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Restaurant extractor fan audible from garden

7 replies

lapaillade · 15/06/2021 17:20

Hi there,

My partner and I have recently moved into a lovely house on a quiet residential road in SW London.

We love it here, apart from the fact there's a local takeaway shop three doors down whose extractor fan we can hear in our garden from mid-afternoon to 11pm every day apart from Sundays.

It's not oppressively loud (as in, it's not like we have to shout over it or anything), but it's a high-pitched industrial sound that's always there, and to be honest it's quite annoying when we want to sit and relax in the garden. I took a reading which came out at about 45dB, but not sure how accurate that is, and the fact that it is a constant/whiny sound makes it quite irritating compared to, say, a car going past.

The sound is the loudest in the garden, but can also be heard from the kitchen when the Velux windows/bi-folds are open, and from the two bedrooms at the back of the house (mitigated somewhat by closing the windows but not entirely). I know nothing about extractor fans, but presumably they shouldn't be so audible three doors down?

I don't want to cause issues unduly, so intend on first talking to the owners, as they may be unaware and willing to resolve the issue.

Failing that, is anyone able to give advice as to whether I this is likely to be considered "excessive" noise, and whether I am likely to have a case if I go to the council?

Many thanks,

Lapaillade

OP posts:
HmmmmmmInteresting · 15/06/2021 17:31

I don't know about industrial extractor fans but when I moved into this house the bathroom extractor fan was really noisy. We replaced it and it's nice and quiet now. I'm guessing the takeaway's fan needs replacing/servicing so hopefully easily solved.

HmmmmmmInteresting · 15/06/2021 17:33

I found this thread,OP
www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/threads/extractor-fan-noise-complaint.364268/

Nightmanagerfan · 15/06/2021 17:40

I presume the takeaway was there before you bought the house? Did you notice any noise on viewings etc? Sounds quite annoying

lapaillade · 15/06/2021 17:50

Thanks both. We viewed the property initially in the morning, so the fan wasn't on. We did go back again one evening to take measurements etc but as the weather was terrible we didn't spend any time in the garden!

OP posts:
SappysCurry · 15/06/2021 17:59

@lapaillade
this happened to us a few years back, a really exclusive care home was built on a plot opposite the block we lived in and they used to do the laundry at night starting about 11pm and continuing until the small hours the extractor fans from the drying room we’re making an unbearable hum, one of those noises that once you hear once heard can’t unhear it, it used to keep a few residents awake during the summer when you needed windows open.we complained to the council and they contacted the care home and said they had to limit activities to a certain time, I can’t remember now, but anyway that was totally ignored so they advised keep a log of the times an send it to them, I think it was a month we had to monitor it, and then a lady from the council asked if she could visit at 6am to hear for herself. Which she did and the care home was ordered to improve the exhausts and soundproof them which they did at massive expense I understand but the problem was solved and the council were excellent about it.

ThreeLeggedCat · 15/06/2021 20:56

Yes that definitely sounds like it could be a Statutory Nuisance. Contact Environmental Health at the Council.

lapaillade · 16/06/2021 09:28

Thanks all for the responses.

Of course, I appreciate that an restaurant will need an extractor to comply with health & safety regulations, but I don't think they should be this loud!

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