Another neighbours and hot tub one

[nooverheadlighting]

I would love anyone's input here. AIBU to be really upset over my neighbour's new inflatable hot tub? For context, we are a family of four in a family neighbourhood. We do make some noise but just the usual family stuff. Sometimes music practice, singing etc can be heard from the garden but we mostly shut windows etc. Our children play in the garden too, but never late and not excessively.
Basically, we're really sensitive to our neighbour's noise dislikes as they live alone and have said they don't like the sound of children.
However, they have recently acquired a hot tub and it is driving me insane. We don't have big gardens. Ours is around 7m across and theirs 3.5m across. This means the tub cannot be positioned more than 0.5m from our boundary fence. It's on all the time, 24/7 with a hum that's impossible to tune out. We can also hear it from bathroom, kitchen and two back bedrooms if the windows are open.
We told neighbour this and at first they were fairly amenable, building a soundproof box to encase the pump. But it's barely made any difference and we're bathed in the sound as soon as we step outside. Neighbour has said it's just like a fridge and that we should get used to it as they've had to get used to our children. Literally, as in you have laughing, babbling, crying children, I have a hot tub, c'est la vie. Which has made me feel really sad because comparing children to a hot tub is just mean?!
Plus, our children are not outside all the time.. older one no more than an hour or so during the week, little one maybe more but always supervised and rushed indoors as soon as they make a grumpy sound (but apparently even joyful sounds have to be 'tolerated').
We haven't asked for the tub to be removed, just to be able to aid in building an improved sound dampener, with an expert if necessary. We are being friendly but honest in sharing how we feel because it's literally ruining our outside space. It's much louder than a fridge.. more like a substation. Our youngest says 'zzzzzz', making the sound of it when we go outdoors.
We don't want to fall out with neighbour any more than this and moving from this otherwise lovely neighbourhood seems rash and expensive.
What would you do??

Suck it up. They'll get bored eventually, or panic when they get their first electricity bill. Either way, I don't see this as a permanent problem

I honestly don't know what I would do in this situation. It would stop me from using my garden, for sure. Both me and DD are Autistic, so that constant hum would send us over the edge.

I'd play music outside all the time. Or talk radio. Or both. All. The. Time.
And if they complained I'd just shrug and say it's the only way I can cope with your hot tub noise.
Sympathy OP.

You can’t change it so the quicker you accept it the better really. You will stop noticing it soon - it’s only obvious because it’s new and now you’re stressed about it so all feels exaggerated.

They are correct though , the noise of their hot tub is annoying to you , your kids are annoying to them , it’s life when you live close to people .

Honestly? My neighbours have one of the lazy spa type ones right behind the fence alongside our garden and i barely notice the noise, unless they are in it with the jets on.

Is it really so loud? I wonder if their pump is a bit defective.

You're annoying them with your noise and now they're annoying you back, unless you live in the middle of nowhere then there's nothing you can really do

YABU, as long as they abide by the local council noise rules.

You could look into more sound proofing for your home.

What you’re saying is that they are basically running a white good machine and you can hear when in use.

They also aren’t comparing your children to a hot tub 🙄they are advising you that your children also also loud.

Get a trampoline for you all to use and have noisy fun on..
Neighbours will get used to it. 😉

I would be crying! I can't deal with background noise like that. Unfortunately I don't think there's anything you can do. Get some ear plugs? I would be hoping they get bored of it or a huge bill, like pp said.

I hate hot tubs, but as a family with just your “usual” noise you’ll still be making more noise that them. So suck it up. You can’t hold neighbours to standards that you don’t maintain yourself

They aren't that loud I own one. All be it I have housed it in an insulated shed so you can't hear it at all unless we are in it and even then I keep the doors closed as I was conscious of it being annoying for others. Not a single person has complained in the years I've owned one. You sound over sensitive. let your kids make noise and let next door make their own noise. Everyone should be able to live and tolerate each others noise. It doesn't seem to me they are being overly loud. If you don't want someone else's noise maybe go live in the middle of no where.

So neighbours have to put up with your sounds but you don’t have to put up with theirs? Yeah, you’re being a dick

Thank you for all these responses so far. I totally understand that we can make noise and chat outside etc and that could annoy others. I just personally struggle to compare the sound of people, which I think of us as being evolved to tolerate, to a nonstop electrical drone. I honestly enjoy the sound of other people getting on and living their lives in normal social hours but this feels invasive in a whole other way.
Also, our own discernible noise is probably 2-3 hours max in a 24 hour period and obvious far less on poor weather days.

I agree, and you sound as though you've acted with due diligence. If this were in a shed and not under a meter through a fence from our garden table I would be far more relaxed.

You would really hate me op I've got four kids and a hot tub 🤣. Seriously though you probably do make more noise than you think it cant be helped kids make noise in the garden because they are having fun your neighbour is also entitled to have fun so I think you just have to suck it up.

Also it shouldn't be that loud ours only gets noisy if the filter needs changing and if you buy cheap ones they will wear out quicker so just ask them to keep an eye on it and change the filter as soon as it starts to get loud.

Plant some swishy bamboo along your border and maybe get a solar water feature to distract from the noise.
it doesn’t sound like they are being unreasonable tbh.

Which has made me feel really sad because comparing children to a hot tub is just mean

It's really not. It's probably a fair comparison. Your music practise, singing & children playing, while lovely for you has probably been driving them nuts

I would contact the council noise team. It may be that your ears are more sensitive to that tone but you can at least get an unbiased opinion. Noise in cities in a thing but constant noise is not on.

But that is how you feel . Personally I’d rather have a droning hot tub than my neighbours son and his basketball hoop

I would stop worrying about your own noise so much and rushing your kids in from now on.
It sounds really annoying.

Unfortunately you can’t tell them what they can and can’t do in their own garden, just as they can’t do the same to you.

Plus, our children are not outside all the time.. older one no more than an hour or so during the week, little one maybe more but always supervised and rushed indoors as soon as they make a grumpy sound

This is ridiculous. Your children shouldn't be screaming and yelling, onviy, but a grumpy sound and you drag them inside? Your kids need to be outside more and stop worrying about your fucking neighbours. They certainly aren't worried about bothering you. Move the table and put up a very tall lattice with some bushes to dampen the noise and block the idiots off.

I know nothing about hot tubs - do they really have to be on all the time?
24/7 seems a bit extreme.