Upstairs neighbors roll and drop metal balls: why does this strange sound occur?

Causes of the strange sound of metal balls

For many years, people in various parts of the world have been hearing strange sounds from upstairs neighbors. This sound is similar to rolling metal balls and is heard only at night. Because of the mass nature of this phenomenon, people began to endure a variety of, sometimes ridiculous assumptions. Here are just a few of them:

• sounds of falling objects or a bottle - the bottle can actually roll, making a similar sound. Except you can't hear him on the floor below. A thick slab between floors and flooring will dampen most of these sounds;
• an elevator that goes back and forth - the rhythmic sound of an elevator can indeed be confused with many phenomena.But all witnesses noted the sound of "balls" as very loud. The elevator can make so much noise only in case of serious malfunctions. And besides, the sound was seen in houses where there were never elevators;
• opening the doors at the closet - the doors on wheels in the closets really make sounds when opened. But they're not that loud, and why would someone open the closet at night all the time? Such an explanation does not stand up to scrutiny;
• sewer sounds - pipes can really hum, vibrate and make different sounds. But the sound of balls rolling on the floor is still not peculiar to them;

• children or animals play with round objects - a child playing with a ball fits only at first glance. The sounds are too loud, and obviously of a metallic origin. And again, kids don't play at night.

Among all these false theories, there are only grains of truth. However, the answer that is considered to be correct is also only an assumption, just the least controversial. It is believed that the sounds of rolling balls occur under the following circumstances:

1. During the day, the building heats up, which causes its structure to expand slightly (within the allowable norm). Deformation from heat is provided for in the construction plan of any structure.
2. With this expansion, the pressure on the reinforcement changes, due to which they are slightly compressed.

3. At night, the building begins to cool down, and the load on the fittings subsides. An oscillatory return of the armature to its original form begins, during which a rhythmic metallic sound appears. It is this sound that people mistake for rolling balls.

A lot speaks in favor of this theory - reinforced concrete itself, which is used in construction, conducts sound perfectly.And the voids between the slabs of houses create a resonance that this sound enhances.

Video: explanation of the sound of rolling balls

There are many jokes and misconceptions about the appearance of a mysterious sound. There is only one logical explanation for it, although people do not stop building theories. And now you know what to expect when you hear a strange sound above your head.

How to teach neighbors who make noise from the side

Noise can also be produced by neighbors who live on the side. In order to take preventive measures against them, one should study their routine: when they rest, and when they are awake.

That's when they rest, then you should arrange entertainment for them.

That is, you need to act by their own methods: if they interfere with you with their behavior, then you should prevent them with your similar behavior:

• Loud music must also be answered with loud music. On the noise during the repair, you can try to start a repair yourself. The periodic inclusion of a puncher from the wall of the neighbors will constantly remind them how you felt when they did the same;
• if the neighbors are resting in the morning, then leaving the house, turn on the music for them to listen to, leaning the speakers against their wall. The sound will be better transmitted if your equipment is equipped with a subwoofer;
• to conduct preventive work with neighbors, you can hire workers who, in your absence, will play noise effects.

The measures taken will force the neighbors to conclude a settlement agreement with you, and the long-awaited silence will come.

Naturally, these measures can not always be applied, or if a positive result is not achieved, then something else will have to be invented:

calling a neighbor's intercom when leaving home for work;
morning dialing to a neighbor's cell, while your number should not be determined;
placement of advertisements in free periodicals and online publications that the neighbor urgently, in connection with his departure, sells his apartment cheaply, or rents it out on favorable terms

Advertisements should be placed carefully so that it is impossible to figure out who their real author is;
placing fake subpoenas or fine notices in the mailbox or under the door. Such documents must be in the form of real documents.

You can use the relevant forms by downloading their templates from various Internet resources.

Naturally, such "documents" must contain the correct personal data of neighbors. They can be obtained by looking at the receipts for utility bills that come to their address.

The measures taken can help restore peace and tranquility to you. There are many different tips on the Internet, how with the help of simple, and sometimes simple devices, you can deprive your neighbors of the opportunity to watch television programs by imperceptibly damaging their cable by piercing it with a needle.

If both ends are broken off, then it will be almost impossible to find damage, and the neighbors will have to buy a new cable, which in the future may fail in the same way. In addition, you can damage the television antenna itself if it is placed on the roof of the house.

If a neighbor is playing noise from a radio receiver, then you can find a way to suppress radio frequencies. If you are a specialist in the field of electrical engineering, you can install a device that will automatically turn off and turn on electricity at a strictly defined time.

