[imagesource: Exploringauckland.com]

You might know that there is nothing quite as petty nor prone to intense drama as a spat between neighbours.

Add in something like a “noisemaker revenge machine” and you’ll certainly have a win-lose situation on your hands.

Residents of Auckland’s prestigious Pacifica building had to deal with the sound of a vibrator humming in the walls of their home 24-7 for a month.

The NZ Herald reported that 25 neighbours in the lux high-rise were driven “just about insane”, before the cause of the noise nuisance was discovered and disabled.

Investigations took weeks until management discovered the device, one resident said:

A resident explained a man had installed it in a window cavity, behind a blind, specifically to aggravate his upstairs neighbours for unknown reasons: “The device causes a low vibrating-type hum at about 35-40 cycles per minute at about 80hz. It sounded like a cellphone ringing on vibrate stuck in the wall, but it never stopped and just continued all day, all night.”

“I’ve been told it’s a ceiling vibrator V2 version, vibrating and knocking. It just about sent 25 residents insane because it took a month for it to be located. Everyone thought it was an electrical or mechanical issue that created a dull, repetitive noise 24 hours a day. I know of residents who couldn’t sleep and abandoned parts of their apartments,” the resident said.

New Zealand’s tallest apartment tower might just have the pettiest neighbours:

Image: Supplied to NZ Herald

Ceiling vibrators or thumpers are said to be invented in China and are sometimes referred to as “noisemaker revenge machines”. They’re usually height-adjustable rods that run from floor to ceiling and make vibrations or knocking noises, controlled by a remote or continuously running while plugged in.

The device was plugged into the mains at Pacifica and left to its own devices, annoying everyone high up in the $300 million 57-level luxury apartment block.

Chris Ivers, Pacifica body corporate chairman, said that he can’t discuss matters relating to individual apartments and residents due to privacy reasons:

“Earlier when they had located the noise close to the apartment they asked for access and now believe the owner turned off and hid the unit when the apartment was inspected for the cause of the noise. This is why apparently it took so long to locate it,” the resident said.

According to the site that sells the Ceiling Vibrator System V2 Version, the devices are a “legal” way to get back at annoying neighbours, reported Stuff.

Then again, “The permitted noise limits within an apartment are set so that the permitted noise level should not interfere with the occupants’ sleep,” says Auckland Council Compliance Response and Investigations team leader David Frith.

So in Aukland, that kind of noise nuisance probably isn’t all that legal.

In South Africa, we call a “noisemaker revenge machine” a generator.

[sources:nzherald&stuff]