Big, noisy transformers

[Muse]

I hopped on my bike and rode around the neighborhood to see if other similar sets of transformers were such loud hummers. I found at least 1/2 a dozen others and sadly, they're all pretty hummy. I could only make subjective evaluations, and the ambient noise varied, naturally. It appears unlikely that they could replace the transformers with quiet ones. Maybe they do vary in loudness. It seems to me that the problem's been getting more pronounced. I'm not sure I should pursue this, but come those wee hours in the morning, I will again be miffed with the incessant hum. I really think that people should not be subjected to that. Is that really necessary? It's partly just my bad luck to live 30-40 yards from these. It must be much worse if one of those poles is right in front of your house. I don't think I could stand that. I plan to install double pane windows sometime in the future. I sort of doubt that it will shield out this noise, though. It seems almost more of a vibration than sound, but maybe those windows will help. I hope.

 

[violetman]

optimus prime rules foreva!!!

 

[Bassyhead]

Originally posted by: OrganizedChaos
shoot the bottom of it. if you puncture it the oil will drain out and it will short out, then you'll get a shiny new one.

lol

word to the wise: don't stand under it whilst you do it 😀

 

[brigden]

Muse, aren't you the dude who wanted advice on a suit from the 70s?

 

[HardcoreRobot]

in the 8 weeks ive lived in my new place, ive heard 3 explode. they must be very close bc it scares the crap outta me.

 

[Ornery]

"I plan to install double pane windows..."

Do you have insulation in the walls out there? When we blew cellulose insulation in our walls, the difference in quietness was astounding. You might want to check into that.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: brigden
Muse, aren't you the dude who wanted advice on a suit from the 70s?

Yup, that was me. I took everyone's advice and had it cleaned and did bring it with me to the wedding. As it turned out, my cousin lent me an extra jacket he'd brought, which I thought looked better than the 70's suit coat. It was quite a wedding. I took videos, which I've yet to make into a DVD, but I'm gonna.

 

[brigden]

Try earplugs. I've been using them for over a year now. I've got noisy roommates. They work like a charm.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Ornery
"I plan to install double pane windows..."

Do you have insulation in the walls out there? When we blew cellulose insulation in our walls, the difference in quietness was astounding. You might want to check into that.

That's a good idea. I could do it just on that side of the house and it would probably help a lot with the hum. Thanks!

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: brigden
Try earplugs. I've been using them for over a year now. I've got noisy roommates. They work like a charm.

I have earplugs by the dozens. I've sometimes worn them at night. I kinda think they are only marginally effective for this hum. It's been a while since I've worn them at night. I have found that when I wear earplugs every night I develop some sensitivity to them, some irritation, I think. It makes my ears itch during the day. Maybe I have the wrong kind, I don't know. I have high db attenuating foam ones, rated at 31 db I think. I used to wear them especially in warmer weather when I have the window open because the ambient noise is louder then. Maybe I'll give them another try....

 

[Muse]

Something I should have mentioned, maybe: When in bed in the wee hours the sound isn't like it is under the telephone pole. It pulses, it comes and goes. It gets louder and softens and disappears. The period is about a second. At the loudest, it's pretty loud! I figure that somehow the sound waves are bouncing off of buildings and the sum is alternately adding up to a louder sound or cancelling out entirely, with a periodicity of 1 second. I used to be a physicis major. I don't know if knowing this will help me, though. Foam in the walls and double pane windows may be my best bet.

I went out this morning with my sound level meter (Radio Shack) and could barely get a reading. Went to two sets of these and they seemed around the same, who knows? Unless I can prod the utility into realizing that they don't really need transformers on that pole, I may not have any success complaining. Maybe it's worth a try, though. Hey, even if they declare that those transformers are like all the others, it's valid for a citizen to protest that they are aggravating if it really is. :| Maybe they'll give some thought to possible alternatives, maybe a different transformer solution.

 

[mobobuff]

What might be interesting to try is, turning on all the lights and TVs in your house and having someone kill your main power breaker to your house while you stand underneath the transformers to see if the sound increases or decreases. The amount of noise produced might be proportional to the amount of load on the line.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: mobobuff
What might be interesting to try is, turning on all the lights and TVs in your house and having someone kill your main power breaker to your house while you stand underneath the transformers to see if the sound increases or decreases. The amount of noise produced might be proportional to the amount of load on the line.

I doubt I'd notice anything. The juice I use is small compared to other folks in the neighborhood, especially, I'd think, in the wee hours of the morning. That's when I notice it, anyway, and I'm using maybe 75 watts at that point, I figure.

 

[dbzwukan]

Originally posted by: fs5
I thought this thread was going to be about optimus prime.

Me too, especially when they "transform"

 

[thomsbrain]

Originally posted by: Injury

Originally posted by: OrganizedChaos
shoot the bottom of it. if you puncture it the oil will drain out and it will short out, then you'll get a shiny new one.

Yup. This would be your best bet.... If you're a freaking moron. Yeah, let's just take a gun outside and start shooting at electrical equipment. Good choice.

well he could just nuke it, that would do the job.

oh wait, berkeley is a nuclear-free zone. damn.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain

Originally posted by: Injury

Originally posted by: OrganizedChaos
shoot the bottom of it. if you puncture it the oil will drain out and it will short out, then you'll get a shiny new one.

Yup. This would be your best bet.... If you're a freaking moron. Yeah, let's just take a gun outside and start shooting at electrical equipment. Good choice.

well he could just nuke it, that would do the job.

oh wait, berkeley is a nuclear-free zone. damn.

You guys are making fun of me, except Injury, who was properly sarcastic. I'll be sure to come to your aid when you have a difficult problem. :| Let's see, where did I put that list? :music: ... naughty and nice... :music: dada dada dada dada ....

 

[Muse]

This is kind of embarassing, but I found out over the TG holiday that the noise I've been hearing is "in my head." Yep, I visited my nephew in L.A. and heard the same noise in the wee hours of the morning. I knew I had tinnitus, but I didn't imagine that it was the source of my annoyance described in the OP. But there's no doubt now. Glad I didn't call my councilman or call my utility company. The sound fades in and out, with a frequency about once a second, as I described later in the thread, and I attributed that to the wave properties of sound - adding and cancelling, but I now think it's in synch with my heart rate. The tinnitus I knew I had was high pitched stuff - in several frequencies, but all pretty high stuff. This is around 80 Hz or so. I'm not sure if I should be relieved or distressed. I was worried that the value of my house was compromised by this, which isn't true. But I guess I'm going to be stuck with the noise. I can stop worrying about it, though. 🙂 My advice to all and sundry is to protect your hearing. I've been to too many loud music concerts where I didn't wear ear protection. I finally wised up, but too late to prevent a permanent case of tinnitus.