Substation humming

[humminginmyhead]

Has anyone lived very near an electrical substation/transformer and had issues hearing a humming noise in their heads that's not tinnitus? Or has anyone ever had this and found out what's causing it?!

Feel like I'm going a little bit crazy but it's driving me up the wall now.

Moved to a house last year with a substation in the side garden, about 15 meters from the closest corner of the house. We can hear it's usual humming/working noise when you're about 1-2m away from it but I can almost constantly hear a humming noise in the house even at the furthest point from it that sounds like a fridge running in my head (really can't think of a better way of describing it). The noise I can hear is a completely different pitch to the audible noise from substation so I have no idea if it is related but I can only hear the noise in our house so it can't be tinnitus, my other half can't hear it and our children are too young to ask.

Please can someone suggest something to look into before I go completely mad?!

I was just thinking could your hum be your boiler too op???

I’ve got tinnitus. I hear lots of different noises. That’s the nature of tinnitus.

At night when all is quiet I often get awoken by what sounds like a lorry outside with its engine or refrigeration unit running. I never hear or notice it during the day.

I reckon your local sub station could be, a red herring!

That's just some of the people.

I hear a low frequency hum too! turn the main electric box off inside your house and if the him stops it’s electrical from inside your home, failing that try changing batteries in everything that has batteries from smoke alarms to remotes and clocks, also when the power is off go outside and listen to see if you can hear a hum from your main gas and electric boxes, if none of that helps and you still here the hum then unfortunately it’s an outside source which will be a nightmare to pinpoint

my noise is outside interference and I can’t pinpoint it and it’s been going on years, sometimes it’s really loud but mostly I can avoid it

I recognise what you're describing. I have similar experience of very audible hum on occasion within the house, but none outside / in the vicinity of substation / high voltage charging points for vehicles. The pitch changes - one is a constant hum, another type sounds like it oscillates between high and low pitch. Turning off all plugs and mains switch did not make a difference. It feels like the house is amplifying an inaudible noise. No solution thus far, but will check back to see if anyone has solved their issues! It is annoying as I can't seem to identify a pattern or definite source.

I had similar, it was an extractor fan at a large bakery about 300 yards away!

Unfortunately still no answers here but I haven't actually done much about investigating it either. Not long after I posted the thread it seemed to stop/lessen significantly so I had sort of hoped it was either temporary tinnitus or whatever was causing it had stopped but funnily enough it's back with a vengeance at the moment so really do need to try and get to the bottom of it.

I did wonder about our boiler but we've not longer had it replaced and I hear it even when the boiler definitely isn't running. The bat detector is inspired, never heard of them before so will definitely look into that.

Thank you all for the suggestions, I will look into them and report back.

Hi humminginmyhead, I was so glad to find this today as was just googling "what can you do about substation noise". I live 3 houses away from local substation and have had problem with noise for over 10 years. I contacted Northern Powergrid in 2012 and they sent a man who conducted a sound survey in the house. I was very happy at the time to find that there was an actual noise and it wasn't in my head (husband and family can't hear it!!). Powergrid paid to have noise buffers put up around sub station which has worked for a number of years. Unfortunately, the noise is back continuously this time and I'm back to square one. I am waiting for yet another sound survey to be done (last one was just before xmas) as they found some sort of anomaly and have to redo it. I've sometimes wanted to bang my head off the wall as the constant humming noise is horrendous. It really doesn't help when no-one else can hear it! Ring your electricity supplier and tell them you want to make a noise complaint. Persevere as it's not just in your head. Good luck.

So same issue. Just bought a house and it’s the loudest in the master bedroom go figure… Currently ordered some new windows last week. Hopefully that will help. If not, I was going to see if there is some sort of insulation that I can add to better aid this issue.
Lastly, a friend of mine works for the power company (DTE) so he will be coming by here soon to hopefully give me some kind of answers. I’ll keep you posted.

We have a sub-station at the end of our back garden (about 30 ft from the house).

It hums like my trainers sometimes. I was stood at the back door having a fresh air break yesterday and could clearly hear it.

Not all the time, but sometimes I can hear a hum in the house. I've not asked anyone else if they can hear it, as they think I'm bonkers anyway, but I know what I can hear.

That would be funny if the noise wasn't so annoying.

@humminginmyhead I have one of those green boxes across the road (not a fenced off substation).

I sleep with my windows open year round, the humming doesn't start up until summer, I haven't reported it because I assumed they'd look at me like 🤪

I always thought that even if they can hear it, there wouldn't be anything they can do, but maybe I will report it when it starts this year as maybe they can insulate it. If not, they'll know where ther crazy lady lives!

I know where it's coming from because I can hear/feel it.

id like to report something else too! But not sure who to report ut to?! The birds need telling that 3AM is NOT morning , no matter how lovely their chorus. 🥱🥱🥱

If you complain about the noise, do you have to declare it if you ever decide to sell your house? Like when you have to declare neighbour disputes?

I wouldn't bother declaring that.

Mind you, who declares neighbour disputes in reality.

Hi guys. Did any of you get to the bottom of this hum? Just like described I live in a house near a substation. I have lived here for years with no issues and then suddenly around August 2021 and then after a period of of no noise again in late 2022, I started hearing this noise in the house only. I have had all the same checks, utilities even medical. Still not got to the source, although I have some ideas and I am currently battling with National grid to get it resolved. It's driving me nuts, so much so I might have to move out my home that I love. Not many people can hear it, only a hand full suggesting those with particular good hearing can hear it, like drs say I have. Any help is appreciated, the main thing I noticed is western power swapped to National grid around the same time, so may have been a change in the way electrical transmission is managed. But otherwise struggling. Thanks in advance.

