Do you/have you live(d) near powerlines (transmission towers)?

moomilky on 30/12/2020 - 18:17
Last edited 04/01/2021 - 15:58

I'm thinking about buying a house that's a little over 200m away from some powerlines (transmission towers, not the normal timber ones in the front of the street).

I'm convinced from what I've read that links to cancer risks are either negligible at this distance or not valid.

I'd like to know if there are other things to consider if you live near them. Noises, pollution, interference, etc

Anyone live(d) near them have any input?

Edit: Just want to make it more clear - I'm interested in annoyances, not cancer risks

For those who are interested and/or for future reference, I took a reading from the street, 2 houses closer to the transmission towers. It fluctuated between 0.19 and 0.22 milligauss, which is very safe.

A reading from my lounge room where I currently live, with my phone in hand and TV on was between 0.01 and 0.06.

Reading from near my WiFi router, with phone in hand was between 0.06 and 0.13

Home & Garden

Comments

  • Sir Ingram on 02/01/2021 - 14:43
    +4

    The worst I've seen

    1 Electric St
    https://maps.app.goo.gl/bfNZNBTpbayT3Acn6

    • footyboy on 04/01/2021 - 13:27

      Aptly named.

    • SF3 on 04/01/2021 - 13:40

      With Park view.

      Perfect for free charging an EV.

  • tryagain on 02/01/2021 - 14:58

    My main issue would be that we seem to be moving in a "post truth" direction as a society, were institutions seem to be trusted less than random people off the internet, and it takes multiple times more time and effort to dispel false claims than to make them.

    This can be evidenced by things like the rise in antivaxers and those that think essential oils are a substitute for modern medicine.

    This could mean that the discount you have to sell for in the future due to the proximity to the transmission lines could be more than you receive buying now.

  • JennyLong on 02/01/2021 - 18:36

    I've not had any problems. In fact I used to live in Singapore and the concentration of the high voltage power lines underneath the footpath were so strong and you don't get the cancer rates you get in Sydney.

    I do have some preconceived notations about it possibly making the people that live around the voltage lines more smarter. I really do think there is evidence showing this. That's also why Singapore keeps topping academic achievements.

    I didn't go to James Ruse, but I did get into a selective school. Go figure? In my business life I am quite successful too. I have not moved away from the power lines as a result of my success.

    • SBOB on 02/01/2021 - 19:32
      -1

      "more smarter"
      but I did get into a selective school.

      Not a 'grammar' school I assume :)

      • JennyLong on 05/01/2021 - 12:18

        When writing casually for ozbargain and ever increasingly for work, short sentences are better than long sentences. Phrases are often used in place of sentences.

        It becomes less important whether I actually put a comma there or not, as long as I show there is place for the reader to pause then it gets the job done. In fact I would wonder why everyone is so pedantic about something that does not earn them money. The use of paragraphs is the more important issue. The comma is really useless.

        It's a bit like the fools that tell you always to write in active language. Come on, there are reasons for not doing so.

    • SF3 on 03/01/2021 - 08:35
      +1

      I didn't go to James Ruse, but I did get into a selective school. Go figure?

      As per OP’s post, that is an annoyance of not making it into JR.

      As you said cables are underground, in places with high rise living, the lower floor’s economic status isn’t as high as the upper floors… just saying.

  • nightqueen on 02/01/2021 - 22:16

    Over head electric wires and poles could be a fire risk. Major thunderstorm or winds could knock a tree over the lines and start a fire and possibly leads to homes being destroyed.

  • Philthy on 03/01/2021 - 00:33

    take a fluro tube there and get free lighting.. do u even ozbargain?!

  • linhlink on 03/01/2021 - 01:01
    +1

    This is my area: https://prnt.sc/wepi5i

    About 350m from my home to the closest point, tbh I have no problem so far, there is a Coles and even a kindergarten next to the powerlines. I have never experience any noises or the like.

  • pull the lever on 03/01/2021 - 01:26

    Yep, and the transformer makes electrical buzzing sounds during any sort of wet weather.

  • dcash on 03/01/2021 - 11:16
    +1

    Possible noise related to the cleaning of the towers. It took several weeks for one person to clean a tower with high pressure water nearby to me. I live about 1km from the tower and I could clearly hear the process, so I can imagine if you lived close by it would have been quite the annoyance. No doubt dirty water from the cleaning process would have been sprayed all over the nearby houses also. This was the first time I've seen it done in over 30 years, so probably not a frequent occurrence :D

    • moomilky on 03/01/2021 - 14:27

      Wow that's definitely something I hadn't considered…. I'm hoping 250m is far enough to avoid the dirty spray or that they've got method of containing it during the cleaning process…

      • dcash on 03/01/2021 - 14:51
        +1

        Yeah, I wouldn't really be worried at 250m TBH, about that or any other issues actually. Re the cleaning, no containment whatsoever — you just gotta hope the wind is not blowing in your direction on the days the cleaning is in process :P

        This fella has a transmission tower literally in his backyard. https://imgur.com/a/SqZ2snl
        I guess it doesn't bother him too much.

