Reducing Noise from Water Pump

I can't imagine the company in charge of building maintenance would approve of you working on the pumps.
You need to contact them to seek a solution.
Del

"Does anyone have any idea how I can reduce the noise from pump one?"

Yeah, move....seriously though, unless you have permission from the owner, you can't really do anything...and anything you do do, is likely to cost money...good luck with that...

Your only options other than moving are to complain to the management or install acoustic tiles on your ceiling. Probably neither of these will be too effective.

Talk about poor design. Your apartment, was it once a mechanical room, maybe a laundry room?

Agree with the others, the equipment isn’t yours to amend as you see fit.

Certainly seems very unprofessional of the apartment management to rent you this room without at least telling you about the machinery. How does one do any sort of due diligence in an apartment with an intermittent vibration source?

Did you tell them you are hard-of-hearing?

It sounds like it's starved for water....could be an air leak in the suction, or an air bubble trapped, oversized or undersized motor/pump.....check the water pressure gauge with each pump running...compare the pumps and motors for specs....is there a valve that needs to be shut off separating the 2 pumps...Draw the piping schematic with valves and pumps...

Depending on where you live, there may be regulations that require equipment noise levels to stay below a certain threshold in a residence. This might be a way to get the apartment to invest in a solution.

How are the pumps mounted. Are there vibration pads between them and the floor and are they in good condition? Is there an air lock in one of the pipes and are the two pumps interconnected while one is running? You have received good advice about not doing the work yourself but neither should you have to put up with the noise. Complain to the manager and good luck with the problem.

It sounds to me like, in addition to other problems, pump 1 has at least one bad bearing. Sooner or later, that will fail completely, possibly with catastrophic results.

I certainly wouldn't want to live in a room below it, even if noise were not a problem!

Good luck on dealing with your manager!

The best noise reduction would come from switching the pumps off.

What are the pumps for?

Pumps above? Where do they pump to? Higher up? Move to the top floor there should be no pumps!

http://kineticsnoise.com/industrial/noise_ordinance.html

Noise Ordinances

Outdoor noise is becoming a main concern in our communities. Areas zoned for industrial, commercial and residential use are moving closer and closer to one another. This close proximity is resulting in noise complaints between neighbors. Many villages, towns and cities have never had to deal with environmental noise issues until now and are finding the need to tackle this concern by introducing clear, fair and obtainable noise ordinances. The need to educate the community, city officials and building owners concerning the use of environmental noise control products and solutions has become of great importance. One common concern is the noise generated from mechanical equipment servicing the establishments in these areas and how it affects the surrounding residential communities.

As a result, city and state governments are developing noise ordinances.Noise ordinances are laws which limit the allowable noise level(s) at different times of day for different zoned areas (i.e. residential, commercial, industrial). The maximum allowable noise levels are typically higher during daytime hours and lower during nighttime hours. Some noise ordinances can be vague and open for interpretation without specific sound levels noted while others are very specific and call out specific sound levels and daytimes. Many small or rural communities will not have a noise ordinance in place, but in more densely populated areas such as big cities, noise ordinances are an extremely important part of the community’s health.

When there is a violation of a noise ordinance, it is typically reported to the police or other law enforcement agency. This will be followed by a site visit, recording of sound levels and based on the findings, the agency may issue fines and enforce that corrective action be taken by the owner.

Per "http://www.rentalprotectionagency.com/tenant-rights/apartment-noise-complaint" In Wisconsin superior option is to move first and then file an “Affirmative Cause of Action” which is a “Summons & Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief” for the LL’s action which is violative of ATCP 134.09. Any LL found guilty will have to pay the tenant double damages when violating this particular code, as it violates the tenant’s rights.... It is a legal maze when you must assert your rights as a tenant and you seek to keep your own record unblemished for future rentals, but you have been egregiously wronged. I hope that people seek the help they need quickly, and please know your state’s Statutes regarding Landlord-Tenant laws, and contact your local Legal Aid office.

Thank you for all the responses! I didn't expect so many so quickly! :) I'm going absolutely crazy with the noise and I have slept very little over the last few months.

I've already spoken to the building management. They say that they have no maintenance contract in place for the water pump and they can only ask the owner's committee to approve one at the AGM held every April. The manager confirmed that the pumps had not been serviced in the six years he had worked at the building - but didn't know how old they were and when they were last serviced.

The pumps are in a room on the roof of the building with the elevator equipment. They pump into a water tank which is also on the roof. There are no vibration pads that I can see and the pumps are bolted directly onto a plate of some sort which is bolted to the ground.

