell asleep and forgot to turn it off. It has become a health issue with the constant noise in my bedroom, so my only option is to sleep on the couch or daybed, neither one is very comfortable where I can get quality sleep. Bottom line: my neighbor dictates whether or not I can use my bedroom. BLAIRCO is the company that installed it and they are based in Vancouver WA. I contacted them last week regarding the problem and their policy is not to install a heat pump next to a bedroom, but they did! I will call them again tomorrow morning and see if they will relocate it next to my neighbor's bedroom where it should be!

Reply to
Jane

I really doubt they are going to relocate it for free. No matter what your complaint.

Reply to
jamesgangnc

Hmm, What is the noise level? Bylaw must have permissible noise level. OP happened to measure it with sound level meter? In the mean time ear plugs may help you. Sounds like unfriendly neighbor.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

And if your neighbor meant to turn it off at 10:00 PM or whatever. if she falls asleep B4 10:00PM, how about installing a timer to the heat pump?

Reply to
Tony Hwang

If your neighbor is willing to pay the power bill for letting it run, he is probably "within his rights" to run it as he sees fit.

Did your neighbor get a building permit to install the unit? (If a permit was required and not procured, some jurisdictions will require the unit be removed.)

Was it inspected?

Are there "setback" limits to things installed on the property? Is it too close to the side lot line? (Is an AC unit included in the things you can't install within the setback? Sometimes it's just the permanant structure of the house that can't extend past a given point.

Does your community have a noise ordinance? Does it apply to "mechanical noise" and not just "loud music etc"? If so, is he in violation of that ordinance? (Where is the sound level measured in the ordiance, and by what method? Is it a measureable standard or "subjective", such as "can't be heard 200 feet away"?

Is "acceptable" your definition or a legal one?

Where he put the unit may have been decided by where the furnace is and where the main breaker panel is. Copper tubing is run to the coil installed in the furnace, and wiring is run to the breaker panel.

Can you put in a sound barrier on your side of the fence?

This is one of the "drawbacks" to living in densly populated areas.. unfortunately.

I guess the other option is to install AC of your own, and sleep with the windows shut. :-)

A simple window fan can mask a lot of noise.

P.S. Be careful.. if you stir up the Community Association or the building inspector.. and your own "house isn't in order" the "oh shit" angel can be visited on you just as easily!

Reply to
No Body

If your neighbor won't be cooperative, go out there and pull the disconnect and shut the unit off yourself. If the disconnect is a pull out type, take the fuse holder with you. He won't find a replacement in the middle of the night. Next, pull the main power from the entire building. If he decides to stay up and watch the unit, wear a costume and bring a can of mace with you.

Reply to
No Spam

Best to check if you live in a state with a strong castle doctrine law. Follow that advice and you could end up dead.

Reply to
NotMe

Advocating trespassing and vandalism doesn't seem to be a good solution, just one that could get one arrested and charged.

Reply to
Scott Lurndal

Heat Pumps use a reversing valve. The reversing valve has a electrical coil that energizes for cooling. The coil is loose fitting on the solenoid valve stem. have some one put a TieWrap on the coil and around the valve pulling it onto the valve tightly.

Or the 24v control tranformer is mounted in the condenser and is loose on the mounting plate.

I have installed hundreds of systems and none keep up NEIGHBORS. (unless its a York)

There are residential codes that determine where a unit can be located.

Reply to
pcasale

Heat Pumps use a reversing valve. The reversing valve has a electrical coil that energizes for cooling. The coil is loose fitting on the solenoid valve stem. have some one put a TieWrap on the coil and around the valve pulling it onto the valve tightly.=20

Or the 24v control tranformer is mounted in the condenser and is loose on the mounting plate.=20

Excuses me but what Heat pump are operating control have anything to do = with Jane complain, Sorry I am at lost!

I have installed hundreds of systems and none keep up NEIGHBORS. (unless its a York)

There are residential codes that determine where a unit can be located.

Reply to
Tony944

Hi Jane I would really like to discuss this w you. I am in vancouver Wa.

Reply to
Jen

Hi Jane I would really like to discuss this w you. I am in vancouver Wa.

Reply to
Jen

Hi Jane, can't believe I'm reading this as this is exactly what has happened to me. At least my nieghbour has agreed to turn it off at 11pm and back on at 7am but during the day its impossible to get any work done. There is not one room where I can't hear the constant droning and humming. The pump switches on every 5mins and runs for a min. I now have to work from 11pm to 7am then I sleep in my car outside during the day - like you the neighbours dictate my life now.

Reply to
Lorna

My nearest neighbour is 200 yards from my house. I have not slept a wink since. Rattling, vibration, humming and hissing keeps me awake. It has affected my health and I believe I have Havana syndrome.

Reply to
Coconut

same here, constant humming at 45+db, but lower than the 55db the city instructs during the day, so there is basically nothing i can do about it. goes through the walls, the windows, makes my yard unusable

Reply to
jomrs

Same here, my neighbor has a 1985 heat pump that is blasting at 45+db from my driveway but I basically cant do anything about it since it is below the 55db the city instructs. It goes through the walls, the windows, and makes the yard unusable. I have talked to him but he is not willing to do anything about it.

Reply to
jomrs

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