To think it's anti-social to run the washing machine at 4am...

[LakieLady]

... when you live in a semi-detached house and the water tanks are on the party wall?

I appreciate that my NDNs are doing this to save a bit of money on their electric bills (they're retired, so don't need to get it done before going to work), but I'm frankly sick of being woken at 4am (sometimes 2am) by the sound of gushing water a couple of feet from my head, that goes on for 2 whole HOURS. By the time it's finally stopped, it's 6am and followed by cars starting up as the people who have long commutes are leaving for work. My sleep is done for.

And I have no idea why a household of just 2 people need to do their washing 4 times a week, either.

I can't move my bed as there's only one wall that has an uninterrupted run long enough to accommodate a double bed and a bedside table. I'd move into the back room, but it's even louder in there.

I'm going half mad from lack of sleep. I'm going to have to start going to bed at 8pm, aren't I?

I think you need better ear plugs. Using a washing machine even in the night would not be considered noise pollution. If this is water system they have it sounds like you had your system changed when you moved in but maybe they can't afford to get theirs changed. Also I think electric companies are charging less for using electricity at off peak times which overnight would be then they have every right to try to save money on electricity. You say their washing machine is in their garage on other side of house. They are not deliberately annoying you. I think you have to suck it up as part of having a neighbours house attached to your wall. You could move your bed away from wall or sleep in other room.

Storage heaters sounded like Economy 7, so it will be cheaper to run at night.

And my washing machine is a 1 hour 45 min cycle.

Washing machines are almost all cold fill, with the water drawn from the mains. So it's highly unlikely that the noise you hear is down to them doing laundry at night.

Just tell them and ask them nicely if they could do it some other time.

Washing machines are almost all cold fill, with the water drawn from the mains.

Our previous washing machine was hot and cold fill. I have also lived in houses where only the kitchen cold tap was fed directly from the mains, everything else came from the cold water tank in the loft.

I'm amazed anyone can hear their neighbour's washing machine, unless they live in a very poorly converted flat.

I'm amazed anyone can hear their neighbour's washing machine, unless they live in a very poorly converted flat.

Surely, it’s not that surprising. Particularly at 4 in the morning. They can be very noisy, especially when coming in to land.

I can hear my neighbours. Ex 70s council semi.

They're entitled to take advantage of Economy 7 to do their washing. YABVU

If it is connected to their use of a washing machine, I suspect they've got a really old one that has hot and cold water inputs and it's the hot water being brought in maybe?

If it is, hopefully it will break soon enough and they'll have to replace it with one that only draws cold water from the mains!

If it is, as PPs have suggested, the hot water tank heating up instead, then it is a tough one. My DPs are on Economy 7 and the price difference between day and night is extraordinary.

They use their machine at night, plus the dishwasher too. They don't use their storage heaters much, instead relying on an open fire to warm the house, and their meter still shows £7 already when they get up in the morning.

It's funny everyone is telling you to knock and speak with them. When I posted this exact issue previously and mentioned that I had knocked and spoken with my neighbours, I had my arse handed to me for "telling them what to do" 😂 got to love mumsnet.

Yanbu OP and you have my sympathy. If you can hear it then so can they, they know that they are being antisocial but care more about saving themselves money than anyone else. They only thing that has helped me deal with the same situation is sleeping with white noise on loudly to drown out the selfish neighbours appliances.

Silicone ear plugs are best, if you don't get anywhere with neighbours

It wasn't if you had one of those Hotpoint washing machines or a tumble dryer that was recalled.

I didn't see your thread.

Were you complaining about them running it after 11pm to about 7am? If it was outside those hours in my area you would be considered unreasonable.

No, it's not a daily thing. I may well have got used to it if it was. I got used to the milkman who comes at 3am every day bar Sundays and now sleep through it. I only hear him when I'm already awake because of the pouring water noise!

I'd say it's around 3-4 times a week. But I'll monitor it now, and see if washing appears on their line on the days it wakes me up, like it did today.

I think I remember that thread when the op lived in a flat? That wasn't me.

My neighbour decided they wanted to start taking advantage of the economy savings by doing their laundry through the night. It's still happening. I'm hoping to move soon as they don't care about others and I'm demented with it.

The bed won't fit on any of the other walls (alcoves on 2 of them and window/radiator on the 3rd), or I'd have done that weeks ago. And noise in the back bedroom is even worse, I tried to sleep in the spare room a couple of nights ago.

I don't believe for a minute that they're deliberately doing it to annoy, so apologies if I've given that impression.

This is why I didn't use my machine at night. The sound of it discharging the water from the drum down the drain is what causes the noise and it would be so irritating to my neighbours. Even when I run the bathroom tap (same drain) late at night I'm aware of how loud it is as the water drains outside. I think this is what you are hearing and yes a two hour cycle is about normal for my machine and I guess many are similar?

You need to speak to them and ask them to push it later in the morning. Sympathise with the need to run it at off peak times but ask if they could move it slightly later nearer to 6 or 7 am.

I do my washes to finish when I wake in the mornings, so I can get it on the line or dryer. Also it is cheaper.

An additional possibility is that their washing machine is broken and they’ve been washing their clothes in their bathtub. If you’re filling the tub, washing, draining and refilling to rinse then doing this a few times for whites vs darks, that would account for the constant water tank noises you are hearing.

I think I would mention it as a new noise just to ensure their plumbing is ok. And to fish for what they’re doing that is causing this and whether any schedule change is possible.

Your party wall sounds a nightmare…it might be worth while seeing if the NDNs would split the cost of putting sound blocking insulation in the party wall. If you can hear them just doing daily living, they can probably hear you too.

That's exactly what this house was like when I bought it @Oakbeam . The plumber who put my central heating etc in was quite surprised that it hadn't been modernised then, and that was 1993.

If it is, as PPs have suggested, the hot water tank heating up instead, then it is a tough one. My DPs are on Economy 7 and the price difference between day and night is extraordinary.

I really don't think it's water heating up, it's a real gushing noise, and I grew up in a flat with an immersion heater more than 50 years ago. It didn't make a noise anything like this noise! And I think they'd heat water more than 3 or 4 times a week.

I live in a block of flat on the fourth floor I would never use my machine after 9 in the evening so as not to disturb downstairs neighbours

If it is to do with the washing machine, I'd gladly give them the money to cover the difference in the off-peak and peak time cost and not have to try and work when I'm totally frazzled because of lack of sleep!

When I next see Mrs NDN, I'll mention it and see what she says. She is a reasonable person, but he is a nasty piece of work. I get that everyone is trying to save money, but to do it at the expense of your neighbours' sleep is inconsiderate imo. I daresay they don't realise, so I'll raise it and see if anything changes.

And your sympathy is much appreciated @Foreverinbluedreams . I feel like I've got jet lag this morning, I'm so tired. If I'd known they were going to do washing (if that's what it is) last night, I'd have gone to bed earlier. Four hours sleep a night for 2 consecutive nights has really done me in, I've got some very complex work I need to do and I'm just not up to it today.