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Just within the past few days, an annoying humming/buzzing has been occurring on the bottom corner wall of our living room. I immediately thought it was electrical in nature. After trying a few things, I eventually turned the electrical breaker to the house off. To my surprise, the humming/buzzing is still happening. So now my mind is in a pretzel thinkings it’s not electrical.

Anyway, there are a few other important details: it is an outside wall. The electrical comes in from that wall to the house but it is not directly adjacent to the humming/buzzing section of the wall. The A/C unit is also on the outside of that wall.

I went to the basement as well to see if I could pinpoint the issue but directly under where the humming/buzzing would be I hear absolutely nothing.

Any thoughts from anyone on this?

Pack from PA
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  • Also there is a gas fireplace on the wall as well…so in recap: electric comes in on that wall. AC unit is on that wall, and gas line to fire place is on that wall – Pack from PA May 30 '22 at 02:21
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    A free smart phone app like spectroid for android phones can show if the frequency is a multiple of 60Hz. And by moving the phone around, the detection of the source is much easier. The ears' detection capability is irritated by low frequencies. – xeeka May 30 '22 at 03:04
  • Thanks for the idea. It is humming at 120Hz…what does that tell me? – Pack from PA May 30 '22 at 11:47
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    IT tells you that whatever the sound source is, it is powered by utility electricity. 120Hz is the hum produced from circuits and appliances powered with 60Hz AC. Unless, of course, you happen to live in Europe, Africa and most of Asia where the mains frequancy is 50Hz. – fraxinus May 30 '22 at 12:17
  • Username suggests the US, so gotta be 60Hz – htmlcoderexe May 30 '22 at 12:29
  • Thanks…but where im lost is how it is still humming when I turn the circuit breaker off. Is the AC tied directly into the utility power source? – Pack from PA May 30 '22 at 12:38
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    There is power from the pole to the meter to your first/main breaker at all times. If there is a problem with that, you require help from the power company, usually. Preferably before your house burns down. AC refers to alternating current, not air conditioning, in @fraxinus comment. – Ecnerwal May 30 '22 at 12:42
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    The house/main breaker only turns off electricity pass that breaker, not electricity going to the breaker. Power pole to electric meter to main breaker to house circuits. – crip659 May 30 '22 at 12:51
  • Thank you all. So may be an issue with electric going to meter? – Pack from PA May 30 '22 at 12:54
  • Did you turn ALL circuit breakers off, and are these the main ones? If so, that seems likely. Do you know where, in relation to that corner, the power mains enters the house? – MiG May 30 '22 at 13:16
  • I turned the main circuit breaker off to the house, which is in the basement. The noise (humming) is less than 10 feet away and one floor above (main level) – Pack from PA May 30 '22 at 13:33
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    That's pretty close. I would definitely contact the power company. Could you add photos of the area (zoomed out for context), both inside and outside? Perhaps there's something that we could spot that might shed more light on this and get you to a solution faster. – MiG May 30 '22 at 14:03
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    Appreciate everyone’s comments and help….I found the culprit. My son, who just turned one, has a slew of new toys to play with. The one in the corner (that everyone in the household thought was off) turned out to be on and omitting a low frequency. Feel like an idiot for not checking it sooner but I’m chalking that up to my son having teeth coming in and us not getting a ton of good sleep. Thank you again for everyone that responded. It was much appreciated. – Pack from PA May 30 '22 at 16:11
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    Odd noises are hard for most people to locate well, sometimes even by experts. Most times it comes down to luck. You just had the bad luck that the toy was near stuff that should not make odd noises and needs to be investigated. Buzzing from household electrical equipment is not normal. – crip659 May 30 '22 at 20:01

1 Answers1

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Walk outside and look for bees or wasps going in and out of your wall.

If they are honeybees, it is far preferable to call someone to come and remove them rather than to kill them.

Once they have been removed, repair of the wall should prevent a recurrence.

Ecnerwal
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  • Not wasps or bees. Checked outside. – Pack from PA May 30 '22 at 02:10
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    For honeybees, after the bees have been removed, you should inspect for and remove any hive. Unfortunately, doing so may substantially increase what's necessary to fully remedy the issue. Leaving the remains of a hive, particularly with honeycomb containing honey, will provide a food source for other pests, which may cause more damage/issues than the original hive. – Makyen May 30 '22 at 15:05
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    Not bees or insects. Checked all around the house. – Pack from PA May 30 '22 at 15:13
  • @Makyen if you call the right folks, that will be a part of the removal process. – Ecnerwal May 31 '22 at 01:23
  • @Ecnerwal Ture. However, what happens with a "normal" removal of bees depends on the infestation and capabilities of who you call. Most people doing bee removal aren't going to be doing much beyond removing the bees and any portion of the hive which is semi-convenient. It is, however, possible for there to be a hive that's been present for a considerable amount of time, which could be in extensive areas of the building's walls, ceilings, attic, basement, etc. In the worst cases, remediation may require the level of expertise available from a general contractor, or a *very* proficient DIY. – Makyen May 31 '22 at 03:40