Neighbours buzzing hot tub

[Shibby585]

Next door have decided to get a permanent hot tub installed on their deck a couple of weeks ago and since then I can hear a none stop hum within my house 24/7.

The fence got taken down to put it in, it still hasn't been put back up so I've had no privacy, they've also been using the hot tub during this time with no fence which I've found really awkward when putting washing out.

The low frequency hum drives me mental, I tried to approach next door and got told it wasn't their hot tub making the noise and told they refused to do anything about this. Aibu to expect a resolution to this and not have to sit in my house listening to it humming all day.

Would the local authority do anything? I've read up and believe the deck is acting like a drum and resonating in my house. It's not actually loud outside but in my house it's a constant low drone that is awful. I can no longer sit in my house in peace, I have to turn the TV up to drown it out and take tablets on a night to sleep or try to mask it.

@OfstedOffred - you definitely can hear them through bricks. Ours is situated underneath our bedroom window and we can hear it overnight. We made sure the only people inconvenienced by the noise was us.

It’s very unfair to put a hot tub near a neighbours boundary.

Hire a leaf blower and make the most of not having a fence.

Put down manure for your roses that you're growing right next to their hot tub.

Do any of your friends have a dog that needs to be let out into the garden to poop?

The council won't do anything about noise from children playing so I suggest you make them a drum kit from your kitchen pots and pans, make sure they get lots of practice. (Perhaps they want to learn the violin in the garden too?)

Bad neighbours are always awful and never get better. Can you move?

My neighbours brought one when on furlough in 2020... they moved it into their decking snd the low hum was horrendous! Just a constant noise I couldn't block out! My son couldn't hear it and we ended up swapping bedrooms as it kept me awake. I think it also depends on the person.. I tune into background noise and low frequency or whatever so I'm often really bugged by noise other people don't seem to hear 😞

They have moved now thank goodness!

They probably need to look at their settings. Ours is permanently plugged in but when not in use the lid keeps the heat in and the filter does a thing every 4 hours for a few minutes. It’s really expensive to heat from scratch which is why they are left on so the water isn’t reheating. Sounds like they’ve got the filter on constant. Compared to other electric bills on here, our 4 bed house plus hot tub costs the same as those without a hot tub but it’s very very well insulated (came with the house). It’s positioned out of the way though. Neighbours the other side have one too and even though it’s up against the boundary wall right by the kitchen I can never hear it. Tumble dryer in their garage is annoying overnight though.

@OfstedOffred

I'm sorry OP but while I totally understand your points regarding low frequency vibration being able to permeate into building, I'm just not sure I believe that your neighbours hot tub is clearly audible through the brick walls of your house, over your television, when you are indoors, with doors and windows fully closed.

Why would she make it up? She’s not stupid.

@NeedAHoliday2021 this is what I was trying to gather my assumption was they only kicked in when they were cleaning or heating. I was invited round to "hear how quiet it was" the whole deck was vibrating. I was out in my garden and it was none stop going it sounds like a car engine idling. I didn't think it would be going 24/7 but whatever it is doing its none stop.

God what a nightmare. I can sympathetise OP. My neighbour has news on 24 hours a day and the newsreaders voice makes a blahblahblah noise in my house. I have a fan on all night to block out the noise. He is a nice man though, just lonely, so I haven't got the heart to speak to him about it.

I imagine if your neighbours have spent thousands they are hoping you will just go away. I'd pursue it with the council. Think it's all you can do.

@flapjackfairy can you recommend a white noise machine?

[quote AllKnowingGerbil]@flapjackfairy can you recommend a white noise machine?[/quote]
I use a BT baby monitor (£50) with white noise sounds for traffic noise. Can't sleep without it now. You can pick from different white noises or music.
OP I'm so sorry for you, its not fair and these people sound so selfish. I'd get a white noise machine for your sanity at night and contact the council for advice. These people can drain it and put a mat underneath they just don't want to. Good luck to you.

@Easterisoffeggstooexpensive

Throw some coloured bath bombs in. Or fake ddog poos.

Sod fake dog poo, throw some real dog turds in it!

The constant, droning hum of a hot tub would drive me demented. I don't think they should be allowed in built up areas.

Dont you know any basketball obsessed kids?

The incessant goinkkkkk badoinkkkkk of 4—6 hours of practice daily over the holidays might tip your neighbour over the edge?

