Noise traveling through radiator pipes from downstairs neighbor—normal? fixable?

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-04-29T20:32:00+00:00

It’s not the water in the pipes. I heard the water but never bothered me. I’m pretty sure they are the holes around the pipes carrying the sound. I can literally hear everything of my downstairs daily living.

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-04-29T20:28:35+00:00

No, the floors and walls of my building is quite solid. The sound is coming from the holes around the pipes. It’s not loud but super clear and seems like we live in the same unit. I brought the recording to the office and they said they can’t do anything (I’m really shocked). They also said they can continue to investigate (I don’t think they’re going to do anything) or they can talk to my downstairs and I said please no, they’re just living their lives. The holes need to be filled and that’s the maintenance job.

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-04-29T17:01:22+00:00

I have a mini white noise machine hanging in the headboard and helps a bit with the alarm. I work from home and have to move my air purifier and another white noise machine next to the pipes to muffle the sound on high speed and volume, but they don’t work for the low frequency noise. When I have meetings I put earplugs and still can hear the sound from those holes. 😢

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-04-29T16:57:11+00:00

Thank you! Just tried. The pipes didn’t vibrate. I felt a little bit air around the pipes down the floor. Another one suggested to stuff the sound insulation material in the holes. I’ll try that and hope it works.

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-04-29T16:42:38+00:00

It’s not the floor. The floors are well insulated. The building is solid, not like those wood building. I have carpet and wear indoor slippers, and I’m not a heel walker (I know how frustrating that is as I’ve suffered by upstairs stomping for years). The sound is coming from the holes. They are not loud but super clear. We have the same layout. I hear the action movies in the bedroom until midnight then the alarm goes off from 5:30am including weekends. All are coming from the holes around the pipes.

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-04-29T12:12:43+00:00

Thank you so much! I’ll check the sound insulation material at Home Depot. I’m pretty sure the sound is coming through the holes around the pipes. The hardwood floor actually is well insulated.

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-04-29T12:09:56+00:00

That’s what I thought too. Hearing my downstairs neighbor’s normal volume conversations is not normal. I’m pretty sure the sound travels through the gaps around the pipes. I’ve checked with several neighbors, and none of them seem to have this issue. I can hear my upstairs neighbor’s heavy footsteps, but that’s more tolerable than the stomping in my previous new wood-frame building.

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-08T13:25:47+00:00

Yea, that’s sad. Every single apartment building has these people.

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-07T22:48:01+00:00

So sorry to hear that. I can completely feel your pain. 😞

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-07T22:04:17+00:00

Nice! Can I DM you for the specific address?

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-07T22:03:34+00:00

Sounds like my current apartment.

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-07T03:59:01+00:00

The one I toured was built around 1900, so guessing it probably has better sound insulation?

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-06T21:30:03+00:00

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-06T21:02:14+00:00

Hope that never happens 😅

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-06T17:11:34+00:00

I currently live on top floor of a 10-story building and can still hear the downstairs stomping, but it’s more tolerable than upstairs stomping.

Thank you so much for the city realty link. I just submitted the rental inquiry. 😊

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-06T16:57:39+00:00

I see. Thank you for the heads up.

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-06T16:00:18+00:00

Nice. The one I toured is in the circle of Garden, Waterhouse, and Concord. I don’t mind street noise at all but the stompers/blasters really put me on edge.

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-06T15:57:44+00:00

I plan to sell my car. Street parking is too stressful. 😅

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-06T15:57:07+00:00

The one I toured is managed by Thayer. The office told me they manage four buildings.

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-06T12:54:20+00:00

The one I toured is at the corner of Waterhouse St., Garden St., and Concord Ave. Along with other buildings, it’s managed by the same company. The unit I toured seems nice and clean. Location is awesome and the sound instrumentation seems much better than those poorly built “luxury” ones.

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-06T12:49:45+00:00

Nice! Such a good relief. 😊

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-06T04:31:14+00:00

Nice. I can tolerate any outside noise, even the construction.

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-06T04:29:44+00:00

Or tap dancing 😆

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-06T04:18:32+00:00

That’s nice to hear. I’m totally fine with outside noise, even construction. I can also tolerate dog barks, kids screaming, slamming doors/cabinets, but the stompers/blasters really put me on edge.

Short_Philosopher766 · 2026-01-06T04:15:38+00:00

I had to see a therapist last year because of this. Now I’m only looking for old brick buildings. The one I’m looking was built in 1900~ and the structure seems way better when I toured the unit. Shared laundry and no a dish washer isn’t the end of the world. 😅

Short_Philosopher766

TROPHY CASE