Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Weird Humming Sound/High Point Area
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September 4, 2012 at 7:03 am #769603
metrognomeParticipantsomeone practicing their bagpipes? Does it sound at all like ‘Amazing Grace’?
September 4, 2012 at 7:17 am #769604
metrognomeParticipantclearly, the only solution is a political one; here is KC’s Public Health noise pollution page:
http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/ehs/healthyplaces/noise.aspx
They likely don’t have jurisdiction in the city, but lots of resources, incl links to city and state.
Also, interesting article on the health effects of noise pollution:
September 4, 2012 at 8:43 am #769605
R0b0ParticipantFound the dang humming noise!
We finally were fed up with the infernal noise and went out to look for it. From Highpoint to Highland Park to South Seattle Community College to Pigeon Point and then finally West Marginal.
The noise is clearly coming from the Lafarge Cement plant.
Several previous posts suggested it as the culprit as well. Industrial noise complaints are handled by the DPD. If the noise is bothering you please call them at 206-615-0808 or email noise@seattle.gov while it is happening!
September 4, 2012 at 5:34 pm #769606
LisaHParticipantThanks for the info R0B0
September 4, 2012 at 5:57 pm #769607
WSBKeymasterWe have a request out to LaFarge for comment. Also checking with various local agencies. This topic has never entirely gone away but (in addition to the forum posts) we haven’t received this many inquiries about it since the last time we wrote about it on the main page in 2009.
September 4, 2012 at 7:18 pm #769608
oddrealityParticipantMy post #8 was supposed to say “the first time we’ve heard it this loud” not the first time we’ve heard it!Not that it matters.
So LaFarge is the culprit.Not surprised.I believe they are the culprit in the weird smells we get too. A lot of chemical,chlorine type odors that happen at night.We are out a lot with our dogs and smell it frequently.
Thanks for the phone number..Do you have to call when it is happening??I wonder if you can call it at night and leave a message??The email will be handy also.
September 4, 2012 at 9:32 pm #769609
kurlygrrlMemberThank you to westseattledood and R0b0 for identifying the culprit. I live in Sunrise Heights and have noticed “The Hum” frequently since I moved here a little over a year ago. These past few nights have seemed worse than ever. If I didn’t already wear earplugs to sleep (the next door neighbors’ dog occasionally barks during the wee hours), I sure would have broken them out for this racket.
September 5, 2012 at 6:03 am #769610
DonHPMemberWe’re in Highland Park (30 yrs) and this is a new loud grinding hum sound coming from the plant. I went down there last night and shot some video/audio and they have either a new machine or one that they use occasionally. It is very loud. It’s been going since Friday 24hrs with a few breaks. Really a problem for me. Keeps me awake etc. I would like a response from Lafarge about what we are hearing and what we can expect in the future. This is way worse than the airplanes and trains we hear because it is relentless and continuos. Hope someone gets the info from them and posts it here. ……by the way as I type this it’s going right now at 11pm tues night.
September 5, 2012 at 6:16 am #769611
wsparentMemberI’ve lived in the Westwood neighborhood for 12 years and haven’t noticed it until a few days ago. It’s awful!
I’ve just sent off an e-mail to the DPD. Thank you RObO for posting complaint information.
September 5, 2012 at 6:36 am #769612
WSBKeymasterI am scheduled to talk with LaFarge’s operations manager at 7:30 in the morning. If anybody else has audio/video, consider sending to me (or link, if you have put it up somewhere public) at editor@westseattleblog.com – one person has sent me an audio file I’m still trying to figure out how to play – I wasn’t able to get out last night after all. But I inquired with them first thing this morning after seeing a couple claims here that it’s likely them, and the scheduled conversation in the morning is the result. – TR
September 5, 2012 at 7:54 am #769613
oddrealityParticipantIt started out softer then got loud again.Complaint email sent.
Be interesting to see what LaFarge has to say.
September 5, 2012 at 10:45 am #769614
RiverviewMemberI sent an email to noise@seattle.gov just now, and I recommend others do as well. It is extremely loud and incessant in the Riverview area, just above the Duwamish. Annoying during the daytime, and even louder than I’ve heard it previously tonight. A continous, low monotonous humming/droning noise. Definitely hard to sleep and relax with this going on. Any information you can provide Tracy will be most appreciated!
September 5, 2012 at 3:35 pm #769615
westcoastdebParticipantWhatever it is, it is horrible for migraines too. Between the keeping me awake and the pitch, it makes me want to hide in a cave.
Hope this all gets sorted out soon! Seems worst at night, at least in the 18th and Holden vicinity.
