Neighbor Noise

[aaronc879]

What type of plug? I used the silicone flanged plugs, never liked the expanding foam plugs.

I use expanding foam. Maybe i'll have to try your kind. Are they available at a Walmart/Walgreens type place?

 

[braumeister]

What type of plug? I used the silicone flanged plugs, never liked the expanding foam plugs.

I disagree. I've never found silicone plugs to have as high a noise reduction rating as the foam variety.

I've used these for decades with total satisfaction. They only cost a few cents each when you buy a box like this. And although marketed as single-use, they actually last for a very long time, used over and over.

Howard Leight MAX-1 Foam Ear plugs Uncorded NRR33

 

[Car-Guy]

When I lived in Houston, I think there were some laws about excessive noise. (Mowing yards, chainsaws, etc) I think it was something like not before 8am and not after 10pm. Something like that. We had an issue a couple of times with people partying outside at all hours but that stopped after few calls to the cops. The cops seem to be tolerant with the noise offenders the first time but not the second or third call.

Out here in the county it doesn't matter. I was out on the tractor a few weeks ago at almost mid-night. Of course I doubt that the nearest neighbor could hear anything unless they were outside and the wind was blowing in the right direction. Maybe!

 

[aaronc879]

I disagree. I've never found silicone plugs to have as high a noise reduction rating as the foam variety.

I've used these for decades with total satisfaction. They only cost a few cents each when you buy a box like this. And although marketed as single-use, they actually last for a very long time, used over and over.

Howard Leight MAX-1 Foam Ear plugs Uncorded NRR33

Those don't work well at all for me. They are even worse than the ones i'm using now which are similar to these:
https://www.amazon.com/Flents-Quiet...1&sr=1-1&keywords=quiet+please+foam+ear+plugs

 

[DrRoy]

I would want to get the lawn mowed by 9am to avoid the hotter times of the day so that means probably starting by 8am. What do you think is a reasonable time to start outside noise or end it at night?

+1 This is pretty much what I do. When I mow in the summer, I will wait till 8 am to start.

 

[braumeister]

I've used these for decades with total satisfaction.
Howard Leight MAX-1 Foam Ear plugs Uncorded NRR33

Those don't work well at all for me. They are even worse than the ones i'm using now which are similar to these:
https://www.amazon.com/Flents-Quiet...1&sr=1-1&keywords=quiet+please+foam+ear+plugs

That is just fascinating. The ones you showed are similar to the ones the USAF hands out to anyone flying as a passenger on their aircraft. I've always found them to be poor performers, even with a NRR of 29.

OTOH, the ones I showed, with a NRR of 33, have been just about perfect for me, over 3 or 4 decades.

Just shows that what works for one person is useless for another. The answer, obviously, is that you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a prince.

 

[MRG]

My a$$hat neighbor starts at 7:00 just cause. His dog stops barking when the sun comes up so we can get a couple of hours of sleep.

 

[MichaelB]

Our very noisy garbage collection is at 7 am and the HOA begins landscaping at 7:30. They also won't allow any contractors into the neighborhood after 6.

We use a white noise machine, which works very well to drown out road, mowing and leaf blowing noises.

 

[Just_Steve]

I use expanding foam. Maybe i'll have to try your kind. Are they available at a Walmart/Walgreens type place?

Not sure, I have a bunch from the old j*b. I use them for sleeping, shooting and on the motorcycle.

 

[GrayHare]

What kind of foam earplugs? Those with a smooth coating block way more sound.

 

[Just_Steve]

I disagree. I've never found silicone plugs to have as high a noise reduction rating as the foam variety.

I've used these for decades with total satisfaction. They only cost a few cents each when you buy a box like this. And although marketed as single-use, they actually last for a very long time, used over and over.

Howard Leight MAX-1 Foam Ear plugs Uncorded NRR33

Guess its like beer, I prefer IPA's how about you?

 

[MRG]

What kind of foam earplugs? Those with a smooth coating block way more sound.

+1

 

[Sunset]

I won't mow before 10 am, because I'm not keen to mow, so my neighbors must be happy.

 

[ponyboy]

Hmm...im not sure. I live on 30 acres so I do not have to worry about these issues...lulz

When I used to live in an apartment complex I would wear earplugs every single night along with running a sound machine...the dohm brand I believe. Worked well...did that for 10 years.

