I have also been going crazy with a low frequency hum in the house. I am a shift worker, so on days when I am sleeping during the day, the hum is just as bad as when I am trying to sleep at night, although when I am up I would swear that its worse at night. I have turned off everything in the house, have put the rubber insulators under the legs of the fridge, you name it, I have tried it. It has been going on for several years, and has gotten much worse over the past month. I thought it was the neighbours hot tub, so yesterday, I asked if they would turn it off for overnight, and even offered to assist with the cost of repairs if that were it. I was convinced that last night at last I would get a good nights sleep. WRONG! The hum persisted. Earplugs don't help, they amplify it. I swear I can actually FEEL a vibration. It bothers me the most, and the sound is loudest in my bedroom. I am going out of my mind.

Has anyone else heard it or just you? If others can hear it start by pulling your main breaker for a few minutes. If the hum is cases by a "machine" the sound will stop. If the sounds does stop turn the main back on and shut one breaker off at a time to pin down the circuit powering the machine. Come back after you do this.

Beside the breakers, also turn off the water, see what happens.

A Leak? A look at the water meter, may show this?

Had not though of a leak, that could do it.

Do you live on a slab or a crawl-space or basement? If you are on a slab, the leak could be under that. Turn off your shut off valve in your home (often near the floor or hot water heater) and see if the leak noise goes away. You can also simply call the water company, and they will come out and check your meter, to see if there is a problem with it. You should look for a small triangle of star on the top of it tat may be spinning. A spinning of that star or triangular "leak indicator" would indicate a water leak also .

Please, let's keep this topic going! There was a previous post started in 2007 with 11 pages or replies, a lot of helpful tips, but no real solutions yet. I tried posting on a local site with no luck. Its driving me crazy and I am contemplating moving away. I have lived here 8 years with no problems, and can still remember the late night sometime before December 2010 when I started to notice the low humming sound that I swore angrily was a neighbor kid and his subwoofer stereo somewhere. I walked around the neighborhood and could not locate, noise only inside the house, not outside, but just imagine a car driving by with its super-base subwoofer cranking and rattling your windows, and maybe driving away a short distance, no rattling windows, but the same type of low pitch intermittent, ongoing vibration or sound, 24 hours a day. There are wind turbines nearby, also power lines, a nuclear lab, a small local airport, and a busy freeway on a grade, never bothered me before. Maybe sensitive to low sounds,but no tinnitus. The recent changes that happened toward end of 2010: a new PG&E meter, a new ridge vent on the roof, some new antenna-looking device on the top of one of the power lines, Caltrans patching the freeway grade with large intermittent sections that rumble very noisily when driven over. I recently traveled to three different cities in SoCal, not too close to freeways, and to my great dismay heard it there too but very faintly. My question: is there any type of business or organization that can measure these low sounds and can help with locating source? Biggest part of solving this problem is being able to verify its existence and locate its source!

I have had the same noise in my house for over a year. My husband could not hear it. He asked it might be in my head. WRONG. It was driving me crazy. I finally figured it out. It is the toilet flappers are leaking water. Replace them . I couldn't tell it was leaking. Sounds crazy but that's the problem

NancyF, good input, I believe that was your problem, not sure the Flapper is not always the problem. There are many causes. Some Electrical, some water related, some have nothing to do with the house. I don't know if it is safe to say, "Thats the problem", for all of these. Good you solved your problem.

The problem is the toilet. When I turn the water off to the toilet the noise stops. If not the flapper the ballcock. Thank you for your input

I am also having this same problem. I was thinking it was just me until my 3 year old asked me what the noise was. My husband can not hear it. We have cut the power to the house and have tried to turn the water off to the house. It appears to be worse during this time of year (Sept - Feb - maybe winter). Is there such a thing as a noise specialist, who could come in and try to find the noise? This really can make you crazy!

Hello, I live in Clinton Township, MI and your post says it pefectly for me. Its driving me crazy. I don't know if I want to bring it to the attention of my wife, because it will be driving her crazy. How do we get heard at the city level.

Gary