I complained to the local government who sent a noise assessor out. They took photographs and contacted the manager. However, they said they have few powers to enforce anything and they can only provide advice to the manager and owner's committee.

As you can probably tell, I'm not in the US! I'd love to just do a runner from this apartment, but I live in a place where you have to pay six months rent in advance and I just can't afford to.

I guess I'll have to pester the local government/ manager/ landlord to get a special session of the owner's committee.

When you say the results could be catastrophic - how bad could they be? The pumps are in the same room as the lift equipment.

I would be interested to know which country you are in. Pumps and lift controls in the same room sound positively dangerous. I am surprised the building codes permit this, but having lived in many countries myself I know how bad things can get. 6 years without a service for hard working pumps is also over the top. Replacing them now will save much money in the long run, and much gnashing of teeth too. Unfortunately the push for profit is greater than the use of common sense.

How catastrophic?

One possibility: If the bearing seizes, at the very least the motor will stop turning with power still applied. This will cause the motor to draw very high current and over heat. There should be protective circuitry both in the motor and at the control panel that will shut it off. If those are missing or fail to actuate, a fire could result.

Another possibility: When the motor seizes, there will be sudden large forces that could conceivably crack or break the pump housing or one or more pipe fittings. This could result in flooding the area, probably including your apartment, and quite conceivably render the elevator (lift) equipment useless. Again, water getting in to electrical equipment could conceivably start a fire.

It is inconceivable that any building manager would have to wait most of a year to get permission to repair a dangerous situation. That is the first thing I've noticed, other than your saying so, that would indicate that you are not in the US...

I'm in Hong Kong at the moment which explains the complete lack of regulation and disregard and disinterest from everyone involved.

dkwarner - That's extremely worrying!

I've already checked the local laws and the manager is correct. No decisions can be made until there is a vote at a meeting of the owners corporation. My building's corporation meets every April - so in 10 months' time. There can be an extraordinary session - but the manager is against it. He also said the owners would almost certainly vote no to spending any money.

The technical term for your situation is "You're Screwed!" The controller alternates the pumps to spread the wear evenly across both of them. The fact that the pumps sound different may indicate that the bearings are worn out in the noisy one, usually the second one is likely to fail soon too. This is also supported by the total lack of maintenance for them for over six years.

This is a catastrophe waiting to happen, since excessive bearing wear usually leads to rotating seal failure, and subsequent leakage around the shaft. Management probably won't do anything until they get a "no water" or flooding complaint, but you can always try to convince them that it's cheaper to fix it now rather then clean up the mess when something fails.

If you can't move, buy earplugs for now and some waterproof tarps for the future.

I am not familiar with the laws in Hong Kong, but here a lawyer could resolve this problem rather quickly I should think with threatening a lawsuit, and then filing failing lack of prompt response from the owner....This is what civil courts are for, recompense for damages suffered by innocent people from irresponsible sorts...While certain levels of noise are usually tolerated in the daytime, this is not so at night.... I would get my doctor involved and get medical proof that your life and health are being impacted by this noise....Get decibel readings by someone professionally and documentation....prepare for legal action, build your case...that way you will be occupied and prepared if it goes that far...Document all your correspondence with the manager, landlord, and any officials you deal with....Have the proof in your hand to show...and I must ask the most obvious question, did you hear the pump when you looked at the apartment? If so, why did you rent it? If not, then you were misled...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise_regulation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_from_noise

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/neighbors-noise-faq.html

Get a recording of white noise and play it loud enough drown out the random, changing pump noises.

It's like becoming used to living beside a freeway.

https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/cap400

Hong Kong fines of $100K, $200K for noise problems as defined by government

Sorry for the huge delay in replying to everyone.

I've been dealing with this as best as I can. I found a pretty good white noise app for my ipad and have bought a pair of ear defenders which are pretty comfortable and were cheap.

In terms of the pump... There have been no meetings of the owner's committee and none are planned for the foreseeable.

The manager said he would try and spray WD40 on the moving parts. Not sure if that helped. I don't know if I am getting used to the sound, but it seems a little quieter now - but it is getting more variable.

I got the noise assessor out once more to do an assessment. I found out that because of the type of origin of the sound, it has to be above 60db in my apartment for them to issue an abatement notice. It's controlled under 'Section 13(1)(c) of Noise Control Ordinance' This is different to if it were from a neighbor or a construction site where the limit is 50db.

They found the sound averaged at about 49.3db between 11pm and 11.30pm - but that was on one of the pump's quieter nights.