Methods of fighting according to the law

If neighbors regularly make noise and conversations do not bring the desired effect, you can put them in their place by resorting to the law “On the Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare of the Population”.

Mandatory period of silence for apartment buildings set in the range on weekdays - from 23.00 to 7.00, on weekends - from 22.00 to 10.00. The only exception is New Year's Eve. Silence times vary from region to region.

Carrying out construction and repair workexceeding the permissible noise level is prohibited from 19.00 to 9.00 on weekdays, garbage can be taken out from 8.00 to 22.00. In some regions, activity is allowed until 22.00.

At the same time, noise is constantly allowed for no longer than 6 hours, then you need to take a break. At lunch, you must also observe the "quiet hour".

To calm down the raging neighbors, it is advisable:

• To call the police. However, you need to be prepared that law enforcement officers will not arrive or will do it late. In this case, you can complain about their inaction to the prosecutor's office, since all calls are recorded. It is recommended to write a statement to the district police officer after the visit of the police. As a result of actions, violators will have a conversation, and they also face a fine. Sometimes the algorithm has to be repeated several times to pacify the neighbors.
• Conducting an independent review. It is especially shown if the neighbors make repairs very noisy, not observing the norms and time established by law. The sound volume is measured, the results are recorded in the act. In this case, the device must be accredited, the experts must have a license. Otherwise, the act is declared invalid.
• Appeal to the court. It continues the previous methods of solving the problem by considering it by the judiciary.Of course, it will not work to survive and get rid of the neighbors, but the method will help to teach violators a lesson and recover compensation for causing moral harm. Usually the court assigns a minimum amount, but if claims come from other residents or collectively, noisy neighbors will incur significant financial costs. They are also charged the cost of the examination.

Noise level standards

Understanding the battle between neighbors and determining who is right is helped by measuring the volume of sounds that the suffering side produces.

The legislation fixes the permissible noise levels:

• during the day - 40 decibels;
• at night - 30 decibels.

Some excess of the norm is allowed, but only in the daytime and not more than 15 units.

A sound at a level of 40 decibels is perceived as colloquial speech, 80-90 decibels as a scream.

Examples of perception are shown in the figure.

What sounds are classified as violations

According to the law, any noise exceeding the established norms is considered a cause for complaint and is subject to consideration.

Punishment shown for:

• non-compliance with the volume level of speech, screaming;
• the use of devices and objects that make noise (firecrackers, loud household appliances);
• construction, repair, finishing works;
• singing and playing musical instruments;
• use of sound reproducing devices;
• failure to take measures to disable the alarm in the car;
• barking, howling of pets;
• moving furniture;
• baby crying, etc.

Sounds are considered violations if they exceed the standards and occur during the period of silence defined by law.

Fine

When silence is violated, law enforcement agencies impose penalties on a noisy neighbor.At the same time, not only ordinary residents, but also officials and enterprises are subject to material penalties.

The amount of the fine increases, depending on the number of violations. Possible amounts are shown in the picture.

How to teach noisy upstairs neighbors a lesson

These small mischief do not require serious preparation or any additional knowledge, but they are great for getting on your nerves. So, what else to do to annoy the harmful neighbors:

• Call a landline phone (preferably at night) and be silent on the phone. Those who have a computer "on you" can install an auto-dialer program that can be found on the Internet and calls will be distributed in a neighboring apartment without your participation.
• Burn the doorbell button to harmful neighbors. This act may seem stupid, but war is war!
• Use spray paint and decorate your neighbor's metal door with a three-letter inscription (of course, the words "home", "peace" or "noise" are meant).
• Buy a GSM jammer. This device will deprive neighbors of the opportunity to use the phone and the Internet. You can even anonymously warn them that this will always be the case if they do not begin to respect others.
• This method is only for those who are not squeamish, it can be called "shit on the door." The door of the offender can be smeared with feces (dog, cat or human). You can bring the “weapon of revenge” in a bag (or better in two), and use rubber gloves.
• If funds allow, buy a speaker system and let the upstairs neighbors enjoy hard rock! Only install speakers closer to the ceiling.

Tabloid:

These tips will help you emerge victorious from the "neighbor war" and make noisy tenants reckon with the comfort of others.

