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Intermittent Interference

PLEASE HELP!!!

Ever since I moved into my house, all of my equipment has been experiencing some kind of interference. This is usually a "farting" noise that comes through the speakers (home theater, computer, guitar amplifier, telephone, etc.). As far as I can tell, this noise only occurs to devices plugged into the house's electrical outlets and phone jacks. There is no pattern to this noise. I kept a log for a while, but it didn't tell me anything. The noise will last from anywhere between 5 seconds to several minutes. It occurs at all hours of the day/night, regardless of which day it is. It also does not correspond to any of my appliances (central heating, washer/dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator compressor, etc). I have all the same equipment I had at my old house, and I never had a problem. It does seem to happen more often when there is moisture in the air (during the summer it doesn't happen nearly as much as it did last winter). Now, since it is getting more foggy at night, the noise is becoming more frequent again.

Electricians have replaced the entire electrical panel for the house. They have put in a new ground post (8 feet deep) and hooked up to a different feed from the utility company. None of these solutions worked.

I have some video I took on my cell phone of this noise and posted it to youtube. Please take a look:

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Thanks for taking the time to read this.ANY suggestions would be greatly appreciated. If this is not the right group to post this, I'd appreciate some redirection.

-Mike

Reply to
Monks
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Do you live near an emergency outpost or something like that? I am not an expert in electronics or electricity, but I live next to a fire department, and a busy highway where people are getting stopped by the police alot. I hear the interference from their radios through my speakers, although I can't make out anything they say. I just here a buzzing much like you recorded. It also seems strange that you hear it happens during bad weather because that's when it happens more often here. Just a thought.

Reply to
gorehound

There may be a cracked HV insulator on a power line, causing intermittent arcing - arcing might cause your symptoms.

Ed

Reply to
ehsjr

Is there any way you can surely determine if the noise is transmitted through air or conducted through the house wiring or both? Gene

Reply to
EpsilonRho

The only way I have tested this is by using my little 9-volt battery-powered guitar amp. It does NOT get the interference and it's not using house power. I don't have a power supply to be able to plug it into a wall outlet to test for sure.

It doesn't happen on my cell phone either.

I am going to try shutting down circuits one-by-one in hopes that there is some miswiring at one of the wall outlets. I'm just grasping at straws now. I really don't want to move but may have to.

-Mike

Reply to
Monks

Do you mean in the house wiring? Is there any way I can do a point-to-point test to see if this is the case or not?

Thanks for the idea.

-Mike

Reply to
Monks

Interesting. You're the first to have heard a similar sound. It's possible that it's a radar/police radio because I am near a main road people travel down. I don't hear voices though, it's exclusively that farty sound like in the vid I posted. Also interesting that you get it when it's bad weather. I'm POSITIVE this has something to do with it but still don't know what to do next, other than to move. Thanks for the reply.

-Mike

Reply to
Monks

If you don't have a portable AM radio, nip out to the car when it starts happening, leaving someone in the house. If you get the same interference pattern on your car AM radio - then you know it is probably airborne and not via the house wiring.

It sounds like arcing to me. Actually it sounds like a novice arc welder who makes a few trial strikes before getting an arc going. Any neighbours got a new toy?

If it is airborne - wander around the area when it happens with a radio and see if you can get a direction to, or even localise, the source..

If it is coming over the mains wiring - then see if any neighbours on the same phase have the same problem. Try and get a direction towards the strongest interference..

Reply to
Palindr☻me

No - not in the house - outside on the utility power pole. Ed

Reply to
ehsjr

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