My neighbor tells me my sump pump is bothersome to her, it is 40 linear feet from her bedroom. I can hear it only when standing in garage, she says she is awakened by it. The pump is refer/furnace condensate pump. We live on area of many springs, also have easement of side sewer from property holders on hill above, water present 5 or 8 months/year, in Seattle, WA. Can water be conduit that conducts sound bothering neighbor?
Posts: 3 | Location: Seattle, WA | Registered: 07 May 2008
What she may be hearing is a vibration of the drain pipe within the wall cavity. You need to go into her bedroom and see what the sound is like, Why check in the garage? Once doing so, you can fix the problem. Most likely its a vibration of the drain pipes within the wall as it exits the builidng. You may simply need to pack some insulation around the drain pipe where it exits the house. Some pumps vibrate and this can resonate through the wall cavities. A rubber coupling may also stop some of this noise as well.
You say this is a condensate pump? or a sump pump? Both are diffrent animals. Which one do you have? Or is the condensate from the Heat/AC system piped into the pump pit?
Posts: 951 | Location: New Jersey | Registered: 31 January 2006
Thanks for the response. This is a condensate pump dropped into a hole cut thru the cement floor. Condensate pump consists of rotary impeller to force water out of condensate pump into 3/8" plastic tubing (very flexible) to roof gutter drain (drilled thru cement wall) to driveway drain connected to main house sewer to city line 45Deg away from neighbor. It is highly unlikely the tubing conducts the noise. I cannot hear any pump noise from her bedroom.
Posts: 3 | Location: Seattle, WA | Registered: 07 May 2008
Not the pump. Condensate pumps do not make that kind of noise. Perhaps its a water line or drain line. A lot of builders are using cheep plastic pipe for drains and vents. These pipes transmit noise real well everytime a toilet if flushed or a sink/tub is drained.
To determine that look outside of the home. Is the drain vent pipe coming out in between where the common wall would be? Or is the vent located towards the middle of your roof. Once you determined that check in any attic area that may be present. Look see if the vent runs up in the middle of the common wall area then across to the middle of the roof. My bet that is what is causing the noise. If the homes are stacked on top of each other or over lap. Try to determine the route that the plumbing drain is taking from the kitchens and baths. If a drain pipe is running down through her unit from above or a vent going up through her unit from below. You found your answer.
Posts: 951 | Location: New Jersey | Registered: 31 January 2006
Thanks for the reply. Condensate pump connects to sewer thru 3/8" clear tubing, almost impossible to transmit noise thru this. Question I am asking is; Can water table be transmitting noise to neighbor's basement slab, that room being hollow of drum to transmit to her bedroom above? That's just about the only scenario that has any logic involved (to me). Anyone ever heard of such a thing?
Posts: 3 | Location: Seattle, WA | Registered: 07 May 2008