There is a property I know of coming up for sale and it is isolated enough that I could have my own personal pistol range--Hooray!

I now live in a residential neighborhood and I am anxious to get out of this socialistic lifestyle, and this property initially seemed like a great opportunity.

But, the residence is 275 feet from a high tension power line. Voltage unknown, calls to power company about this remain unreturned.

I think I know the answer to this already, and if I am not discouraged, a potential buyer in the future might just be. Research on this is sparse, and possibly so because power companies may not want the real story out there.

So, any experience with this and how close is too close? I am guessing 100 metres minimum, and that might still be way too close for comfort.

We had some high tension electric towers that cut across part of our hunting lease, and the limited exposure I had to them convinced me that I wouldn't live less than a half mile away from them. You wouldn't think that they make noise, but they do - especially when the wind picks up. They are a fire source, and it's rumored that they are a health risks. Add to that - the utility crews are regular visitors with their huge trucks. Their deep rutts caused my truck to high-center, fully loaded with fence posts and feed. I'd suggest avoiding them completely.

60 Hz ELF (Extremely Low Frequency) RF off of power lines isn't a health risk.

Touching one, is.

If the buzzing doesn't bother you, go for it.

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611

I was tempted to buy a very nice house about 30 years ago, but it had a high voltage high line (actually I think about 6 lines) running along one property boundary, probably one of those carrying >100K Volts. My present house is about 100 yards from a high voltage city line, but not one of those on a high tower. I don't know but probably medium voltage, maybe 5000 volts. It doesn't bother me.

The Electric and Magnetic Fields produced by your average Electric Transmission Circuit are less than those produced by a microwave oven.

Would you be worried about having a microwave oven in your kitchen?

That being said; it can be quite an uncomfortable experience to to sit in an aluminum lawn chair directly under a 345 kV and up Transmission Line. That's because the Magnetic Fields can induce a voltage in the lawn chair that is above the surrounding ground potential.

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Dave Brown
SWCA #3279

Hold a fluorescent bulb under a power line & watch it light up... then move away until it doesn't. That's about how close I'd live. We used to park heavy equipment under power lines overnight then get the greenhorn to touch them in the morning... the jolt was enough to wake them up but not hurt them. We currently live w/in 1/4 mile & it's no problem.

It seems like, so far, it's at about 50/50 for living about 275 feet from a high tension power line. Better than I would have expected, but not particularly good.

Keep the results coming!

It's VERY difficult to find a house and barn and other outbuildings with any land whatsoever in this area, the cost is similar to what my house will sell for, and you get all this and the lot size is 21 times the 0.27 acre lot I have now.

Living near them isn't much of a problem. I'll go with the 100 yards or more.

They're gonna be very particular about you shooting anywhere near their wires.

I'd use the land for a container nursery. Sometimes you can get a lease for expanding onto the power company land.

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Dum vivo cano

op, can you post a pic of the towers? that way we could figure the likely voltage (345 KV, 161 KV, etc.). maybe give a better answer.

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Vegan by proxy.

Here I was worried about a 110 or maybe a 220.

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Dum vivo cano

We looked at a new community being built nearby, and we considered the whole place a no-go because no plot was further than 200 yards from the power lines. I'm thinking about 400 yards would have been OK.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

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Slava Ukraini!

A Simple Method To Estimate the Maximum Voltage
of High-Tension Electrical Power Lines



High-tension electrical power lines have stacked disk-shaped ceramic insulators that support the power lines and tie them to the supporting towers. These stacked disk-shaped insulators are designed to prevent any voltage and current leaks between the power lines and the supporting tower. By counting the number of disks in the insulator stack and multiplying the total number of disks by a conversion factor, an approximate estimate of the maximum voltage carried by the power lines can be determined. (On lines where there are two insulator stacks supporting one line, only the insulators in one of the stacks needs to be counted.) Using the following rule of thumb, maximum voltage can be determined.

If 10 or less insulators disks, multiply by 15,000 volts/disk.

If 11 to 30 insulators disks, multiply by 20,000 volts/disk.

