Neighbours heatpump

[user1471503652]

Had a letter through the door from planning about our adjoined neighbour (semi detached) installing a heatpump and seeking planning permission due to it being less than the 1m distance from the boundary.

He did knock and mentioned this would be coming through recently so it's not a surprise, I thought it was because it would be a few cm off the 1m from our wall.

However looking at the plans he's asking for it to be installed 35-40cm from our extension wall (we have a single rear extension and they do not)

Does anyone have any experience of heatpumps noise or vibration etc coming from a neighbours heatpump? Just trying to ascertain whether I should be concerned or not.

My friend has one, it’s really very quite with no vibration.

I have one. It sounds like running a fridge really (and it works a bit like one too, in reverse)

Our neighbours have one. They were told it sounds like a fridge. When installed we all agreed that’s a very loud fridge!! It’s noisy and annoys them more than us, to the pint they can’t open bedroom windows above it when it’s running.

I really, really wouldn't like that. They sound like a fridge but can be irritating and have a hum. Is there somewhere else they can put it?

Is it near any of your windows?

Have you a plan?

They operate at about 40-60 decibels which is similar to a dishwasher or microwave going. Place your microwave where the heat pump will go, turn on and see what you both reckon?

I couldn't stand the constant hum. It would definitely keep me awake.

Why can’t they install it further away from the boundary? I wouldn’t want to take the risk that the noise and vibration are intrusive.

if it’s constant you probably won’t hear it after a while - it’ll just be background noise that your brain will filter out. If the noise stops and starts, it might get very annoying.

I live in a very quiet village and when it's cold my neighbour's HP (which directly faces my house) sounds like a lorry idling on the drive. I find it really intrusive, especially at night.

I wouldn't like that. I like as much silence as possible. Especially when sat in the garden.

We live in a semi-detached house and have had a heat pump for the past 11 years. There is no vibration and it is practically inaudible even when stood right beside it.

Our neighbour asked me when I was going to turn mine on- she hadn’t realised it’s been running a month already! Ours is 52 decibels at full power in the middle of winter - it’s barely a whisper at any other time.

Ours is very quiet, so I wouldn't be concerned about the noise. But their heatpump won't be working very well if the air only has 40cm to circulate.....

I’d be worried about feeling it rather than hearing but I’m very sensitive to “hum”. I can feel next doors sound bar but I can’t hear it. Currently staying in a holiday cottage and I can feel either the hot water, or central heating or something. Just in the bedroom, I can’t hear it but the sensation gives me a headache and makes me feel nauseous.

Why do they want to put it there?

the neighbours one drives me mad. I feel my whole bidy relax when it goes off. Unfortunately you don't know how long you've got until it comes on again

it's just this constant bloody hum/vibration.

I'd be objecting. I'd demolish this one if I could.

id double down on the objection if they could put it elsewhere but weren't due to it spoiling the look of their garden it disturbing them.

they're useless bloody things too. I'm hoping beyond hope they come up with something better before we can no longer use radiators. (Or I'll no longer be here to care!!)

Over the year I've had houses with gas to blown air heating, oil to radiators heating and now ASHP to wet under floor, and the quietest of all of them is .....our ASHP. The nosiest was blown air. Next, an oil fired boiler is quite noisy when running, and I could always hear the circulation pump running in the radiators. My WFH office is the other side of the wall to our ASHP, and I simply can't hear it, ever. In winter sometimes I notice the UFH pump running, never the ASHP. We live in an isolated rural location, there is no noise here, I'd notice if there was..

We've got one and I only hear it occasionally when I'm outside right next to it. It doesn't make a constant noise,just faint humming now and again. Dd2's bedroom window is directly over it and shd can't hear it either. I'm very sensitive to noise and live in a very quiet place,so no background noise to drown it out,but I still can't hear it,even at night.
Ours is a Mitsubishi one.

My neighbour has one. Whilst I am not always conscious of the noise it wakes me up at 4.00 am every winter morning!

Do they turn on and off like a fridge? That would bother me more than a constant noise. I can't sleep with the air-conditioning on, the actual noise is fine, but it wakes me when it turns on and off.

Offending HP in red on the plan. They have a conservatory so not sure where else they would or could put it!

I think the vibration is more of a concern at the moment for me. They've supplied a sound survey but nothing about vibration at that close proximity... its also a Mitsubushi

Now you have posted the diagram, I expect the neighbours choice to want the HP there is so it is unobtrusive visually for them, presuming they look out of their conservatory toward their garden, and secondly it is easier for install if closer to the house.

My opinion is you should object whilst you have the opportunity to, presume it will be noisy or vibrate (irrespective of other opinions) as it will be too late after it is installed if it does. Many HP do get noiser and vibrate as they age or have issues - remembering there are shortages of HP engineers so any problems are unlikely to be fixed quickly.

An anecdote, I will driving on a very rural, quiet road recently and the traffic stopped due to an obstruction in the road. Whilst waiting for the traffic to move, I could hear a hum which I thought was a problem with my car. After a few minutes of trying to work out what the noise was, I looked left and there were 3 new houses all with HP in their small front gardens - I opened the car window and the noise I could hear was the HP.

My neighbour ( semi detached) had one installed..Mitsubishi.. 4 ft from my boundary.. I hear it all the time.. had I known just how loud it is when it runs I would definitely have put in an objection.
Dont believe the hype.. they want it.. they can look at it!!

Oh wow @schloss that's quite telling about the noise if you could hear from the car.

Strangely the door out of the conservatory is to the left so they will actually walk straight out into the HP, although the door will open fully.

Each to their own I suppose

I was surprised it was the noise I could hear but hear it I could!

I would hazard a guess with the positioning of the HP, now you have said about the conservatory door opening, is it the most convenient for the installers, which normally means not the best position but the easiest. You never know maybe your neighbours do not want it right by their conservatory door, your objections may help them tell the installers it needs to go elsewhere!

We got one in April. I was worried about noise but this was unfounded. You can only hear it if you put your ear up to it. In summer it’s silent most of the time-
comes on twice a day to hear water only.

definitely not as noisy as a microwave. As noisy as a fridge I’d say.

they’re not all this quiet though. I’d ask about the model they want and do a Google.