 

[Big_Hitter]

we had a guy that lived on our golf course on the 7th hole. He would play rock music as loud as possible during the day in order to irritate the golfers. He was butthurt because the mowing equipment would wake him up in the morning. After about 3 citations for disturbing the peace, he sold his house. What a loser.

 

[CaliKid]

I think our HOA is officially 7:00 am for noise/construction workers/etc.... However, I aim for 9:00 or later to be nice. However, I personally think any time after 7 is fair game. Rude but within the normal rules of life... in my opinion.

 

[Music Lover]

Snow blowers in the winter are an exception. You have to be able to get out of your driveway to get to work and they may mean snow blowing at 5am. That's just a part of living in a place with lots of snow. People need to realize that and go to bed early when there's going to be heavy snow overnight.

The difference between blowing snow and mowing the lawn is that no one in the winter is sleeping with their windows open and the chances of disturbing someone are much less.

 

[JoeWras]

The difference between blowing snow and mowing the lawn is that no one in the winter is sleeping with their windows open and the chances of disturbing someone are much less.

Another factor in favor is that the fresh snow absorbs a lot of the noise.

 

[audreyh1]

A crop duster has been buzzing our neighborhood starting at 6:30AM for many mornings this summer, and it lasts a long while. The cotton is harvested now, so that should be over.

We do get the occasional low hovering helicopter in the wee hours.

 

[photoguy]

I disagree. I've never found silicone plugs to have as high a noise reduction rating as the foam variety.

I've used these for decades with total satisfaction. They only cost a few cents each when you buy a box like this. And although marketed as single-use, they actually last for a very long time, used over and over.

Howard Leight MAX-1 Foam Ear plugs Uncorded NRR33

Are these basically as good as it gets with noise reduction? I would definitely be willing to pay more but I haven't seen anything much over a 30db rating.

 

[braumeister]

AFAIK, yes. I've never found better.

 

[Sojourner]

Personally I would never fire up my lawnmower or weed trimmer or anything with a loud engine before 9:00AM, especially on weekends. Just basic, common courtesy to those living nearby who would likely be irritated by the disturbance. Others in my neighborhood clearly don't feel this way, as I've been woken up from a dead sleep numerous times over the years by people who blithely start mowing or blowing or edging at like 7:30. And since I almost always cut my grass and do other yard work around 6:00pm, I know firsthand that it's not really that uncomfortable to be outside at that time of day. Sure it's a bit hot, but way better IMHO than getting up at the crack of dawn working on a yard that's coated with dew and clogs up your mower or trimmer with big clumps of wet grass.

 

[MRG]

Personally I would never fire up my lawnmower or weed trimmer or anything with a loud engine before 9:00AM, especially on weekends.

I agree. As a kid I mowed our 2.5 acres with a 30" rider. Took at least 6 hours on the thing. DF would have bought a reel mower and make me use it if I'd started before 9 any day and noon on Sunday.

 

[meierlde]

The difference between blowing snow and mowing the lawn is that no one in the winter is sleeping with their windows open and the chances of disturbing someone are much less.

Actually the sleeping with the windows open depends on where in the country you live in the summer. Once AC came to open the windows at night in the south is to invite dew to condense inside the house and thus allow mold to grow. I once spent some time at an oil camp in indonesia in a house that was built before ac (all be it ac'd at the time). At the bottom of the closets were light bulbs that were put there to keep the temp of the closet above the dew point so moisture would not get on the clothes contained. Once you have ac it runs at night enough to keep the humidity down.

 

[W2R]

My Mom emailed me this morning complaining about one of her neighbors using a chain saw at 7:15am on a Sunday. That got me wondering what other people think is reasonable for a time to do outside yard chores that are loud like a chainsaw, or lawn mower. If I owned a house I would want to get the lawn mowed by 9am to avoid the hotter times of the day so that means probably starting by 8am. What do you think is a reasonable time to start outside noise or end it at night?

Because of our infamous summer heat and humidity, mowing here begins earlier in the day than it might in some parts of the country. AFAIK almost nobody sleeps with the windows open here in the summertime because we have the AC going full blast.

My lawn guy, who mows several houses on our block, normally begins at 8 AM every Wednesday morning. He has an assistant to do the edging, and they finish in about 2 hours. This week, due to the rains, he began at 7 AM while it was still relatively dry.

In other parts of the country where I have lived, 9 AM was a more acceptable time to begin mowing.