Condo Media - July 2014 - 16

by Jack Carr, P.E., RS, LEED-AP

C A I

R e g i o n a l

N e w s

MAINE

Bump in the Night
Noise Complaints Should Be Taken Seriously

eing brought up on Stephen
King novels and the familiar
sight of spooky old buildings
abandoned on our Maine
coast should make us immune to
bumps in the night, but it doesn't. So
when a unit owner calls with a strange
noise complaint, who you gonna call?
Certainly not the Ghostbusters.
These types of complaints should be
taken seriously, not only for good property management service, but noises can
be indicative of future serious problems.
In general, noise complaints can fall into
two categories: actual and perceived.
Actual noises have physical sources,
such as heating equipment, plumbing,
etc., and are transmitted through the air
or building components. Technically,
these noises are called impacted insulation class transmission. Most of the potential noise sources can be eliminated
by building design, sound insulation,
and noise barriers.

Detective Work

Learning to distinguish and locate the
noise source can go a long way to not
only solve problems before they happen but also have a more peaceful portfolio of properties. Moving air is always
a likely candidate as a noise source.
A breeze through the soffit vents can
cause strange whistling sounds if the
pull-down attic access ceiling hatches
are misaligned. Similarly, chimneys
without caps produce a similar sound.
Homes heated by forced air can have
"hisses," "whistles," and even "roars"
due to leaky duct connections, air leaks,
and equipment vibration dampers
malfunctioning. A sucking sound can
be caused by air being pulled around
heating unit filters needing changing.
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Condo Media * July 2014

Homes with forced hot water hydronic
systems can begin to make noise when
circulation pumps have failing bearings or motors. Loose piping can cause
banging and rattling due to water
hammer effects. Plumbing in general
can develop clogs or ejector pumps
can begin to misbehave, all leading to
odd sounds telegraphing themselves
throughout the unit to provide misdirection in locating the source.
Air conditioning systems have their
own potential symphony of annoying
sounds. Squeaking noises are often
associated with split-system air conditions/heat pumps systems from the
temperature contraction of the plastic
front cover of the inside wall-mounted
units. Sizzling and humming sounds
can come from these systems when
the heat mode first initiates. Running water sounds can arise from the
refrigerant and/or condensate moving
through the pipes. This is often the
sign of low refrigerant.
Water sounds can also develop from
wall cavity leaks, irrigation system
malfunctions, melting ice in attics from
ice dams, and condensation leaking off
uninsulated pipes and ducts. Periodic
sounds can be made by well pumps
turning on and off with demand instead
of utilizing holding tanks. Unusual
sounds can be transmitted through
bathroom exhaust vents, wood ﬂoors
and stairs, and metal roofs thermal expansion and fasteners popping. Popping
and scraping sounds can even be heard
from vinyl siding poorly fastened to
the exterior sheathing due to restrained
thermal movement. Hissing sounds accompanied with the smell of gas are the
most serious, and the service company
should immediately be called.

Hot water heaters can create popping or cracking sounds due to the sediment on the bottom of the gas-fired
tank or electric element. Many are not
aware these tanks should be drained
several times a year to not only avoid
these sounds but prolong the life of the
water heater and improve efficiency.
To locate the source of the noise
problem a logical forensic approach is
needed. Keep a date and time log of all
noise complaints. Record what equipment was running at the time, weather
conditions, changes in new or removed
equipment, and whether the sound is
different from multiple locations.
And this brings us to the perceived
noise complaint. With boomers occupying more condos, natural aging can
affect hearing quality and noise complaints can arise due to heath-related
issues. These complaints need to be
handled with sensitivity while maintaining a logical approach. Record
who heard the sound and was anyone
else present at the time. Did any unit
occupants not hear the sound?
Sometimes you might want to suggest fighting fire with fire. That is, noise
with noise. The introduction of a noise
generator in a unit can often make a difference for some. There are many such
devices available producing white, pink,
and brown noise having varying success
in masking unit owner's tinnitus, aiding
in sleep, or even soothing migraines.
The message is like unwanted noises in
a car, condo noises rarely go away on
their own, and if left untreated, they will
only become more of a nuisance. CM
Jack Carr, P.E., RS, LEED-AP, is
senior vice president with CriteriumEngineers in Portland, Maine.

Condo Media - July 2014

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