Condo Noise Issue

[Green]

hi, I was hoping to find support here and a possible solution to a problem I have had after two months of moving to a new condo. The condo is waterford sukhumvit 50, and at night, between 7pm-6am, I can hear the sympathetic vibration from air-cons of other rooms in my whole condo (1bd 50sqm). It is the loudest in the bedroom, and while trying to work, or lying down to sleep, I can hear the 'buzzing' from the sympathetic vibration of aircons from other rooms. The room is literally vibrating with a low level hum, i guess it is subtle, but extremely disturbing. It shouldn't be there, I have never lived anywhere where this has been a problem, and this place is twice as ecpensive as any apartment i have ever stayed at.

I have recorded the sound using a digital recorder and played it for the admin, and brought two security guards to hear the sound (the admins suggestion). The guards of course could not hear anything, which is what i was expecting. So I am thinking with 4 more months on my contract, i dont think i can stand this every night, and was preparing to go to talk with the admin again. The admin has not been helpful, but what can they do? Contact all the rooms and try to reduce all of the aircons noise level? I would think first they should acknowledge that its a problem, then contact other tenants to find a consensus about the vibration and noise. I am expecting that thais dont hear anything, i can't believe that no one else has complained, it is extremely disturbing. I would lose 30K if I moved, however I wondered if there isn't a legal issue here, if I were to contact a lawyer. How can you rent a place that has that kind of noise? Sure maybe they didn't know, but if they are not going to do anything about it, then would this not 'void' the contract, entitling me to a refund of my deposit?

Thanks for any advice here.

[Jdietz]

Good luck with that

"What noise?"

[Beechboy]

Seems to make financial sense seeing it out.

Some form of ear defender/plug might assist.

Boots do a very good ear plug called Muffles (wax), and these would at least knock out the disturbance whilst you need to sleep. Re-usable several times despite what Boots say on the packet. Also, I used to cut one on half, ie' one plug for two ears, just as effective'

When I used to work days, yes in Bkk, believe it! I resorted to these things.

The very best are from the US and can be ordered online andare called (true) Joe's Earplugs.

Edited November 29, 2011 by Beechboy

[pauljones]

The aim of the managementnt is to do as little as possible and scam the co-owners.

Anybody that complains IS the problem.

Move.

[Daffy D]

Call out the BBC Noise Squad

[http://thebox.bz/details.php?id=179527]

[pauljones]

Call out the BBC Noise Squad

["]http://thebox.bz/det....php?id=179527]

If Thailand had a noise squad, what would they do?

1. Enforce the noise laws.

2. Take a bribe and let the offender continue.

3. Shut down the noisy establishments and open their own noisy place.

[beano2274]

Are the vibrations because it is not secured correctly? Maybe it has not been cleaned, I have mine cleaned every 3 - 4 months, they start to make a noise so I get it done, at the moment one of my neighbours aircon units is making a loud sound as well, just a case of getting it cleaned.

[saengsureeya]

I know how you feel. I'm a very light sleeper myself and every sound........mosquitoes, aircon, a closing door 4 houses further down the road will wake me up.

For years I'm using earplugs and it helps for direct sounds.

For vibrations........difficult if not impossible. You could try to put your bed onto rubber pads.

BTW the vibrations are usually caused by the exterior airco units. If the fan-blades are slightly out of balance you have your vibration.

[Semper]

You could try to put your bed onto rubber pads.

Highly unlikely that the bed is vibrating.

[Heimdallr]

You could volunteer to fix the vibration problem for every unit separately, and make everyone happy.

[partington]

I also had a similar problem with next door's aircon, also in a condo - I was experiencing the exact resonating vibration that you describe, made worse of course by the fact that it switches on and off at random intervals.

I also considered breaking my contract and leaving because I just couldn't sleep !

As everyone agrees, Thais will simply not notice the noise :"It normal!" So you probably won't have any luck in getting anyone at the building to do anything about this, especially if it's coming from more than one of the surrounding apartments.

I'd strongly recommend earplugs. You can get good cheap foam reusable ones at the pharmacy section of Tesco Lotus-I got mine at Param 9 store. You squeeze and twist to stick in your ear and they slowly expand to fill your ear canal snugly.

