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High Tension Power Lines (1 Viewer)

Jassen M. West

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Does anyone here live near high tension power lines? My fiance and I are looking at buying a house. One of the many we have seen looks perfect, 1.45 acres of land, remodeled, nice lawn, fair asking price. The thing preventing us from placing an offer on it are the power lines running across the far back of the property (they can't be seen from the house). Everyone tells us they can cause cancer, SIDS, child leukemia, etc. These are not things I want to worry about. Any experiences?

thanks
 

Jay H

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No experience and I don't live near any of those kind of power lines, but I've hiked near them and I can tell you that some of them emit a nice audible buzz that I would think would be very annoying if you are outside, so that might be something to check out. Also, as a hiker, I also know that many of those high tension power lines comes complete with a nice woods road for the power company to access the line. These roads make nice ATV/snowmobile trails which are much louder than the buzz and then you might also have tresspassing issues. Make sure there is a good buffer between your property and the line lest somebody think they can ride their ATV anywhere they want to.

Jay
 

Chu Gai

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I don't believe there is any credible evidence linking health disorders like childhood leukemia to the high tension power lines. A brief search in pubmed turned up a few links to read.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q..._uids=11076671

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q..._uids=10622294

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q..._uids=10707920

However, this is still a big concern for people and as such can decrease the value of a home as well as making it harder to resell. You should factor this all in when considering it and perhaps offering less than you'd planned.
 

drobbins

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If you look at a corn field that has these power lines running across it, the corn doesn't grow as tall under them.
 

CapnSharpe

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We have those running through our subdivision, as do many of the subdivisions around here. You can get the utility company out to measure what the lines emit, where it is, and whether it is harmful. Odds are, the house is much too far away to be affected. You can find more information about it in "What's Toxic, What's Not" (ISBN-10: 0425211940).
 

Bryan X

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I'm picturing these type of lines:



1.45 acres isn't very big. How in the heck are they not visible from the house?

FWIW, I wouldn't want them near my property.
 

ChristopherDAC

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If they're on the far side of the property, don't sweat it. You get more EMF from the wiring for the outlet you plug your bedside lamp into. I wouldn't build my house right underneath one, but even that's not because of any potential health hazards, it's just because the lines stretch in hot weather and the towers attract lightning, making them a leading cause of range-fires in the Far West.
 

Jerry Almeida

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When I was younger, we lived in a house for about 5 years that had them about 100 yards from the back of the house. I'm ok. :)

A friend of mine that I still keep in touch with used to live across the street from me. He's been living in that house since he was born, and actually bought it from his mom a couple of years ago and is still living there. He's nearly 30 now and he hasn't had any health issues.

Funny story though, I'll always remember the time I saved up my birthday money to buy the "Photon" laster tag set, only to find out they didn't work correctly because of those power lines. I could use them when I took them to my cousin's house and basically any where away from the lines. But when I used them at home, inside or out, the game would act erratically. I was so disappointed.
 

Jay H

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I don't know if this is a myth of not but I'm told you can hold a flourescent tube underneath them and it can exite the gases in them such that they will start to emit light....

Jay
 

Jassen M. West

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I know 1.45 acres isn't very big but with the trees in the yard and the way the property slopes in the back they aren't very visible at all. While I was there I heard no hum or any other sound coming from that area. I've read articles that are swayed to the no risk side and others that say stay away. I also read that the emf can cause light bulbs to stay on. Maybe a new test for mythbusters.

I don't think we are going to place a bid on it, there are two other houses that are bigger and a bit closer to work without large power lines near them.

thanks
 

mylan

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I've actually seen this happen with a ham radio antenna. I had some friends who had them mounted in their cars and they could touch a flourescent tube to the antenna and it would glow, especially when they were "keying up".
 

Philip Hamm

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"Everyone" who says those things is a frickin' idiot. Don't worry about them unless you find them unsightly where they are.
 

DaveF

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But since everyone believes wrong things, the value of the house is affected. So while it seems a good price, it may not be a "good deal" if the power lines keep buyers away. This might later affect your selling price.

It may be a great home for you. But I suggest doing comps against properties with power lines.
 

Jassen M. West

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Let's say the fate of my children is already set. They will be born healthy and in a few years develop leukemia, it doesn't matter where we live. If we are in a house not near power lines I would be devastated but I would think of it as just part of life. If we were in the house near the lines it would absolutely kill me. It would feel like I had brought this upon them and could never forgive myself. (No I'm not going to be one of those parents that never lets their kid get dirty, or runs to the hospital for a cut or bruise, thats all part of being a kid)

The funny thing is, what if the house were across the street? They would not have to disclose the information about the power lines and I would have never known.

What if you were in my shoes? Would you buy this house?
 

Philip Hamm

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The shoes you describe are OCD or insane. I would be afraid to leave my house in the first place.
 

Chu Gai

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I thought you ruled it out? Look, you can always have measurements performed to estimate the effect as a function of distance. Then just low ball the hell out of them and use the fact that housing prices have softened and you've got the power lines to deal with. Just understand, when it comes time to sell, you'll be the one that has to deal with the perceived (imagined) power line thing.
 

Jay H

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I will add another 2cents to this thread and it has nothing to do with whether high tension power lines are bad for you or meaningless. The fact that you seem concerned about them is enough for me to think that you probably did the right thing and not bid on the house as I'm sure if you were to live there and even thinking you could be doing harm to you and/or your children is enough mental stress to convince me that you'd be better off elsewhere. Who'd want to spend most of their time at home wondering if I'm being zapped? Whether they are bad for you or not is irrelevant, it sounds like it is something that is not worth the stress about. We could spit off studies about stress and longevity too, there is a study about everything!

Jay
 

Jay Taylor

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Although we have crystal clear FM radio stations in OKC, only the AM radio stations carry the talk shows that my wife and I like to listen to. When driving any where near large power lines we hear mostly buzz until we're well away from them. I also listen to a short wave radio that would have buzz problems if our home was near those type of lines.

With all of the electronic gadgets in our home many of which are wireless I would be concerned about interference from power lines similar to what Jerry was experiencing with his Photon laser tag set.

I personally would never buy a home near large power lines but I realize that I may be in the minority. Part of my reasoning for this is a result of living on an Air Force Radar Site in Oregon for six years. After having almost everything electronic affected by the nearby Radar tower I now don't want to live near anything that generates such a strong electromagnetic field that it screws with our electronics.
 

Jassen M. West

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So I have OCD or I'm insane? Thanks for that. Not only an engineer but a doctor as well.

Yes this house is ruled out. While I'm not afraid to step foot out my door I would rather err on the side of caution. I do see that the value of the home is affected by the location of the lines. Also I wouldn't want to deal with the EMF messing with electronic equipment in the house.

Excuse me while I go wash my hands, I've just touched a keyboard, mouse and a few door handles.
 

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