  • Keplaffintech on 03/01/2021 - 13:46
    +1

    Lived in apartment with powerlines right out the window. Only noticed they were there when I plugged in my guitar to do some recording and got annoying amounts of EM noise through the guitar, which made it very difficult to record with.

  • trevor99 on 03/01/2021 - 14:48

    You can get the electric field at your house measured with a meter. Power companies have them. I'd do it for your own peace of mind. If it's high you don't need to tell anyone, if it's low you'll know you're in the clear. Whether or not a strong field leads to health risks is a separate question and debatable. Many people living in suburbs have street transformers beside their house and probably higher fields and don't know it. It's usually an n cubed rule, meaning 8 times weaker as you double the distance.

    • moomilky on 04/01/2021 - 14:34
      +1

      Thanks. I'd had a meter booked, was just waiting for the holidays to finish up and their office to open.

      Readings came in pretty safe, as expected, so I feel good.
      Fluctuated between 0.19 and 0.22 milligauss from a spot on the street slightly closer to the towers.

  • Vote for Pedro on 03/01/2021 - 15:32
    -2

    You know powerlines spread 5g’s and the rona :D

    • Vote for Pedro on 03/01/2021 - 18:42

      You all get that I’m taking the piss, right?

  • moomilky on 03/01/2021 - 15:34
    -1

    Reminder - I'm not concerned about safety, given the distance of the house. Just after first hand accounts of annoyances experienced whilst living near the towers.

  • mini2 on 03/01/2021 - 17:20
    +1

    My property has a large easement due to some overhead 33kV lines - yep the valuer hated it with the val coming back lower than the contract price and LMI was out of the question. It came back 3% less so it wasn't that bad, could've been worse.

    You can definitely hear some buzzing noise when the surrounding is quiet. ~250m away from where I am is one of that Eifel tower looking thing, the maintenance crew comes and works on it so bloody often with their machinery and even on weekends so there's definitely some shitty aspect to this. One particular property with the tower on it is (was?) 50% less than the rest of the street.

    • moomilky on 03/01/2021 - 20:47

      Good to know about your valuation. Sounds like it confirms that 250m from the towers won't significantly impact the valuation - it was the easement, in your case.

      Is the maintenance noise much worse than, say, next door mowing their lawn or a Harley driving up and down the street?

  • The-Kremlin on 03/01/2021 - 22:40
    -1

    Yes it's valid as the dollar amount lost will be greater in the future.

    Worth $1m now, doubled in 10 years is $2m.

    If you get a property for $750k, doubled is $1.5m.

    The difference has increased from $250k to $500k.

    Also, these transmission lines are ugly and it will be a constant negative talking point for the entire time you're living there, be it from your friends or family.

    Don't cheap out (if you can afford not to) when it comes to where you and your family live.

  • nuttapillar on 04/01/2021 - 07:47
    -1

    Why would a power line cause a lot of noise or pollution?

  • munecito on 04/01/2021 - 07:55

    Darryl Kerrigan. Is that you?

  • Pr80 on 04/01/2021 - 11:50
    +1

    Hey mate, I was in the same position a few months back and after reading through multiple blogs and research paper re the health effects and noise issues, finally went for the property. Power lines were about 80 mts from my place. There's absolutely no noise or any other problems from the lines. I found the below fact sheet. Hope this helps !

    https://www.transgrid.com.au/being-responsible/public-safety…

    • moomilky on 04/01/2021 - 14:37

      Thanks! I'm usually a bit sceptical of info provided by the people who have a financial stake in the matter. That being said, I've seen enough research from other sources that also show the house will be very safe.

  • vchan on 04/01/2021 - 14:23
    +1

    Wow this thread is going strong. I did have a friend have issues with getting the lvr of his preference due to being 60m from lines. 200m sounds pretty decent.

  • Willco88 on 04/01/2021 - 22:26

    Yeah poor kids were born with 2 heads, oh wait there just Tasmania

  • moomilky on 07/01/2021 - 13:40
    +2

    If anyone was interested, the valuation came in fine. I asked the broker and they said there was no mention of the transmission towers at all.

  • moomilky on 08/01/2021 - 16:34

    In case anyone's making decisions based on this thread, I was just chatting to the broker and they had another client with transmission towers a little over 1km away. Their valuer made note of them and gave the property a higher risk rating.

    For context, I'm in regional VIC and regularly see substations and transmission towers when I drive around. The case where the towers were over 1km away was in Metro Melbourne.

  • Bearboi on 31/03/2021 - 16:46

    Considering a place that is about 370-380m from the power line. I do have health concerns in regards to cancer, however, I was wondering if this is a safe distance? almost double the distance of the OP. I was reading somewhere that anything within 500m may be a concern

    • akyeeeahdude on 04/04/2021 - 16:02

      What you are asking has already been discussed in great detail in this thread mate. I linked a study in one of my comments on page 2.

    • moomilky on 24/04/2021 - 18:54

      Sorry, I know this is a really delayed reply. Moved into the house I was considering buying and have been busy fixing things up.

      If it's not too late (or for future reference) I'd recommend hiring a gauss meter from Kennards and getting a few readings at different times of the day. I can't remember the source now, but I do remember the safe levels were less than 1.6mg for adults, less than 1mg for children and if you want to be super safe, aim for less than 0.3mg

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