If 31 or more insulators disks, multiply by 25,000 volts/disk.

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Bill

I guy I grew up with lives about 2 miles from a generating plant with
the towers going across some of his pasture land. On a couple of
occasions he has parked his truck to close to the lines and when he
tried to attempted to get back in his truck he couldn't. Touch the
door handle and get the whiz shocked out of him. He had to get his
tractor and drag the pickup away.
My vote is at least 1,000 feet to be on the safe side. Of course the
power companies will not agree with this.

I'd live beneath them, and maybe set up an altar to electricity (mostly kidding).

Electricity makes our modern world possible, we ought to be more appreciative of it.

You forgot the option "no clue".

That's my case. I have lived far enough for such a long time(52 years), that I really have no ideia. And... I'm not planning to move.

Edit. Having read further down... I don't have a micro wave oven either ... And I'm not planning to get one.

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Expect the unexpected

If it doesn't bother you, and its a way for you to get a piece of property that you can afford, then I say go for it and enjoy. This from your post is what I would consider your biggest risk: "and if I am not discouraged, a potential buyer in the future might just be." Future sale of the property could be problematic and take time, but if that's not a concern to you then buy it and enjoy your new pistol range.

PASS!!!

I have a friend that is about 200 feet away from high tension power lines and he has had his otherwise beautiful house up for sale for 5 years!! People pull up and see the lines, never get out of the car and just pull away! If you can see them - PASS! I'd stay at least 3/4 mile- 1 mile away - but that's just me.

When he was buying the house 30 years ago he thought he was getting a great price - and I tried everything I knew to talk him out of it - he didn't listen.

My first thought as well for a rural setting, but there is a line running along the RR tracks 300 ft behind my house, and homes in this neighborhood sell rather quickly. Most people don't think twice about the power lines.

If you do decide to buy the property be sure that the right of way for the transmission line has access from some point other than than property you are considering. Many lines do have an access road. Many don't, and peoples' property can be destroyed in the process of the utility doing repairs or maintenance.


Any buzzing heard on a transmission line is the result of insulators breaking down, causing voltage 'tracking' or leaking across the insulators. Damp weather makes the problem more obvious.

This pole fire on a wet day was caused by tracking along the older insulators. The top eventually toppled over but was held up by the lines.

Attached Images

IMG_20200423_092607315.jpg (42.6 KB, 94 views)

At my age I wouldn't worry about it, but chief38's point would be a major concern.

Not even considering the voltage or whatever, they are just plan UGLY to look at, so no way for me.

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Still Running Against the Wind

Years ago I was pheasant hunting on a damp, foggy, misty morning. As I walked under the high power lines, with my shotgun resting on my shoulder, pointing up, I sensed something and looked up, and saw the wires arcing to the tip of my barrel. As I brought the gun down the arc didn't fade until the gun was pointing down.

Never hunted in THAT place again.

[QUOTE=jughed440;140806174

If you do decide to buy the property be sure that the right of way for the transmission line has access from some point other than than property you are considering. Many lines do have an access road. Many don't, and peoples' property can be destroyed in the process of the utility doing repairs or maintenance.




[/QUOTE]

How wide is the power company easement and is any of the easement on the property? We have a regular pole line across our farm where we grow hay and the only problem is working around the poles.
There was a dairy farm close too where I grew up that had a high line (big metal towers) crossing the pasture and the cows didn't seem to care. There were not any buildings under the line.
The towers are probably more of an aggravation than a danger. Larry

IMHO, If I can see them I'm to close. Obstructed by hills, trees, etc, ok.

Honestly its something I wouldn't want to deal with. Strangers coming around for inspections, repairs, etc. Years ago the trails around them were full of motorcycle/ ATV folks.

If its a deal and you can live with it it can be a win. Just remember when you sell it is going to be a deal for the next guy.

I was referring to the hum, not an incipient short. But there is that too.

