Noisy air-conditioners and pool pumps

[Graphite]

after reading all this it made me laugh! we had a bylaw officer come by to tell us our roosters were too noisy lol

Your roosters are too noisy! Turn them down!

[Fancy]

Sound travels a long way. Something to keep in mind when you are on water.

[Roadster]

Hey, some noisy air planes went over my house today! I missed what they said on the news! I am so angry because of that!

Stop the noise!

[Silverstarqueen]

I personally think weedwhackers should be outlawed, or some kind of noise level limit put on them. My neighbor had some horrible racket going on for over two hours. I couldn't figure out what could be that loud. I finally saw it was a weed whacker, must have been industrial strength but it was really irritating for that long. Just when it seemed there would be relief for a while and he quit, then the lawnmower started, which actually seemed quieter or at least less irritating, but by then I had reached the limit of my tolerance. I actually like this neighbor, imagine if I hadn't, it would have seemed twice as irritating. I guess I'll just have to wear ear mufflers since people are not going to give up their gadgets.

[Woodenhead]

What drives me nuts out here in the country is the unacceptable noise that the birds make. It's like they have no concept of peace & quiet. I can't get any sleep and I can't enjoy my deck without having to talk over them. It drives me nuts - no consideration at all. Don't even get me started on the wind in the trees.

[Fancy]

This morning the mourning doves were in fine form - one on each house in the neighbourhood it seemed like with all the noise they were making (certainly are morning birds).

[cate1896]

What's gadgety about a lawnmower or weed wacker?

[Fancy]

There are hand mowers and scythes available.

[cate1896]

Yes, I was thinking about buying a goat to trim my lawn but he might be too noisy ;)

[ride365]

What drives me nuts is people that take care of their yards. How dare the person that lives right beside me disturb my complete silence even though I choose to live in the city along with other people. They should ban all garden tools and property maintenance and let the earth return to its normal state.

What I really don't get why someone would want to trim their yard with a weedwacker when a pair of scissors and hours of free time would get the job done.

[Fancy]

Yes, I was thinking about buying a goat to trim my lawn but he might be too noisy ;)

That could be a baaaaaad idea and a cow is too big.

[cv23]

Yes, I was thinking about buying a goat to trim my lawn but he might be too noisy ;)

That could be a baaaaaad idea and a cow is too big.

You could adopt a herd of Enterprise bunnies and they'd be perfect guests (main coarse) for an end season BBQ

[ShannonG]

Forget the cheapy ear plugs. Go Big or Go Home, buy a place in the country, far enough away from your neighbor so you won't hear their air conditioner. Of course you will have to hear lawnmowers, sprinklers, bees collecting their honey, dogs barking, night owls screetching, coyotes howling, roosters crowing, geese passing overhead, cattle lowing, and a few cat fights. And those damn birds that start singing at daybreak. No doubt you will be the one calling the conservation officer because a bear or deer craps on your property, or Oh My God, I saw a coyote passing through.

Haha I live in the country and spend much of the day bellowing for my dogs to return home. Quiet country living!

[western_star]

Suzuki v. Munroe, 2009 BCSC 1403 (CanLII)
Date: 2009-10-14
Docket: S107052
[70] The Fact Sheet indicates that the W.H.O.’s Guidelines for Community Noise was the outcome of a W.H.O. task force meeting in London, England, in March 1999. The W.H.O. Guidelines contain the following table:

Bedrooms - Sleep disturbance - 30dB(A)

[72] In Dr. Oduwole’s report of July 5, 2007, he referred to the W.H.O. Guidelines. He states:

According to the WHO Guidelines for good sleep, sound levels should not exceed 30 decibels for continuous back ground noise and 45 decibels for individual noise event. (Birgitta Burglund et al 1995. Stockholm University and Karolinka Institute.)

[73] In Dr. Oduwole’s July 13, 2009 report, he stated as follows:

Noise pollution is environmental noise that is annoying, distracting and/or physically harmful. The Sources may be human, non human or machines.

The effects can be immediate and can be accumulative. The immediate effect is annoyance and other negative affects like anger, helplessness and anxiety.

The cumulative effects include problems with relationships.

Problems with concentration and fatigue.

Decreased working capacity.

Physical health problems due to increased autonomic and hormonal activation such as hypertension, increased heart rates, irregular heart beat, sleep problems characterised by problems falling asleep, frequent awakenings, alterations in sleep stages especially a decrease in deep sleep and alteration in sleep depth.

Emotional or mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, emotional stress, nervous complaints. Emotional instability, increased use of psychotropic medication as well as consumption of sleeping pills.

The magnitude of these changes is determined by individual characteristics and they can be temporarily [sic] but they may also become more permanent with prolonged and continuous exposure.

The effects can also be affected by the severity as well as the duration of exposure.

Those who are most vulnerable are usually the ill, the depressed and the elderly.

[100] Acts done with the intention of annoying a neighbour and actually causing annoyance will be a nuisance, although the same amount of annoyance would not be a nuisance if done in the ordinary and reasonable use of the property: A.M. Dugdale & M.A. Jones eds., Clerk & Lindsell on Torts, 19th ed. (London: Sweet & Maxwell, 2006) at 11782. In my view this is the natural corollary of the principle that the social utility of the activity complained of may be considered in deciding whether the activity is unreasonable. Activities designed to annoy one’s neighbours and having little or no redeeming social utility are unreasonable and should be discouraged by the law.

[106] Dr. Oduwole noted that the chronic stress disorder from which Mrs. Suzuki has been suffering for now in excess of three years, stems from two factors, the air conditioning noise itself, and the conflict with the Munroes.

[107] The damage she has suffered is indivisible as between the two causes. The noise itself has been the major contributing factor. It is not necessary that the tortious conduct of the defendants be the sole cause of the injuries sustained. It is enough if the tortious conduct is a materially contributing cause of the injury. In such circumstances the defendants are liable for the whole loss. There is, therefore, no room for apportionment of the loss or reduction of the damages based upon the fact some of the injury results from the dispute itself rather than the nuisance; see Athey v. Leonati, 1996 CanLII 183 (SCC), [1996] 3 S.C.R. 458 at 467-468.

[108] I will award $4,000 to Mrs. Suzuki and $2,000 to Mr. Suzuki as damages for nuisance. If I were not granting an injunction, the damages awarded would be significantly higher.

[dudlee]

Must be nice to have such serious problems...Seriously, is that all people in Kelowna do? *bleep* about everything? I have never seem a more complaining group of people anywhere.

Yup, hey the noise counteracts the generator oise from the grow ops , get used to it.