How close would you live to high tension power lines?

How close to a high tension power line would you feel comfortable residing?

  • Under 100 feet

    Votes: 18 13.4%

  • No less than 300 feet

    Votes: 17 12.7%

  • No less than 1000 feet

    Votes: 29 21.6%

  • At least 1/2 a mile away

    Votes: 21 15.7%

  • At least 1 mile away

    Votes: 27 20.1%

  • No way! It had better be well over the horizon.

    Votes: 22 16.4%
  • Total voters
    134
M

mrcvs

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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.
 
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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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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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.
 
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.
 
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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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.
 
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.:D

Edit. Having read further down... I don't have a micro wave oven either:rolleyes: ... And I'm not planning to get one.
 
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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.
 
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mrcvs said:
I think I know the answer to this already, and if I am not discouraged, a potential buyer in the future might just be.
Click to expand...

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.

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

Touching one, is. :eek:

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


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.
 

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