How to Pinpoint the Source of That Low-Pitched Hum

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Do you have particularly sensitive hearing and sense the odd noise that others simply do not notice? If so, you will be very aware of this over-sensitivity and try not to "make a fuss" when you hear something strange, but recently you've started to get worried. What is that low-pitched, humming noise that appears whenever you walk around in your living room?

It's a Noisy World

It can often be very difficult to isolate one individual sound from a cacophony of other noises in the neighbourhood. If you live in a particularly busy area, then you may suffer from noise pollution brought on by construction or road traffic and this tends to blend in with other sounds generated within the household. Members of the family may be using a hairdryer, chatting amongst themselves or listening to the television and all of this adds up to assault your sensitivity.

Action Plan

Resolve to get up early tomorrow morning so that you can get to the bottom of this. While other members of the family are asleep and the rest of the world is silent, you can begin your process of exploration. As you walk around the home, see if this noise is more noticeable in a particular area, but if that doesn't help then you should begin by turning the electricity off at the mains switch. If the sound disappears, then it's clear that it's associated with your power supply and you can narrow down further.

Elimination

Turn all the circuit breakers off and then turn the electricity back on. Next, activate one breaker at a time until that pesky sound reappears. Hopefully, you can see a label next to the breaker that gives you information about the circuit and this can direct you to the outlet, appliance or fixture in question.

Overworked Outlets

Find out if the hum is coming from an outlet, now that you have narrowed down your search parameters. This is not normal and could indicate an overload due to faulty wiring or excess rating. It's possible that the outlet is not grounded correctly, and you should proceed with caution.

Faulty Breakers

If you return to the circuit breaker as the noise is not coming from anywhere else, then this indicates that the circuit is overloaded, and the breaker is faulty. In other words, the breaker is not doing its job by isolating the problem and this needs to be investigated as soon as possible.

Taking Action

Now that the rest of the world is waking up, you can place a call on a professional for electrical services. Ask them to come out and look at your installation as soon as possible, for safety's sake.

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20 August 2018

Understanding the Electrical System In Your Home

Most modern Australian homes rely heavily on electrical power. Unfortunately, not many people realise just how much they rely on electrical power until the power supply to their home is disrupted in some way. There are a number of steps you can take which will help to protect the electricity supply to your home. I am not an electrical contractor, but after a couple of power failures, I have learnt an awful lot from the professional contractors who came out to repair the wiring and fuses in my home. I hope this blog will help you to keep the lights on in your property.