Was my house vibrating, or was it me?

[Rebel1]

After a 16-hour drive from Jacksonville, Florida, to central N.J., I fired up my computer. While sitting at it, I sensed a vibration in the floor of my slab home. Turned off the heating system, but the vibration remained, not only in the computer room but in other rooms and even outside on my front paver bricks. I pressed one ear against a floor, but didn't hear anything out of the ordinary. I continued to sense the vibrations for another two hours until I went to sleep. When I awoke there were none.

My neighbor across the street said she didn't feel anything during the hours I did.

I'm speculating that I had a slight wheel unbalance in my 2011 Camry. During the times I felt a noticeable vibration, I attributed it to bad road surfaces because it wasn't always present, even at the higher 65-75 speeds I did most of the driving. At times, it was hardly present. So even after arriving home and being on a solid maybe my body was reacting to a prolonged exposure to a low-level vibration.

I made at least eight rest stops, and one was at least 45 minutes for a meal.

I arrived home at 11:00 p.m. on a Saturday, so any heavy-duty nearby construction equipment should have been off.

Any other theories as to why the house may have been vibrating, especially for hours?

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Rebel1:

With me, it's been excess caffeine intake. At first I think it's the house vibrating, but then I realize it's the core muscles in my body.

Ran it past the family doc and he said it's a common occurrence.

[Ed Pawlowski]

I suspect it was from the ride and associated vibration. When I spend a day on the water I can often feel the motion of the boat a couple of hours later if I lie down.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, It was you. long drive with noise and vibration, when you are on solid ground you may feel like that for a while. Same with when you come off a cruise ship. I drive a lot around the Rockies, feel worse because altitude changes. If you do lot of long range driving or cruising, you get used to it.

[Shadow]

I have the same trouble with long > 10 hr flights. Not a vibration, more an "elevator going up and down" sensation. Do I suppose a vibrating car could leave a "vibrating" pattern on the nerves of your labyrinth. []'s

[Rebel1]

Any caffeine that enters my body comes from chocolate or green tea. I don't drink coffee or sodas (Pepsi, Coke, etc.). And on that day, I may have had one green tea at breakfast, 16 hours before reaching home, but no chocolate.

[TimR]

This is easy enough to check, but you needed to do it right away.

Fill a glass of water and set it on the slab.

If it's vibrating you'll see ripples, little concentric circles.

If you don't see any, it's you.

[Rebel1]

Thanks to all of you for convincing me that my house was steady. I was the problem.

R1

[Robert Green]

In the Middle Ages they used bowls of water like that located deep inside castles to detect soldiers trying to dig their way under the castle walls. Women would be assigned to watch the bowls while they weaved cloth. Good suggestion!

Vibrations carry a long, long way through the ground - remember the Indians putting their ears to the rails to determine when an "Iron Horse" was approaching?

Last year a moth flew into my coffee cup and its flapping wings generated perfect concentric circles emanating outward from where it was stuck so the "water sensor" is remarkably sensitive in detecting motion. As long as there's someone watching it, that is!

[DerbyDad03]

Or use this iPad/Android app...

[gregz]

Years ago, I would get apparent air pressure vibration. It was about 8 hz, near Schumann earth resonance. It would occur during the day. Lasted only

15-20 seconds. My doors would shake. Seemed like when it happened it was late afternoon. My neighbor never noticed it. I figured it was some kind of heavy factory equipment down over the hill. I always looked for a helicopter, but none around.

Greg

[hrhofmann]

One time I had the same funny feeling that the house was vibrating. It sto pped quickly. The next day there was a story n the newspaper about a mild earthquake that happened at the time I was feeling the vibrations. I guess I was a seismometer or something.

[Stormin Mormon]

house was vibrating. It stopped quickly. The next day there was a story n the newspaper about a mild earthquake that happened at the time I was feeling the vibrations. I guess I was a seismometer or something.

I did that one time, felt like the washing machine was in spin cycle, but it wasn't turned on.

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Rebel1:

Then my money is on the observations of Ed Pawlowski and Shadow.

Long, long ago and far, far away after a day of surfing I'd lay down to catch a little sleep before work and I would feel the motion of the waves as I lay there with eyes closed.

[The Daring Dufas]

If you see big rhythmic ripples in the surface of the water, it could indicate that a dinosaur is headed your way. ^_^

TDD

[The Daring Dufas]

Doesn't something like that happen to sailors? I seem to recall something about the old time sailors spending a lot of time at sea on a long voyage in the small ships having a problem when they came home to dry land. Sea legs? The sailor becomes accustom to the motion of the ship and perceives motion on land. ^_^

TDD

[The Daring Dufas]

For some reason, I started hearing Carole King singing. ^_^

TDD

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per The Daring Dufas:

Now that you have mentioned it, I remember something like that after a few hours on skates at a roller rink. Take the skates off, and there's an adjustment period before you get your legs working right.

[Rebel1]

Actually I looked at the water in the toilet. It was calm.

[Stormin Mormon]

Good use of resources. I'd not have thought of that.

New def'n of "standing water".