@BeenHereForYonkyDoodles thank you for your suggestion, I use my phone and play brown noise. For 9 hours via YouTube. Unfortunately this hum is louder than I can comfortably play it on a night so I have resorted to wearing a headband with Bluetooth headphones with brown noise. Unfortunately I can't do this all day when working as I need to concentrate I'm just praying when the fence goes up the noise stops and it is simply lack of barrier.

We recently let a holiday cottage that had one on a deck, and the vibration from it really bombarded my hearing. It was awful and has completely put me off ever wanting one.

DH couldn't hear it at all..................

Put wind chimes up all along the fence and let them experience irritating noise. I know you’ll have to too but it’s no so bad when it’s your own.
Or, didn’t one of your children need to do violin/ recorder practice when they’re in it!

@AllKnowingGerbil
I have the lectrofan one that is a sort of pentagon shape. It is brilliant .

@LadyCatStark

Don’t worry, they’ll switch it off once they receive their electricity bill!

This in spades!

@edenhills

I can't believe people still have hot tubs that stay on 24/7! So bad for the planet and such a kick in the teeth for those of us struggling with high energy prices and make every tiny saving we can.

Might change their minds when they get their bill!

@Goldbar

I am petty so I'd get a shit load of wind chimes and put them up near the gap in the fence. I'd also mow the lawn every time they were in the hot tub and encourage my DC to gawk.

While the fence is down and when the weather is nice to be in the tub have friends round in the garden, music, chatting etc. maybe a bbq , kids in a splash pool or with noisy toys.. yep I’m that petty. The hot tub is bad enough but the fence being down for so long is ridiculous it would soon go back up if they are inconvenienced

I'm surprised it bothers you that much, but I live by a main road so obviously quite relaxed about noise.

If you've already asked them to sort it and they haven't, I'd say you either need to learn to live with it or move. Bit drastic but I can't see you being able to persuade them to be more neighbourly.

That sounds awful. Sorry you have such horrible neighbours. I don’t have any suggestions other than maybe install a compost heap next to their hot tub?

Totally grossed out by the thought of sitting in water that isn’t changed for 6 months!

Agree entirely that they do make a noise, similar to a fridge running but louder! We have an inflatable (lock down purchase) which the kids love but we run for one odd weeks at a time. Ours is on concrete and a huge rubber mat. Even so I'm super conscious of it and would never react as your neighbours have. I think its important to accept a bit of noise, my neighbours DC kick a ball constantly against the fence and it's a bit annoying (especially given it's my fence and its damaging it) but a 24 hour noise nuisance is something else. I get how tempting it is but I wouldnt get into garden wars. At the moment you absolutely have the moral upper hand and I'd try to hold onto it. There has been loads of good advice about blocking the noise and do that and perhaps once they are less precious of their new shiny thing they will see reason. In the meantime I'd drop a polite note and say that the noise is still persisting, you understand they dont want to drain straight away but could they please, when its next drained look into some matting etc and that you'll let them know if the fence going up improves things.

You could investigate planting in your own garden to soften and divert the noise too. I know you shouldn't have to do all that but neighbour conflict is pretty awful and I'd do all I could to avoid it

@pushpull hopefully the fence is going up in the next few days or week minimum. I'm going to wait for that to move, see if it makes any difference to the noise and message once again. I'm going to explain that the noise is still happening and that 6 months is too long to wait for a resolution.

I'm going to point out in the 6 years I have lived here I have never made a complaint to them once and I've even helped them jump start their car on occasion and other neighbourly bits and bobs, so why after this amount of time would I start being unreasonable. I'm going to hope that works and if not I guess the next step is look to move or decide if a complaint will be followed through or not.

Just wait till they see how much its costing to have it run ing 24/7 and they will see have it turned off and barely use it!

@Daisydo34

Our neighbours have a hot tub along the boundary fence, constant humming they only used it three times last year for half hour but the humming is annoying We bought a three tier water fountain and placed it against our fence, it’s noisy and drowns out the hum, fountain is on all day and it’s a lot noisier than hot tub buzz

This is a good idea

Oh OP I feel for you so much! Personally I hate hot tubs - they’re so naff sat in someone’s back garden. There is some great advice here. You could also try for a free half hour to get some legal advice.