They worked brilliantly well , much more effective than I thought at eliminating the vibrational hum. Solved my problem for around 100B.

[GreenSnapper]

Be glad that you just rent and did not buy.

Everything here is cheaply built on lowest standards. Despite the high prices.

And "noise" is something Thais grow up with. If the aircon would be silent, it would be dogs or a nearby Karaoke or temple which keep you from sleeping.

Earplugs are the best solution. I consider them a necessity in most of Asia.

[deejah]

you might find

if you ride out the contract

by the end of that period

you will be so use to it

you won't even notice

(until it stops)

or get a machine that makes even more noise

thailand is both a wonder and an attack on the senses

it is always something

let us know, eh?

[Green]

yes its quite interesting to think if one had grown up in a culture like this, a culture in which one is demonized for having a problem, then the moment that you feel a problem with something, it is repressed because otherwise you will be looked down upon, and you could cause others to 'lose face' because of your problem. The emphasis is on 'your', because no one else cares, and anyways imagine a world in which all problems are addressed and people work together to find solutions. How revolutionary...

Thanks for the suggestions, I do have earplugs, and take them with me everywhere, (i use the green foamy kind, i have found them to be the most comfortable and best for noise reduction) but even with earplugs, my aircon on, and a floor fan on full blast, I can still hear the buzz of the sympathetic vibration, and yes when the compressors come on it is even louder. Moving seems the only solution, or perhaps coming into the cool season it will be less as compressors work less.

[Beechboy]

Wax earplugs are far better eg. Muffles as I stated above.

I've tried the lot, believe me.

[vtjforyou]

Stop making problems :-)

Funny to think about legal issue in Thailand also !

Move or buy new aircons to your neighbours.

[Green]

@Beechboy thx for the wax suggestion, i haven't tried them but assumed that the foamy's would be better (and that the wax might get stuck in the ear), but I will try them!

I noticed that the aircons are not mounted on rubber, but are just sitting on metal rafters connected to the wall, would mounting on rubber help? I suspect not much...

[astral]

A low constant hum would be a blessing.

I suffer from the kids upstairs, charging around, dragging furniture

and dropping heavy objects on the floor.

Much more disturbing.

[JimmyTheMook]

A low constant hum would be a blessing.

I suffer from the kids upstairs, charging around, dragging furniture

and dropping heavy objects on the floor.

Much more disturbing.

My first apartment in NYC , was an illegal studio under the main stairwell in the basement of one of those 50 unit marbled hallway, prewar brick apartment buildings that are dotted all over Queens and Bklyn - amazing how I able to live there with every single person who ever entered or left the building walking above my head.

[saengsureeya]

You could try to put your bed onto rubber pads.

Highly unlikely that the bed is vibrating.

Of course the bed isn't vibrating, but the vibes from the floor are transferred through the bed.

[fred110]

You could try to put your bed onto rubber pads.

Highly unlikely that the bed is vibrating.

Maybe his girl has a vibrator under the covers?

[deejah]

if the disturbance is VIBRATIONS

i do not understand how ear plugs would make a diff

anyways

it's always something

c'est la vie

count your blessings

it is almost getting to the point

where the only time i notice the noise

is when it stops

so eerie

so beautiful

so short lived

[trevorg]

live in a Condo - have an issue, whether it's air-con , noisy neighbours, smelly cooking, how come 15 people can live in the same space as I do and why should i pay the same! By the way -all Bar Girls are from Isaan and there's some right <deleted> in Bangkok

deejah vu

J'aime les poetrreois

Edited December 2, 2011 by trevorg

[travelmann]

I suggest you get a life and forget it. You sound like a customer w e have all he does is moan even about the staff at Waterford like its our fault a staff member doesnt speak nicely to him????

[swisstouristpattaya]

I will never buy condo in Thailand after reading this

sent from tapatalk :-)

[longtom]

Perfect situation to apply a little buddhist philosophy. The problem is not the sound itself, but your perceiving it as noise, and of course your focussing on it amplifies this perception. Think of other, louder sounds that don't disturb your sleep, waves, cicadas or whatever applies to you personally.

Not meant to be condenscending, just trying to give another angle.:jap: