We live in a neighborhood where the 100-year-old houses are rather
close together. I bought the house (duplex condo), which had been
completely renovated, three years ago. Central air was installed in
both units at the time of the renovation.

This summer our neighbor has been complaining (loudly and increasingly
grumpily) that our two AC units are making too much noise and she is
having trouble sleeping at night. We don't notice the noise ourselves,
even though the units are right under our master bath window, because
the windows are new and do a good job of keeping down outside noise.
Her windows are not new, and she does not use air conditioning. When I
stand outside in our yard, I can imagine that it must be pretty loud in
her house.

She asked us to build a privacy screen around them, which we happily
did. But she's still complaining and recently suggested we bring the
builder back in to "fix" it. To which we politely explained that the
builder's warranty was only for a year, and it had expired over two
years ago. (Meanwhile, thinking to ourselves that it is odd that she's
only NOW complaining about this, three summers later!)

Questions:

1) Is there anything else we could do to cut the noise? Can I apply
soundproofing to the inside of the privacy screen? I am worried that
this isn't a good idea, since I figure AC units need lots of
circulation?

I would like to be a good neighbor, so if there is anything I could do
short of suffering in the heat, I will. Suggestions welcome!

Otherwise - 2) Legally, do we have any real obligation here? I mean,
should I just let the whole thing roll, and assume it is her
responsibility to put up a fence on her property, or install new
windows, if the sound bothers her? If so, how would you broach that
topic without making the relationship worse? (We are on fairly good
terms otherwise... it just seems to be this one issue, unless she's not
telling us something else is bothering her!).

jen

"shinypenny" wrote in message
oups.com...
We live in a neighborhood where the 100-year-old houses are rather
close together. I bought the house (duplex condo), which had been
completely renovated, three years ago. Central air was installed in
both units at the time of the renovation.

This summer our neighbor has been complaining (loudly and increasingly
grumpily) that our two AC units are making too much noise and she is
having trouble sleeping at night. We don't notice the noise ourselves,
even though the units are right under our master bath window, because
the windows are new and do a good job of keeping down outside noise.
Her windows are not new, and she does not use air conditioning. When I
stand outside in our yard, I can imagine that it must be pretty loud in
her house.

She asked us to build a privacy screen around them, which we happily
did. But she's still complaining and recently suggested we bring the
builder back in to "fix" it. To which we politely explained that the
builder's warranty was only for a year, and it had expired over two
years ago. (Meanwhile, thinking to ourselves that it is odd that she's
only NOW complaining about this, three summers later!)

Questions:

1) Is there anything else we could do to cut the noise? Can I apply
soundproofing to the inside of the privacy screen? I am worried that
this isn't a good idea, since I figure AC units need lots of
circulation?

I would like to be a good neighbor, so if there is anything I could do
short of suffering in the heat, I will. Suggestions welcome!

trees, tall shrubs. buy her a/c so she'll sleep with the windows closed?

Otherwise - 2) Legally, do we have any real obligation here? I mean,
should I just let the whole thing roll, and assume it is her
responsibility to put up a fence on her property, or install new
windows, if the sound bothers her? If so, how would you broach that
topic without making the relationship worse? (We are on fairly good
terms otherwise... it just seems to be this one issue, unless she's not
telling us something else is bothering her!).

i would imagine it would be equivalent to a barking dog, so yes, there may
be a legal problem. you'll have to research public noise ordinances that
would only be in effect for your area. there probably is one for noise after
10pm.

jen

On 19 Jul 2005 11:03:34 -0700, "shinypenny"
wrote:

She asked us to build a privacy screen around them, which we happily
did. But she's still complaining and recently suggested we bring the
builder back in to "fix" it. To which we politely explained that the
builder's warranty was only for a year, and it had expired over two
years ago. (Meanwhile, thinking to ourselves that it is odd that she's
only NOW complaining about this, three summers later!)

Deliver some earplugs and tell her she's out of luck with you. Life
is tough in cities with houses close together; if she doesn't like it,
she can move. I don't believe for one minute that this AC noise would
qualify as a disturbance on the same order as an airplane engine or a
barking dog. Geez!

KLS wrote:
On 19 Jul 2005 11:03:34 -0700, "shinypenny"
wrote:


She asked us to build a privacy screen around them, which we happily
did. But she's still complaining and recently suggested we bring the
builder back in to "fix" it. To which we politely explained that the
builder's warranty was only for a year, and it had expired over two
years ago. (Meanwhile, thinking to ourselves that it is odd that she's
only NOW complaining about this, three summers later!)