September 5, 2012 at 5:22 pm #769616
anonymeParticipantAfter reading posts about the West Seattle “hum” for several years without ever hearing it, the hum came to Arbor Heights last night with a vengeance. I was awakened about 2 am by the sound; it was still going on at 4 am. Lost a good half night’s sleep over this. It definitely has an industrial sound with a vibrational quality that makes it impossible to tune out. Seemed to be coming from the north – whether east or west I couldn’t tell. Hope someone gets to the bottom of this, it’s affecting thousands of people.
September 5, 2012 at 5:29 pm #769617
anonymeParticipantHey Metrognome, do you live near that guy, too?
September 5, 2012 at 5:43 pm #769618
biankatParticipantI’m at the very south end of 35th and have been hearing this hum on-and-off for a couple years now. I was awokened just before 4 this morning and the hum kept me up for a good hour before I could get back to sleep. Even the white noise from our fan couldn’t negate the low hum coming from outside. Annoying.
September 5, 2012 at 7:50 pm #769619
WSBKeymasterHere’s what I have.
Is ‘the hum’ industrial noise? Many reports, few complaints – so far
No conclusions. But two takeaways:
Lafarge says they can’t say it’s NOT them, so they have set up a community hotline you can call. The operations manager would like to work with the community if it can be narrowed down and figured out – if it’s them.
The city, meantime, says that as of first thing this morning they’d only received one complaint. As they told us three years ago, they can’t investigate without a pinpoint of what/who is the suspected source. So we have two numbers recommended for them.
Not the last chapter, but it’s a start. – TR
September 5, 2012 at 8:43 pm #769620
oddrealityParticipantSeems to me they ought to be trying to pinpoint where the noise is coming from. How the heck do they think we can do that? Clearly if LaFarge says it is not them it is going to be very difficult to figure out who it might be. They need to step up and help try to find the source.
At least two of us made complaints last night.Did they check their email??
September 5, 2012 at 8:47 pm #769621
trickycooljParticipantIt sounds more like the city has only gotten one complaint and they can’t pin point the noise from that, but if they get a ton complaints that surround the noise they can maybe inspect in that area? Just a guess.
September 5, 2012 at 8:58 pm #769622
anonymeParticipantI complained, too. This is a well-worn tactic used by a number of Seattle government agencies. Each person who complains is told that their complaint is the only one, therefore easy to dismiss. If they were to admit the truth, they might actually be expected to do something about it.
September 6, 2012 at 2:44 am #769623
LisaHParticipantI sent a letter to the mayor on Monday morning and haven’t heard back yet…. Maybe we can find one email, phone number or website that we can ALL complain to and “gang up”? Might get somebody interested?
September 6, 2012 at 3:05 am #769624
DonHPMemberIt is definitely Lafarge and I can pinpoint the exact location of the sound. It’s in their large tower near the top and is some sort of high power rock grinder or some equipment like that. While I was standing at their front gate, they turned the machine off for a few minutes and it was very clear that this was the culprit. With the machine turned off, the remaining sound from the tower was a typical industrial roar of fans and motors etc, but within reason. They know very clearly that they are responsible for the sound. If needed, I will create a video and post it to youtube taken from the front gate. I shot some from my phone, but will go back down and shoot more footage with my pro gear if they turn it back on tonight. So far, it is off as of 8pm weds.
I’m starting to think that I’ve heard this sound before over the past few years coming from the plant. And always on weekends. This time was over the entire Labor Day weekend. Makes me wonder if they run it on weekends so they don’t drive all their own office workers crazy during week days.
September 6, 2012 at 2:22 pm #769625
anonymeParticipantLisaH, you’ve got the right idea. I think we need to set up some kind of petition website. I don’t know how to do that. Anyone?
Of course, some government entities have found a way around petitions as well. They will take a petition with 500 signatures and count it as ONE complaint, as it is a single document. It would also help if we could get some investigative news reporter on the case…Jesse, or someone like him.
September 6, 2012 at 2:51 pm #769626
BobRiversInternMemberHey guys! Intern at the Bob Rivers Show on KJR FM 95.7 and we’ve discussed this topic on the show. You can check out our website http://www.bobrivers.com around noon today for our podcast where we go over into some detail about the noise. We have had some callers call in and let us know their best guesses as to what the noise is! They are as follows:
-A Parking lot cleaner
-Frog Fish mating
-Exhaust fans of local plants
-Other animals and mechanical equipment
Tune into our website again around noon where you will be able to listen to the full podcast and here the show discuss this topic!
September 6, 2012 at 4:20 pm #769627
miwsParticipantMy theory is Frog Fish mating in the duct work of an exhaust fan.
The sound is amplified and enhanced by the “echo chamber” qualities of the duct work, and dispersed to a large area by the exhaust fan.
Mike
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