By Ian Patterson
Do you live in a neighborhood where there is a lot of external noise from neighbors or passing traffic? External noises interfere with your opportunities to relax after a long day at work.
I live in a house that backs onto a main road where traffic is constantly driving past. When I first moved here it did not seem too bad, but then they extended the road to three lanes and suddenly there was an increase in traffic.
At times, the noise was so constant that it was almost as if it was not there until it was time to sit on the patio and relax or friends came over for a barbecue. It was only then that I realized what an annoyance it was and an embarrassment when we had friends and family over.
How Could I Get Rid Of The Noise?
The city was not going to divert the traffic just because I did not like the noise. That idea was just too ludicrous.
I could move but I would probably not make a good deal on the house. Prospective buyers would hear the noise and be put off. I did not want to leave anyway. The location suited me; it was close to the park and stores.
I thought about planting a tall hedge to block out the noise. I did not really have the room for that and the cost would have been prohibitive. I already had a six-foot wall that blocked out the sight of the traffic but not the noise.
The Answer Is White Noise.
I read about white noise having the ability to drown out other noises. A technical explanation is that white noise is a random signal that contains equal power within a fixed bandwidth at any frequency.
What this means is that white noise has the ability to cut through background noise and in effect drown it.
How To Create White Noise
I could, of course, have bought a white noise generator but that would not do any good at all, as it would itself generate noise. I needed something that would be aesthetically pleasing, would generate a bearable noise and would have low maintenance and running costs.
Waterfalls generate white noise naturally. The noise is very pleasant to listen to and is in fact, soothing. After a lot of research, I found that outdoor fountains will create exactly the same environment as a natural waterfall.
Waterfalls are able to drown out background noise very effectively. Outdoor fountains have the same effect and are very pleasing to look at and make a great addition to the landscape.
After planning and preparing the site, I bought an outdoor fountain online and positioned it between the traffic noise and the patio. Installation took less than an hour for me to complete and was well within the range for most people to accomplish.
Not only did the outdoor fountain effectively diminish the traffic noise, it also became a focal point in our landscape and a conversation piece at our barbecues.
If you neighborhood noise is interfering with your relaxation time in the garden or on the patio, I highly recommend installing an outdoor fountain. You will be pleasantly surprised.
Ian Patterson is a professional, published freelance web writer and CEO of Write Research Office since 2004.
With over twenty years technical and genealogical research and writing experience he turned to freelance writing in 2001 and is recognized for his SEO experience.
Contact Write Research Office for article writing, web site authoring and optimization.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ian_Patterson/161949
Memtech Acoustical supplies and installs CSM (Cambridge Sound Management) technology systems, including white noise machines, for our customers in the military, medical and educational fields. Cambridge Sound Management offers innovative, simple and intelligently engineered solutions to the problems of privacy and acoustic distractions.