Deliver some earplugs and tell her she's out of luck with you. Life
is tough in cities with houses close together; if she doesn't like it,
she can move. I don't believe for one minute that this AC noise would
qualify as a disturbance on the same order as an airplane engine or a
barking dog. Geez!
Just make sure she isn't on the city/county planning commission. Given
the idiots on the Supreme Court she just might have your home seized to
be made into a park...for the benefit of the "people".

shinypenny wrote:
We live in a neighborhood where the 100-year-old houses are rather
close together. I bought the house (duplex condo), which had been
completely renovated, three years ago. Central air was installed in
both units at the time of the renovation.

This summer our neighbor has been complaining (loudly and increasingly
grumpily) that our two AC units are making too much noise and she is
having trouble sleeping at night. We don't notice the noise ourselves,
even though the units are right under our master bath window, because
the windows are new and do a good job of keeping down outside noise.
Her windows are not new, and she does not use air conditioning. When I
stand outside in our yard, I can imagine that it must be pretty loud in
her house.


Yes probably, especially for old house and a person not getting any
benefit from the noise. On the bright side, her hearing is still good

She asked us to build a privacy screen around them, which we happily
did. But she's still complaining and recently suggested we bring the
builder back in to "fix" it. To which we politely explained that the
builder's warranty was only for a year, and it had expired over two
years ago. (Meanwhile, thinking to ourselves that it is odd that she's
only NOW complaining about this, three summers later!)


What is a privacy screen and what does this have to do with sound?


Questions:

1) Is there anything else we could do to cut the noise? Can I apply
soundproofing to the inside of the privacy screen? I am worried that
this isn't a good idea, since I figure AC units need lots of
circulation?

sound proofing could work. havent seen any wheather proof
soundproofing. but if you find some it should reduce the noise in her
direction.

I found running the furnace fan continuously reduced the time the
compressor was on. And the outside unit with the compressor is what she
is hearing.



I would like to be a good neighbor, so if there is anything I could do
short of suffering in the heat, I will. Suggestions welcome!

Otherwise - 2) Legally, do we have any real obligation here? I mean,
should I just let the whole thing roll, and assume it is her
responsibility to put up a fence on her property, or install new
windows, if the sound bothers her? If so, how would you broach that
topic without making the relationship worse? (We are on fairly good
terms otherwise... it just seems to be this one issue, unless she's not
telling us something else is bothering her!).


I doubt that an A/C unit would qualify as noise polution unless you were
the only one in the neighborhood with it, or yours is really broken.

Larger fans will probably produce less noise, but that could be
expensive proposition.

jen



--
Respectfully,


CL Gilbert

shinypenny wrote:

We live in a neighborhood where the 100-year-old houses are rather
close together. I bought the house (duplex condo), which had been
completely renovated, three years ago. Central air was installed in
both units at the time of the renovation.

This summer our neighbor has been complaining (loudly and increasingly
grumpily) that our two AC units are making too much noise and she is
having trouble sleeping at night. We don't notice the noise ourselves,
even though the units are right under our master bath window, because
the windows are new and do a good job of keeping down outside noise.

We had this problem with our next-door neighbor, who situated their
a/c unit on the opposite side of the house from their bedrooms. That
was the side facing our house. They installed a cheap noisy unit and
slept peacefully while we (with no a/c at the time) got to be kept
awake by the racket. Our city had no noise ordinances covering this,
so we were SOL. We didn't view these people as good neighbors.
Rather than try to work out a solution, they preferred to deny there
was a noise issue with their a/c, because they didn't hear it
themselves.

Her windows are not new, and she does not use air conditioning. When I
stand outside in our yard, I can imagine that it must be pretty loud in
her house.

1) Is there anything else we could do to cut the noise?

If you've had the units for a few years, you could look into getting
bids on replacing them with new units selected for quietness as well
as efficiency. If you could even replace one, you could reduce the
noise by nearly half. I've got a Carrier a/c which can barely be
heard when standing within a few feet of it.

It wouldn't surprise me if your a/c units are cheap contractor
specials bought to keep the renovation costs low, so a better
quality unit will most likely run much more quietly, and probably
save a bit of money on the monthly bill as well.

Can I apply
soundproofing to the inside of the privacy screen? I am worried that
this isn't a good idea, since I figure AC units need lots of
circulation?

They do, so I don't think I'd go that route.

I would like to be a good neighbor, so if there is anything I could do
short of suffering in the heat, I will. Suggestions welcome!

