Neighbor's Noisy Air Conditioner
Anybody have an idea of how to deal with a neighbor whose air conditioner is going to drive us crazy? His window air conditioner shakes our house and he is across the back alley. It’s noisy and he doesn’t care. Is this a 311 complaint? Thoughts?
Anybody have an idea of how to deal with a neighbor whose air conditioner is going to drive us crazy? His window air conditioner shakes our house and he is across the back alley. It’s noisy and he doesn’t care. Is this a 311 complaint? Thoughts?
it’s crazy that people are evn using air conditioners already! def call 311!
I have called about noisey ventilation from a restaurant – and DEP repsponded quickly and set up appointment within a week or so.
BUt of course – they would need to come at a time when you can be sure the A/C would be on.
Not sure what they do – when it is a residential a/c complaint. I doubt they could insist that neighbor turn a/c off to get necessary decibel level reading.
His window AC shakes your house? Do you live in a yurt?
welcome to new york, chief.
DEP showed up four hours after I made a noise complaint about a noisy bearing on a merchant’s blow-up advertisement. Yes, I was surprised too.
A professional noise abatement engineer isn’t a peace officer. A DEP inspector still has to witness the violation and measure it in order to write a ticket.
Which takes weeks or months, Steve to get someone out to do that. So most people go ahead and hire their own noise expert to make things go more quickly. There are only a handful of DEP inspectors with those devices. The new noise code went into effect but the city didn’t buy many decibel meters and when they did it was after a long delay.
It’s not the complainant’s responsibility to hire a pro. DEP sends an inspector with a decibel meter. The new NYC noise code limits A/C noise to 45 decibels. However, the new noise code also has a new measurement standard: “plainly audible”. With this, even cops without a DB meter can write a noise violation.
If the decibals are above the limit set by the city for noise from AC’s and machines (it’s part of the new noise code) then yes you have a legitimate complaint and he’d have to get a more quiet AC. But you have to lay out the money to hire the noise expert to record and measure the noise it makes.
Frankly for all that expense, it would be cheaper for you to just buy him a brand new, nicer quality, more quiet window AC. Plus you’d have a solution to your noise problem far more quickly than going the other route. Just find a way to offer him the AC without insulting the guy. So that he’ll take it and install it.