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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU about the fishpond pump down the road?

42 replies

Stratter5 · 29/06/2014 15:02

MrBodgit down the road has a koi sort of fishpond in his front garden, it's pretty big, about 6x3', and he has installed a fiddled with pump. Basically it's like a waterfall coming out of a white plumbing pipe, and it is LOUD. So loud that I can hear it all night, and have to put on a sleep app to drown the noise out. It's not a continuous noise, it stop starts, and I either have to shut the window (which I don't want to do with a bedroom full of dogs and me, plus its bloody hot in my bedroom), or have the sleep app on full blast. I can still hear it above the sleep app, but it makes it less intrusive.

WIBU to contact the noise nuisance department at the local council?

OP posts:

Kakaka · 30/06/2014 09:09

You can get an ap for a smartphone that will measure the decibel level. But I'd call the council too. I bet your neighbours do too.

limitedperiodonly · 30/06/2014 10:49

Get a pet heron.

LongTimeLurking · 30/06/2014 10:58

Of course YANBU to complain about the noise. It should be possible for him to install a quieter pump that still keeps the water circulating and clean.

However the jokes about putting salt / washing powder in the pond are not even remotely funny. Some Koi can be extremely expensive (1000s) and live for years. Many people treat them like you would treat a pet dog or cat - name them, talk to them, hand feed them, etc. They also require very clean water (hence the pump) and tossing them in the local canal would lead to death.

No one would dream of 'joking' about running over next doors dog or cat.

VanGogh · 30/06/2014 11:11

I regularly joke about running over my DM's NDN's cats who terrorised her gpigs to the point where she had to rehome them they also use her gardens as their private litter tray.

I would never harm one of them. although take great pleasure in scaring them out the garden whenever I can

Therefore. Kindly remove that stick from your arse.

OP. Pet Herron, hawk or an albatross

QuintessentiallyQS · 30/06/2014 11:15

Maybe the pond and the pump has been installed to block out the noise of your dogs?

Seriously, it does not sound right. We have a pond with koi, and a pump and waterfall, and you cant hear the pump at all. We can hear the tinkle of the waterfall in our bedroom, vaguely, and I like the sound. It is calming.

Original poster

Stratter5 · 30/06/2014 11:44

I think I've made it perfectly clear that I would never harm them. We have fish, I have a pufferfish who is more like an aquatic puppy. It was a JOKE.

Ringing the council. It's more like a constantly flushing loo than a pump.

OP posts:

BomberManIsAGirl · 30/06/2014 17:32

I would hate to listen to the tinkle of a waterfall/water feature or pump in my bedroom. It would really, really irritate me. ?

Original poster

Stratter5 · 30/06/2014 17:36

It's not a tinkle, more the sound of water going down the out pipe when you let a bath out or flush the loo. It gushes, loudly.

And it makes me want to wee all the time.

OP posts:

Kerryp · 30/06/2014 17:37

This is pretty silly, it's not loud booming music and I sympathise that it's perhaps a little annoying but is it really fair for your neighbour to spend a fortune on this feature and then not be allowed to use it? Money down the drain. Can't you just put up with it?

TillyTellTale · 30/06/2014 17:42

Complain, complain, complain!

Kerryp Sounds to me like the problem is he didn't spend enough money. If he'd done it properly, maybe it wouldn't make such a racket.

Kerryp · 30/06/2014 17:49

True Tilly, still I think this is so silly he can't have what he wants in his own garden so long as it's not illegal or hurting anyone.

DeWee · 30/06/2014 18:09

Well, it's annoying Stratters5, so I think you can debate about it hurting others.

However, if he's only just got it, I'd suspect in another month or so you won't notice. I grew up near a miliary air base, and the sound of half a dozen fighter jets taking up doesn't even disturb my sleep, I got so used to that level of noise. Other noises that I'm not used to can wake me up very easily.

Kerryp · 30/06/2014 18:14

That's true DeWee, if you don't get used to it and it is really terrible I would call but if it's not that bad I would say live and let live.

digerd · 30/06/2014 18:16

I could hear the sound of my small pump at night in my pond with the bedroom windows open - ground floor bungalow.
I put it on a timer to go off at night and have trickle vents in my windows. Can't open my windows as all the night biting insects would fly in and they love me but I am allergic to them!!!

TillyTellTale · 30/06/2014 18:39

Well, noise nuisance isn't exactly legal or harmless.

Stratter5 isn't complaining about a tasteless collection of lawn ornaments. Sounds more analogous to a bloke with a very expensive, loud stereo. And I don't care how much money someone spends on that, it shouldn't be audible on my property between 11pm and 7am!

aquashiv · 30/06/2014 19:27

we have a reasonable sized pump but it makes no noise at all. I do find the least thing tends to block it up. How loud can this be?

Original poster

Stratter5 · 30/06/2014 20:19

How can I record it on an iPhone and post it on here? Seriously, it's not an expensive bit of equipment, the guy is a shoddy plumber and has bitched it together with a bit of white pipe. The pipe's about 3.5" in diameter, and the water comes out full blast. I can see it if I walk past.

OP posts:

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