Well, like I said, perhaps you could propose a compromise to the
neighbor to show her you want to be neighborly. Look into upgrading
one of the units with a quieter unit. Explain you really can't
afford to do both (unless you can).

Second option: offer to buy her a window a/c unit for her bedroom,
so she can sleep in comfort, and won't notice your units' noise.
That would probably only set you back a couple hundred bucks, and
she'd probably become your friend for life.

Otherwise - 2) Legally, do we have any real obligation here?

I'd call the city and ask if they have noise/nuisance ordinances. If
they do, your neighbor may have grounds for a complaint, in which
case you could be suddenly served with an order to desist. I have a
sibling who nailed her next-door neighbor that way when he wouldn't
turn off his oversized, extremely noisy attic ventilation fan.

I mean,
should I just let the whole thing roll, and assume it is her
responsibility to put up a fence on her property, or install new
windows, if the sound bothers her?

You said she hasn't a/c herself. If that's the case, she needs to
open her windows, so upgrading them isn't going to solve anything
for her. A fence may or may not block enough sound - if I were she
I'd be unwilling to invest the money when I wasn't sure of the
outcome. I really don't think she has much in the way of feasible
options, and besides, let's face it - the nuisance is coming from
your property. In my opinion, whether or not you have a legal
obligation to deal with it, you'd want to take steps to keep any
racket down just to be a decent neighbor, whether the noise is from
a dog, a stereo, kids, or home appliances.

HellT

We have a more expensive AC unit right outside our bedroom. It is very
quiet. We normally have the windows closed when the AC is running, so
I can't tell how loud it would be that way.

When I am outside, the most noise is made when the unit kicks in.
Other than that, the fans in the HVAC inside the house make more noise
than the AC outside.

I have brick and insullation between me and the AC, as well as double
pane windows.

With the windows open it is possilbe that the sound is resonating in
her room.

As previously mentioned, larger shrubs provide good sound buffering.
Make sure there is no reflective (sound) surfaces nearby. Make sure
the AC, if it is sitting on the ground, is level and on solid footing.


Or how about moving your AC, if that is an option?

Just some ideas.

wrote:

Or how about moving your AC, if that is an option?


Unfortunately, not an option. There is no place else to put it, as the
other side of the house is very narrow and only consists of a sidewalk,
and the back of the house is taken up by a deck (it's also a steep
hill).

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

I would probably not get her an AC unit of her own, because I do think
she might just be the type to simply find something new to complain
about. We've already done a lot of improvements to her yard, gratis.
Not out of the kindness of our hearts, really, but because her yard was
an eyesore, the lack of grass was causing runoff problems for us, and
we feared the trees growing into her foundation had potential to cause
termite problems for us. She is elderly, on restricted income, and
cannot get about to do these kind of things herself.

We also take on shoveling her walk in the winter, since she threw out
her hip; we worry she's going to trip if someone doesn't. She's been a
good neighbor, very appreciative of all we do, so I don't take her
complaints about the AC lightly, and yet, she is kinda the grumbly type
who needs to have something to complain about (perhaps a way for her to
socialize?).

I may consider replacing it to something quieter when money allows (not
this year, as we're putting on a new roof). I can see benefits for us
to do that regardless of the noise issue anyway. But that just solves
my AC unit and not the second unit, which I don't own.

Bushes are also another great idea and definetly doable.

One last question: I'm starting to wonder if maybe the unit simply
needs servicing? Perhaps that's why it wasn't an issue the last two
summers? Maybe it really wasn't as noisy before, but something is out
of whack with it now? Something to look into, at any rate.

When I walk around my neighborhood, I hear a lot of really old window
units that make a lot of racket too, at least as much as our units. I
always assumed AC units were generally noisy. It's good to know that
this doesn't have to be the case, and that there are quieter versions
out there that we could investigate.

jen

I always assumed AC units were generally noisy.

I am not suggesting the following, nor do I have these models,
I simply am pointing them out as they are specifically designed
to be quiet. That is a relative term. Mine is not quiet in dB,
but the sound it does generate is white noise and seems more
quiet than the "old window units that make a lot of racket.." which
I am familuar with.

http://www.lennox.com/products/overview.asp?model=HSX15

http://www.alpinehomeair.com/view.cf...4-EEDF580C3D74

http://www.trane.com/Residential/Pro...ers/XL19i.aspx

Also, read:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...4b02f48dbbbe70

Note the guy saying he had to get right up next to the Lennox unit to
hear it.

Yea, these are costly. When they don't list a price and it's not
listed anywhere else, and no-one will give you a price you know this
things going to cost a pretty penny.