Hi I'm going through the same thing my home is humming none stop same noise like a truck on stand or there is always something on I live next to a substation and they are aware of this for years they are horrible to deal with but you should go further about it keep reporting it I can't even sleep my whole life for months of not years is ruined because of the esb

Hi I live next to a substation and it's gone so bad in the last few months I can't sleep I hate my home over it and it's ruined my life ,the esb are fully aware and still do nothing they can sound Profe it but yes it's a nightmare none stop humming in my home like its on electricity stilts , I had plumbers electricians out and it's not my home it's driven me to destruction

Sorry I meant to come back and update this a while ago. So we eventually spoke to someone who knew what to do at western power/national grid and they sent out an engineer who did an overnight sound test and sent us a very complicated report with all the different frequencies being detected. They are saying there is a noise but it's not the frequency being generated by the substation and have suggested we speak to the water board about nearby possible pumps. We haven't done that as yet so the mystery continues. Still driving me bonkers but life is busy to distract.

Hi Both thanks for updating. I had the same situation, during the summer it went away and then the cold temperatures started and the noise has got really bad again. We are in South Wales and had national grid do the overnight testing and they said the same thing. Two sets of tests and the noise is present, but is not them. They told me to go to Welsh water as well. Have been in touch with numerous businesses and authorities, council,gas,water, a quarry and they all say the same thing, not them, but they would bet on it being the substation. Currently got the Vale of Glamorgan council looking at it again. It was described to me as being the equivalent of 'torture' the noise is adversely affecting my sleep and that's what states do to get info out of people, at some stages the low frequency makes me queasy sick. Apparently from what I have read this is a bigger problem for national grid, as people are having the issue across Wales and the west. I will keep you updated in case my side provides any info that will help you guys. It's weird how it just started. Years without an issue then it just kicked in.

Are there any ground source heat pumps near you?

No ground source as far as I can think of, we're in a reasonably established & built up area, mostly 1930's houses apart from a couple of newer houses that have been built on old bungalow plots so would be difficult to imagine anyone retro fitting one.

We're in Cardiff so not a million miles from the vale. I must phone Dwr Cymru soon and see what they say but like I said, it doesn't always make it to the top of the to do list.

Same here, no ground source heating nearby, have checked. The area I live in is quite open, next to fields and no major sources of industry etc as well.
I have just contacted the council again as with the cold weather it's got louder again.

Not substations, but I have personal experience of the sound difference between in and outside of a house. I'm in Melbourne, the home of timber houses and sometimes I can hear music from inside the house, i.e coming from outside, go outside and can still hear it but very faintly, from another timber house. They seem to act as amplifiers.

As an aside, when I lived in London I could hear a high-pitched whining/humming from the electric railway line at the bottom of the garden. No-one else could or thought it minimal. I badgered Southern Rail who came along, listened, twiddled some knobs and it went away. Vindicated!!!

Did you solve your hum mystery?

I've been hearing similar since April 2020 and it drives me crazy some nights. Turned off all the power to the house and could still hear it. I know it's not tinnitus as I don't experience the same when I'm staying away, but do notice that it's at it's worst when it's a sunny and windy day.
Although we turn off everything at night now, bar the fridge-freezer, I can still hear this hum. My fridge/freezer was also overworking on these types of day, as were the street lamps outside, so I bought a voltage meter to monitor. Discovered that the voltage was higher on nights following a sunny/windy day. Perhaps this is linked to the higher inputs to the grid from solar panels and windfarms. At one point, the voltage was over the max uk tolerance of 253 volts so I contacted the eclectric board and they investigated, confirmed and rectified the issue. They reduced the voltage slightly. The hum reduced as did the overworking of the fridge. My fridge upper tolerance is 240 volts.
The hum has been on and off since then. Just noticed the night time hum worse again this past week (mid-April) and noticed the voltage is also higher again too so I'll be getting back in touch with the electricity board.
Wonder if we are now producing too much electricity than required up here in Scotland. Probably paying for it, not only with our health, but from our pockets too! As I mentioned, the street lights were overworking at night following a sunny/windy day. The light was actually so bright at 3am, that the birds were chirping as if it was dawn. This surely can't be good for them either!
Thinking that we really need better electricity storage systems to help manage the fluctuating inputs from wind and solar power. The sooner these are storage systems are installed, the better! Maybe then, we can stop hearing the hum.

There's a sub station that I sometimes walk past and I always think to myself how loud the hum is

The nearest house is the other side of the road. I wonder if they can hear it?

I have a noise like OP’s in my house, fairly continuous and sometimes it’s stops (relief!). I felt like I was going mad, not tinnitus as I don’t hear it anywhere else. I’ve tried everything, turning off the electric etc but the noise, rather like a fridge motor, continues. I thought perhaps it was the neighbours but they say they can’t hear it (both sets are elderly with hearing issues in fairness).
Worst part is DD can’t hear it at all 🙄
I have researched like mad too, we are fairly close to a substation, masses of cables from a junction box next door and suchlike. Was told it could be a malfunctioning extraction fan and many more…
My solution ? I get Alexa to play ‘brown noise’ when I need a break from it in my bedroom which works. Not ideal, but a relief and I keep hoping it bloody stops one day.