Anyone else feel embarrassed about the neighbours hearing the noise

[bfinch2000]

Re: Anyone else feel embarrassed about the neighbours hearing the noise

i do get worried about this too, so i try to pop only rarely so they don't see it as a regular thing. for me it's not just the noises of the balloon though ... i can be kinda vocal when if feels good, if you get my meaning

[Boom&Bust]

Re: Anyone else feel embarrassed about the neighbours hearing the noise

To be honest I'm getting so pissed off and stressed with my next door neighbour always making a load of noise, I feel like beating on some balloons and making them burst out of anger, it would sure de-stress me, and because of how I'm feeling and it wouldn't be in a sexual way, I would feel less self conscious about the neighbours hearing. Plus it'd only be one or two, I wouldn't be popping many of them.

It sure beats screaming really loud which I would find more embarrassing, or for my physical or mental health suffering because of feeling stressed so much everyday.

If they ask me what the noise is when I next see them, I'll just tell them the truth, "I popped some balloons to get rid of stress".

It's the stupid neighbours fault for making me feel like I don't have much choice but to do that.

[Asclepio]

Re: Anyone else feel embarrassed about the neighbours hearing the noise

Usually I never worrry about noise, my neighbors are very indifferent with others (I dont even know their names or what they do for a living) so if they hear loud bangs they never call the police or even ask me about what is happening.
We all live like strangers, sad I know, but convenient for my fetish.

[Boom&Bust]

Re: Anyone else feel embarrassed about the neighbours hearing the noise

Okay, so I did my first two tests today.

I put my camera recording downstairs and recorded my voice for some comparison when listening to it back so I can get a better idea of how loud the pops will be for the neighbours, and upstairs I popped a 12", 18" Karaloon, and an 18" chrome with a knife. They were fairly underinflated and I was wearing earplugs and ear defenders over those since I'm too chicken, it's been many years since I've popped balloons.

They didn't sound that loud to me at all, and so this gave me confidence to inflate the same sized balloons again but more this time, they were I guess a little bit under inflated still (you can see how inflated they were in this picture I took before busting them). So once again I popped them with a knife, this time they sounded a LOT louder.

When I listened to the recording I tried to turn the volume up so my voice was about as loud as it normally is, and all the pops sounded quite quiet in the background to my surprise. Strangely though on the recording the second lot of pops didn't sound much louder from the first, yet at the time when I popped them they sounded way louder than the first lot. So I'm not sure if the recording is really that much of an accurate representation of how loud the pops are downstairs.

I'll eventually do another test, I'll put a soldering iron on a balloon upstairs, plug it in, and then go downstairs so then I'll really know just how loud it is down there.

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[Boom&Bust]

Re: Anyone else feel embarrassed about the neighbours hearing the noise

I've still not received the Qualatex 16" inch ones, I ordered them from someone in my own country (UK) 10 days ago.

I've give it maybe another week, and if I don't receive them I'll have to contact the seller.

I also got some of those chrome balloons from China and they are great. Except they sent two different kinds in the same pack. One has a round body and fat neck. The other one is oval shaped and thin neck. I prefer the round ones. I would get some more but it is hard to tell who is selling which kind.

I think all of mine are round. I'll check them later just to make sure, if all of them are round I could then give you a link to who I bought them off on ebay so you can be sure to get all round ones if you're interested.

[Slugamano]

Re: Anyone else feel embarrassed about the neighbours hearing the noise

A couple of years ago I did some tests both at home in our house and in our cottage. First I inflated a 14” balloon to the max and I put it onto a cold soldering iron. Then, I turned the iron on and left the house and shut the door. After about 30 seconds I could hear a muffled pop. Though I had known what would happen I could not recognized the source of the weak noise.

Then, I attached an uninflated 14” balloon to an old pump of a ancient magnetic tape unit. I turned it on, left the house and closed the door. After about a minute I could hear a muffled pop. It was slightly louder then the previous one but though I had known what would happen I could not recognized the source of the weak noise.

So, since that test I can pop balloons when I want and I haven’t worried about the neighbors.

[Common Loon]

Re: Anyone else feel embarrassed about the neighbours hearing the noise

Hey TCL, I remember you from the UKLooners forum. My username on there was The Masked Looner.

That's me! Good to see you back here

[Boom&Bust]

Re: Anyone else feel embarrassed about the neighbours hearing the noise

So I did the soldering iron test. I put a soldering iron on an almost fully inflated 12" balloon, plugged it in, and sat downstairs.

I was expecting the pop to be a lot louder than what it was, but wow, it was just a very distant, muffled, quiet pop, it wasn't even obvious that it was a balloon popping.

I don't think I will have to worry about the neighbours at all, this is awesome.

I will still do a fully inflated 12" soldering iron pop test though, and pop tests with the bigger loons. I also want to hear how it sounds outside too.

[wildheart]

Re: Anyone else feel embarrassed about the neighbours hearing the noise

Bare in mind a pop from a soldering iron is going to be a lot quieter than a blow or sit to pop. It should give you a general idea though. It makes a big difference if your windows are open too.

[Boom&Bust]

Re: Anyone else feel embarrassed about the neighbours hearing the noise

Strangely when I did the same test today, the pop was a lot louder. I then did the test again with a balloon that was quite a bit more underinflated than the first, and the pop was even louder, so loud that I think it will bother the neighbours if I was to have a balloon popping session.

I really don't get why the pops were a lot louder this time, especially with the balloon that I'm sure was either as underinflated or more underinflated than the two balloons that I popped yesterday which were really quiet.

[wildheart]

Re: Anyone else feel embarrassed about the neighbours hearing the noise

Any changes in environment from the first tests? Different room, windows open (even just a little)

[Boom&Bust]

Re: Anyone else feel embarrassed about the neighbours hearing the noise

Everything was exactly the same, except that when I did it yesterday it was later and dark outside, and when I did it today it was earlier and light outside.

Maybe it was just my imagination that the pops were louder? But I really don't think it was.

Today I also did a squeeze to pop and sit pop, and they were way way louder than any of the soldering iron pops and knife pops.

So, there's no way I'm going to be able to have any popping sessions.

[craggy2012]

Re: Anyone else feel embarrassed about the neighbours hearing the noise

To be honest I’d probably be more embarrassed if they could hear me playing some Girls Aloud whilst I was getting all medieval on a load of balloons lol!

[Boom&Bust]

Re: Anyone else feel embarrassed about the neighbours hearing the noise

Hi, craggy. Do you think your neighbours can hear you bustin' loons?

[Boom&Bust]

Re: Anyone else feel embarrassed about the neighbours hearing the noise

Oh, wait, I've just remembered that there was another difference between the soldering iron pops that I did last night, and the ones that I did today.

Today I couldn't get the tip of the soldering iron to stay on the balloon at all, it kept slipping off, so I had to use some sticky tape over the handle of the iron to stick it to the chair armrest so it wouldn't move.

Yesterday I didn't have to use tape as I was able to get the soldering iron to balance on the armrest and the balloon.

But I cannot see this as having any effect on how loud the bang was.

Maybe I could inflate some loons and just leave them around long enough for them to oxidize, since I think then they wont pop as loud, but I'm sure they'll probably still be too loud though.