Electrical Question

[dollie65]

Does anyone know if the mains power is turned off at the electric meter do transformers still continue humming?

[woofgang]

they may do briefly as they may have capacitance (holding a store of electricity for a short time. Can you unplug the transformers? what are they for?

[dollie65]

Ive been trying to track down an electrical hum in my flat for over 2months! ive exhausted everything I can think of ! Its not the Communal lighting as this have been disconnected and the hum is still there! Its 24/7 and doesnt let up!
The woman upstairs has a fan connected to her light fitting and I wondered if that may be the cause..hence the question re the transformer..

[woofgang]

so are you saying that the lady upstairs has switched off her electricity and you have switched off yours and you can still hear a hum? have you been able to record the hum?

[dollie65]

All the power to the 4 flats have been turned off and the hum is still there...its not just me other people have heard it to ...thats why the communal lighting was checked as we thought it was that....
Tried recording it but my recorder isnt picking it up....Im really at a loss so are the council....I have googled to try and get some info but coming up with nothing .

[The Builder]

When you say you've turned it off at the meter, do you mean the consumer unit (fuse box)?

Perhaps you have an isolator switch?

If the consumer unit is switched off, are there any other ones, perhaps smaller, supplying a shower for instance?

[dollie65]

Yes The Builder The consumer boxes have all been turned off so theres no electricity running through to the flats..And the hum is still there!!

[Old_Geezer]

You are 100% sure it is in your flat and not outside ?

[dollie65]

Its definitely not outside or anywhere else its mainly in the bathroom which is under the communal stairs but the sound vibrates through to the rest of my flat...

[beso]

Someone may have previously made an illegal connection bypassing the meter.

[The Builder]

Assuming you can't hear it outside in the street/garden, then that should rule out electricity supply transformer up a pole somewhere........ or a street lamp.

Wind whistling through an air vent?

[The Builder]

Wind through the bathroom fan outlet ............. turning the fan.

[dollie65]

No its not that sort of sound it sounds like a bathroom extractor fan is running 24/7....an electrician did check my bathroom and a faulty shaver socket was found and that was taken out..I do have a shower pump but i switched that off at the meter one night to eliminate it and the hum was still there..

[The Builder]

The communal parts will likely have its own supply. Is that confirmed as off?

[dollie65]

Yes the communal area has all been sorted and new lights have been put in...

[The Builder]

I only wish I were there. I'd love to know what it is. All out of ideas right now, Dollie.

With a bit of luck, Bright Spark will see this later. He may have some suggestions.

[dollie65]

Id Love to know too lol....just checked the fan in my bathroom and in my next door neighbours and its not them!

[Hymie]

While giving your problem some thought, my modern toilet cistern started to leak, discharging a slow flow of water into the toilet bowl.

The sound it made was pretty much like a loud constant mains (50Hz) buzz – which made me think that if sound you can hear is not due to an electrical source, it may be some resonance effect due to a constant water flow through a valve or restriction of some type, within the property.

[Khandro]

Tinnitus - seriously!;
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tinnitus/Pages/Introduction.aspx

[Buenchico]

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/have-you-heard-the-hum-mystery-of-earths-low-droning-noise-could-now-be-solved-10182111.html

[EDDIE51]

Are you hearing 'The Hum' ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hum