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I am getting vibrations from some other flat's downstairs dish washer / extractor fan / air conditioning. We're not exactly sure what what is causing it - we can't determine it. In fact, it could be anything - I am at a total loss to track down its source.

However, it is disturbing my sleep. It is not audible anywhere. None of the other flats I have asked know what it could be / or if they do aren't admitting it. It is definitely not a washing machine because it goes on too long to be that. It can go on for hours at a time

What solutions could you recommend? Vibration dampening under the feet of my bed? If so what type of dampening would remove these very small vibrations? The vibration is very subtle (you can't even see the surface of a glass of water move), but it is noticeable when trying to sleep and is very annoying!

Anthony
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  • You say it's not audible. How, exactly, does it disturb your sleep? Do you feel it? What does it feel like? Like being aboard a ship? Or more like riding a bus on an uneven road? To determine whether it's practical to do something about it, it's important to determine the frequency of the vibration. – alx9r Jun 08 '14 at 23:02
  • It's more like being on plane (with no turbulence). Very subtle put constistent and persistent. It's probably about 30Hz to 50Hz. It makes my body tense up and difficult to sleep. – Anthony Jun 10 '14 at 14:08
  • That's pretty low frequency to isolate using mass-on-a-spring isolation. The springs would be rather large and expensive. You'd also need damping if you went that route because you'd have a natural frequency in the single-digit Hz range that you'd excite just getting into bed. – alx9r Jun 10 '14 at 14:56
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    Is your bed in the middle of a large unsupported span of floor? Floor-joists in wood-framed buildings have vibration properties similar to guitar strings -- they have a resonant frequency, and the further you are from the support structure, the larger the amplitude of the vibration. The last building I lived in had a section of floor with a very noticeable 5 to 10 Hz resonant frequency. The washer would induce vibrations. The point is, if you move your bed adjacent the walls that support the floor, the amplitude should be smaller. – alx9r Jun 10 '14 at 15:02
  • I'm afraid the bed is already up against one of the walls and the room is quite small so there's no scope to move it. – Anthony Jun 10 '14 at 16:57
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    Based on your description, I don't think there is a practical way to isolate your bed from the vibrations. It is notoriously difficult to isolate a room from low frequencies. This is why physics labs and recording studios are often built on massive concrete floors at or below grade; they rely on the overwhelming inertia of the floor to prevent vibrations from transmitting through it. Because the mass of all floors except the bottom has to be supported by the building's structure, they tend to be light enough that equipment can transmit small amplitude vibrations into them. – alx9r Jun 10 '14 at 18:49
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    Could it be an air conditioner? If the vibration happens now but didn't happen a few months ago, that would explain why it comes and goes. If it is a rooftop a/c unit, it is probably easier to solve the vibration problem there than at your end. – wallyk Jul 05 '14 at 19:10

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Are the feet of the bed on carpet or hardwood? I am assuming hardwood, but I would start with dampening blocks like DA01 has suggested or something like these Vibration Isolation Pads, they can be cut to fit underneath the bed posts. Good luck!

treeNinja
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Downstairs ceiling fans and bathroom fans are not meant to be kept running nonstop. Bad Apt renters who ignore pleas from sleep deprived neighbors seem to be intentionally inconsiderate and stupid. Fans buzzing 24/7 are not a necessity; living and sleeping are. Be decent and shut the damn things off.

UpeveryNight
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  • Some fans are meant to be running 24/7 -- there's also the possibility its an HVAC/AHU fan that's doing this, which is a whole another ball of wax to a bath fan or dish washer. – ThreePhaseEel Nov 19 '17 at 01:44
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They make washer/dryer dampening blocks to place under the feet which are essentially large blocks of rubber. You could try placing those under the bed post.

DA01
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  • Any specific type of rubber blocks? What thickness would be required? The bed is 30kg, mattress 30kg, I'm 70kg, girlfriend is 60kg. 4x bed feet are 1.5cm in diameter. Assume the vibration is about 50Hz? – Anthony Jun 03 '14 at 22:10
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    I'd just go to the big-box and ask for 'washing machine dampening feet/blocks' – DA01 Jun 03 '14 at 22:23
  • I have tried various blocks of rubber - they don't seem to work because they get squashed a certain amount due to the weight of the bed and me, and then the vibration itself doesn't seem to get absorbed - just transferred through the block – Anthony Jun 10 '14 at 17:01
  • Then...you may be out of luck. Those rubber pads are designed specifically for this. So if that's not cutting it, there might be bigger issues at work here. Is it at all possible to move the bed to a different room? Maybe try additional mattresses? Memory foam? Mattress topper? – DA01 Jun 10 '14 at 17:32
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My bet: it's your downstairs neighbor's ceiling fan. Pad those bed legs!

user21914
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