How to harm neighbors from above, below, behind the wall

Methods of dealing with violators of public peace can be very different. If you need to teach a lesson to rowdy neighbors, you can use one of the following ways to annoy, while not greatly violating the actual norms of the legislative framework:

Let's see how much you can work part-time

Method 1

• To teach neighbors a lesson, you can use a simple way - to block the front door. This can be done provided that the door opens towards the staircase.
• Take the board and set it so that one end rests on the doorknob of the harmful neighbor, and the other on the floor, step or railing, depending on where the entrance to the apartment is located.
• Now it is impossible to get out of the apartment on their own, and the neighbors will have to wait until other tenants come to their aid and remove the board. If they want, of course.

Method 2

• If the neighbors are completely fed up, you can decide on any muck. Including damage to the lock on the front door.
• Lubricate several needles with glue and insert into the keyhole. As a result, the one who “does not bark, does not bite, and does not let them into the house” will not let the owners themselves in either. In this case, it is impossible to repair the lock, it will need to be changed.

Method 3

• If you are haunted by a constantly screaming TV in a neighbor’s apartment, and he ignores requests, you can cut the antenna cable, or better, cut a piece. It will take time for the intruder to eliminate the trouble, and you can at least briefly enjoy the silence.
• In the same way, you can damage the telephone cable. A trifle, but unpleasant.

Method 4

This method is only suitable for those who are well versed in electricity and can do everything they need without the risk of injury.

If the music of the neighbors is too loud and the noise does not subside after 11 pm, you can “conjure” in the electrical panel and deprive the apartment of electricity. This is easy to do by cutting out a piece of wire so that it is difficult to connect the trimmings.

Illegal methods of dealing with noisy neighbors

Legal, semi-legal and technical ways to deal with noisy neighbors

Appeals to the authorities are not the only way to punish noisy neighbors. Influence them with the help of improvised means. Some of them have been known for a long time, others have appeared only recently thanks to technological progress.

The information is provided for informational purposes and not as a recommendation.

vibrocolumn

Another name is vibrodynamic. This is a noise amplifier operating at resonance. Sound waves grow from application to a flat surface. It is enough to purchase the device online, connect it to a computer or phone and attach it to a wall or floor.

As a result, the noise will sound from the neighbor. The trick is that in the apartment itself, where the vibrating column is installed, nothing will be heard. Therefore, those who come running to figure it out will experience at least surprise - a convenient way to take revenge on the neighbors from below for the noise.

phone with pot

A little outdated, but effective way to deal with neighbors from above.

The recipe is the following:

• you need to find the surface closest to the ceiling, for example, a kitchen cabinet;
• fill the pot with water almost to the brim;
• install it on the mezzanine, put something dense to press it against the ceiling;
• attach a phone to the container, turn on music or make a call.

The principle of operation is the same as that of the vibrocolumn, but the scope is limited only to the ceiling. Of the benefits - a clear demonstration of the laws of physics and efficiency. Among the shortcomings are the complexity of the design, some bulkiness and a high risk of detecting a noise source by a neighbor.

Other technical means

With enough imagination and free time, you can invent other tools of revenge. For example:

• a battery-powered machine with a piece of wire hitting an iron horizontal bar;
• signal silencer - without registration, you will have to get rid of the device;
• design with a hammer monotonously knocking on the wall.

The main thing is not to cross the border. There is nothing easier than turning yourself into a delinquent, punishing noisy neighbors. Sometimes it is worth limiting yourself to the traditional measured tapping on the batteries, because, most likely, the hint will be understood.

Are the neighbors noisy? Will the law help?

The laws differ in the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus (and local regulations also apply in different regions of the Russian Federation). The lower limit of “silence time” can start at 21 or 22 o’clock (so if neighbors make noise after 23, it is forbidden everywhere), and in the morning you can make noise from 7 or 8 o’clock.

It is also impossible on weekends and on public holidays: these days the “night” norm of the permitted volume level is in effect. The law also prescribes what the maximum permissible volume (in decibels) is for day and night.

But the law is the law, and there is a great difficulty in collecting evidence that the neighbor really exceeded the permitted decibels. You have the right to call the police, and the squad is obliged to arrive, but during this time the noise may stop.Yes, and measuring the noise with a noise meter (by the way, the police squad does not always have this device!) Can show the absence of an excess (nevertheless, the sound can be really disturbing - for example, monotonous tapping, hum, TV on, etc.).

What to do in such cases?