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611

Not sure how wide an easement for a rural transmission line. I imagine that it varies depending on the width of the towers. I doubt that the utilities have any issues with farmers planting crops close to poles or structures.
The local (in town) easement is 20 ft wide. Nothing is supposed to be built or planted within 10 ft. of the center line. Yet a whole lot of privacy fences, shrubs, trees, etc., are within that R.O.W.

Let me see what I can do in the next few days. In the meantime, here's a photograph of the farm, the barn on the left is much bigger than seen in the photograph and the powerlines of concern are beyond the scope of the photograph to the right. There just isn't much like this farm out there these days and I like that it retains most of its historic features. It is in decent shape inside and hasn't ever been gutted, etc.

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5 acre farm.jpg (19.8 KB, 123 views)

Beautiful home and property. How old??
If you buy it you may want to invest in a good metal detector

The easement is on the other property, which was part of about 100 acres surrounding this farm at one time. The farm was separated out of the 100 acres and deeded to the township to be forever preserved back in the 1960's, so I can pay taxes on 5 acres and have 100 acres surrounding me. The owner claims that there are two other parties interested in this property and that she had it appraised and the appraisal came up right where I would have expected and maybe a little low, but this does not take into account the power lines. I think anything under the low end of the appraisal she has will insult her and also I don't know how badly the other parties want it, and they might just go over the high end of the appraisal.

It's definitely not bargain basement priced, but the appraisal is "fair". To be honest, I thought it was going to come in much higher. But again, the power lines are a problem.

It's her family farm, one parent passed away, the other cannot maintain it any more, and she lives too far away for her job to live there.

I have been looking for years for a place like this to no avail, but preferably without power lines.

The survey now says that about 25% are okay with 300 feet or less, and the residence is 275 feet at it's closest point to the power lines. Not good, not horrible. I don't want to glow in the dark someday, and my wife has serious concerns about these power lines and might end up nixing it all in the end.

Now my rant, too much of a population in this country, and I'm not disagreeing that maybe I am, or maybe I am not, part of the "excess". Makes for just too much development and a property with any land a rare bird. And we are only talking about a lousy 5 acres! In my U S History Class I seem to remember the Homestead Act allowing you to settle on 160 acres. A mere fraction of that would be a dream right about now.

The summer house to the left is mid-1700's. The main part of the house to the right is 1805 to 1807 or so, according to the daughter, and the addition on the back of that, where the porch is, was added on in the 1850's.

The huge bank barn from a book on barns of the era, I would guess was built in the 1830's, give or take.

I would go for it, I honestly don't remember seeing anything
negative, health-wise, in being somewhat close to those lines.
We have power line right of ways all over here, and I would be surprised if the homes directly behind them were any cheaper than ones further away.
Never heard of such a thing.

I'm guessing the OP is in the UK judging by his screen name, so the voltages may well be different than they are in North America where most of us are.

At any rate, I doubt there's a health risk from the lines, but it WILL make the property difficult to sell in the future. The lines are an eyesore, a general inconvenience, and potentially a fire hazard in windy conditions.

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Or something like that . . .

EM fields are like the force of gravity or any other form of magnetism.
The field's strength declines with distance at an exponential rate. It is an inverse square relationship. That means that twice as far away the field is only 1/4 as strong, 4 times as far away the field is only 1/16 as strong and so on.
275 feet away is far enough that any EMF from the lines would be less than you get from using your vacuum cleaner or sitting in front of your computer. Wouldn't worry me one bit.

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

I knew that from Veterinary Radiology classes, one foot is 1, 2 feet is 1/4, 3 feet is 1/9, etc., but try convincing that to others who need to...like the wife or the next buyer. But supposedly others are interested as well, but how interested???

...is the electricity that leaks out of outlets in your home.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I would not want a micro-wave oven running in my kitchen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, for who knows how many years.
Besides, it could be a hard sell to potential buyers when an owner wants to sell sometime in the future, whether the potential buyer’s fears are fact-based or not.

My son owns 40 acres of mostly woods. There are wires towards the rear of his property and we target shoot back there. Can't see then from his house and they are totally innocuous. No issues whatsoever.

