The Case of the Low Frequency Hum…
September 18, 2008
I have decided to blog about something non-puggle related after many months of blogging about nothing at all. This is more of a curious or should I say furious blog about a low-frequency hum in my neighborhood. Maybe if I can get my story out there it might seem more credible to others experiencing and maybe even researching the same thing! I am in Colorado…
Below is a letter that I wrote to the school district. I will keep you posted on future events regarding this issue.
________
I am writing in reference to ____ Elementary School. Since renovating the elementary school in 2002, there is a low-frequency hum caused by the new/renovated larger heating system. This low-frequency hum can be heard by some of the neighbors surrounding the school within the neighborhood. I can hear this noise with clarity every second that I am home. This noise starts up when the heaters at the school are turned on in early September every year and ends in May. I can also tell you that this year the heater was turned on earlier than usual… in August.
This low-frequency hum is very disturbing to those that can hear it. It is a pulsating rumbling feeling in the ears. It sounds like diesel truck or commercial airplane idling nearby. This noise travels through the ground and is louder when the ground is wet from rain or covered in snow. This noise is amplified inside the house and can not be heard when standing outside. The house acts as a large speaker system for the hum, as does the bed mattress at night.
I am aware of at least one neighbor that has also complained to the school district and has since moved from the neighborhood because this noise was so disturbing to her. I know of other neighbors that can also hear it.
There is much ongoing research about low-frequency hums, many from Great Britain. Other reports are in regards to train noise traveling through the ground into surrounding buildings. Here are a couple… you can Google for more!
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg12416942.500-science-lowfrequency-hum-may-permeate-the-environment.html
http://www.noiseandhealth.org/article.asp?issn=1463-1741;year=2004;volume=7;issue=25;spage=23;epage=28;aulast=Feldmann
I am writing to ask the school district to please take this complaint seriously. This is not my first complaint to the district. The low-frequency hum generated by the heating system at the elementary school is a very real nuisance to some residents within the neighborhood and perhaps nearby town homes. I would like a small team of a heating professional, an acoustical engineer (familiar with low-frequency sounds), along with school maintenance workers to please look into the system at Polton and to hopefully find a cost effective solution.