Law enforcement officials have the right to ask neighbors - did they suffer from a similar sound? You can insist on conducting such a survey and documenting its results!
Of course, the police can ring the doorbell to violators, and they are obliged to open - however, if at that time the sound has already stopped, a violation protocol will not be drawn up. Also, the police do not have the right to look for a possible source of noise in the apartment without a search warrant.
You can insist that the sound makes you uncomfortable - refer to legal regulations on public health, safety during renovations, etc.

Google what local or state regulations can be "far-fetched" on the question of what to do if the neighbors are making any noise.
If the neighbors are constantly making noise at night, pay attention to the police. You can additionally go to the precinct and write a statement

If some other tenants write a similar statement, then the visit of the district police officer to the violator will become more likely.

Be sure to ensure that each of your appeals to law enforcement agencies is recorded - at least in the form of a statement with a signed liability for perjury.Calling the squad by phone and faced with the reluctance of the operator to send a patrol to the specified address, you can remind her that the call is being recorded, and the operator may get official trouble for an ignored call.

It is very difficult, almost impossible to translate such types of noise as stomping, crying children, barking dogs, etc. into the plane of an offense. - that is, those sounds that are not the result of the work of repair tools, electrical appliances or audio equipment, and in terms of loudness, in principle, are included in the permitted noise range. If you call the police and complain that the neighbors have a baby crying for an hour in the middle of the night, or that the neighbors from above are making noise above you, stomping loudly, they won’t even accept your call.

Alas, in our country, the police come to family scandals and other cases of domestic violence only in cases where there are obviously or may be victims with bodily injuries, and talking in raised tones in your own apartment is not considered an offense.

It will also be more prompt to react to the suspicion that the neighbors are manufacturing or selling drugs, or prostitutes “work” in the apartment, etc.

Like it or not, they will figure it out on the spot - it is important that the police arrive as soon as possible, so be as eloquent as possible!. What will happen if the police arrive and there is a violation of the noise threshold? The violator must pay a fine in the prescribed amount

Sometimes administrative responsibility (payment of a fine) does not occur immediately, but after repeated requests from residents (for this, it is necessary that documents about all previous calls and related to the precinct statements be kept).Criminal liability will come only when, in addition to the noise, a criminal offense has actually occurred.

What will happen if the police arrive and there is a violation of the noise threshold? The violator must pay a fine in the prescribed amount. Sometimes administrative responsibility (payment of a fine) does not occur immediately, but after repeated requests from residents (for this, it is necessary that documents about all previous calls and related to the precinct statements be kept). Criminal liability will come only when, in addition to the noise, a criminal offense has actually occurred.

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How to annoy: sounds for neighbors from above

Method 1

The enemy must be beaten with his own weapon - this is a well-known truth. Try to get your neighbor with his own noise!

• To do this, make an audio recording of the noise that comes from the neighbors. Gather a larger “collection”, and then, using a special program, a large selection of which can be found on the Internet, mount the “track”. If you do not know how to do this, you can scroll through the same entry in repeat mode.
• Then install the speakers closer to the ceiling (if the upstairs neighbors are bothering you), or to a joint wall (this is for those who live "through the wall") and turn on the recording at full capacity! It’s better for yourself to leave the house for this time, so as not to go crazy in such an environment.

Method 2

Upstairs neighbors love music, and you inevitably have to be a music lover too, because the equipment yells almost in the ultrasonic range? Maybe they even bought a percussion instrument? All your requests to be quiet and reminders that this is not a nightclub, there is no response?

Get advice:

• Strike back and give them a concert in your performance! Let them listen to an exquisite composition that you will perform on radiators! The sound will be especially sonorous if you use metal objects, knock even with a spoon.
• It is possible that the neighbors from below will “come to the light” to you, who will also hear the “concert”. Apologize and honestly explain the reasons for your behavior, complain about uncontrollable music lovers. Who knows, maybe in the face of a neighbor below you will find a like-minded person who agrees to play “four hands” on batteries?

Method 3

You can take revenge on your neighbors with a pot of water placed on a cabinet or shelf under the ceiling. You need to install it so that the edges are firmly pressed to the ceiling.

Put headphones on the pan, connect them to the music center or computer. And turn on at full power music. It turns out an impromptu vibrocolumn, while it will be quiet in your apartment, which cannot be said about the neighbors from above.

Method 4

You can not only take revenge, but also survive the neighbors with the help of ultrasound. There are devices designed to repel rodents and insects with ultrasound. The sound of this device resembles the squeak of a mosquito.

If you are well versed in technology, then by “conjuring” on the device, you can ensure that the unbearable squeak will also catch the human ear. It is extremely difficult to exist in such an atmosphere.