If I can see them, no thanks.

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I’m your Boogie Man, uh huh.

If it were me I would probably buy it. There are other concerns though. The main house may very well NEED updating. Take it from me..I have done that. It is not cheap. First house was built in 1829...lots of work but I was young.. 2nd house was 1850s..still young enough to git 'er done. Last one before my present location was built in 1777. It cost mucho more than the others as by that time I needed help. So DO calculate any work you may have to do into the final cost. There is another concern though..If as some have suggested you are in England or Europe do you have to jump through hoops to have a shooting range? If so get approval first. I never needed to get approval for such but even with the one place(40 acres) in Md I still had people calling the Po Leece bout someone shooting. Where I live now I can shoot over a thousand yards with no complaints from anyone...even when I shoot the Barrett. Our only concern here is an oil field a couple miles past the property line so about 3 or more miles total..With the right wind it can smell a bit. Whatever you do, good luck with your endeavor and I hope it all comes together for you.

Some of us in the utility industry call them cancer clusters or birth defect seeds ( My P.C. interpretation of what they really are called). I have no proof of the wires causing health issues except what others claim. I do know when walking a line or working in a substation yard, my non-contact voltage tester in my pocket goes off and I have to remove the battery so it stops beeping.

I'm impressed about the England part. Yes, I have lived in the UK before and am licensed there, but the property in question is in Pennsylvania.

Skeet 028, do you have a property built in 1777 in Wyoming? If so, what is it as that would be very old by Wyoming standards. Or, is it in Maryland, as you seem to allude to?

To me, the house is very livable as is, and overbuilt. My wife doesn't see the same charm I do.

The last time I was exposed to a "Rule of Thumb" such as you listed was in college, and I graduated in 1982 so my memory may be faulty; but doesn't this apply to line voltage calculation?

If so, you would still need to multiply the result by the square root of three (1.732) to get the line to line voltage.

All poly-phase Transmission and Distribution lines are rated by their line to line voltage.

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Dave Brown
SWCA #3279

Evidently the current resident has lived there for a while w/ no health issues... I'd take a good look @ what needs upgrading in a 200 year old house & barn.

If it ment that I could move out
Of town I would jump on it

Well Pa IS a bit better. What part of Pennsylvania? I used to travel up there a lot. No house in Wy built in 1777. It was on the Eastern Shore of Md. They all were. Lived in one place for a while..built in mid 1700s. Had an oven built into the walk in fireplace There was a church behind my first house that was built in about 1680. Real church(later one) 1720.. As far as the ladies...they usually see stuff we don't but you do know they seem to like porcelain and easy heat....don't forget easy drive to shopping. Still there will be a bunch of stuff needing upgrades. Trust me. It's never easy with old structures. Those bank barns are usually well made. Lots in Pa in Amish country We tore the barn on the old place in Md and sold the chestnut lumber for more than a new pole barn cost us...and saved all that more than 100 year old lumber. All the structure's lumber was cut on that farm. As far as dangerous to liv near...very doubtful..just esthetics. BTW...the barn could be a neat place to have an indoor pistol range. I had one in one of my barns. Not heated but out of the weather.

I have power lines at the front of my property. The pine trees grow in the direction of them. It hasn't bothered me yet yet yet yet yet.

Exactly, more or less. Her father passed away a few years ago after having lived there over 30 years. Her mother is still alive.

I imagined the Wyoming part was just about impossible.

The structure is in the Allentown suburbs. That is about as rural as it gets around these parts. I would live elsewhere but I have this stupid little thing called a job, LOL! It limits where I can reside.

Oh yes..the 4 letter word...work. Spent a fair amount of time up in that area...A lot more in the Lebanon-Reading area though.. Used to shoot live pigeons up there in Pa. Actually my closest neighbor does have a 1777 era structure on his place..He is an adopted member of the Blackfoot tribe(seriously) and happens to have a real tipi/teepee on his place. Every now and then they have a get together down there...

Electromagnetic Fields and Cancer - National Cancer Institute

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213th FBINA