Power lines

After visiting some properties recently that had power transmission lines close by, I wondered what the general consensus was from property buyers on this forum about them?

I realise that properties that run beneath them are more difficult to sell, and God help anyone who actually thinks that it's going to be easy to get rid of a home that has a stauncheon in the backyard (much like having your own Eiffel Tower, I guess!) but, as the evidence is inconclusive in most cases as to the link between proximity to them and the dvpt of diseases such as cancer, should we be concerned about living so close to them? After all, other household items such as electrical appliances also give off magnetism. Thoughts?

Perception is probably more important than the reality...

I wouldn't buy in such a street.

My best mate died of leaukaemia at 19 most likely related to Electro Magnetic Fields from high voltage power lines running past the front of the family home (he was A grade sports everything, nothing hereditary etc.) Personally I don't think the evidence is inconclusive, its just buried.

I thought this was a reasonable article about similar subject matter :
Australian radiation exposure standards.

More might start to be publicised when issues like the high incidence of breast cancer at ABC Brisbane studio, cancer cases at RMIT Melbourne under the phone towers, etc start to have local impact that brings attention to such issues.

I wouldn't buy anywhere near high voltage power lines and I certainly wouldn't be exposing children to them. But this is based on my personal bias, for sure.

Cheers
Carl

Hey Jacque,

When i was looking for my PPOR recently i came across many properties with overhead powerlines either around the property i was inspecting, or actually on the property (backyard).

I don't know whether they can actually cause problems in humans (wasn't there a movie about this? The Pelican brief i think, obviously fictional but still gets you thinking), but apart from the health concerns they are very ugly for the landscape and i didn't consider them desirable.

You could probably get a property at a discounted rate if they were around, however your going to have more difficulty selling it and renting it than if they weren't there because of what Nigel said "Perception". I would imagine your CG is also going to be lower than other comparable properties in the same price range in another suburb.

With all this in mind, possible health concerns, unattractive landscape, difficulties renting/selling i steered clear of them.

A final thought, what if it is proven that the health concerns are true, this would pretty much wipe out the value of this property overnight. Something i don't think anyone wants.

Cheers

Hi Jacque

Personally I'd avoid living anywhere near a HV transmission tower or line.




Refer to this link for building near lines:

http://www.electranet.com.au/images/...ion%20tower%22

A 132kV transmission tower say about 30 metres tall, less in middle of span
works out about 2500V/metre stress - a fair bit more than household 240V.

A good party trick is to hold a fluoro tube in middle and stand under a transmission line - the tube lights up.

Cattle farmers have problems with transmission lines during lightning strikes - cattle are very prone.

Rgds

Kevinb

We avoid them..

Thanks for the above links; interesting.

*

WE usually manage to avoid them. But there is one of those support towers half a kilometre away from our development block in Forrestfield in the foothills.

Where I live, I never see anything electrical because the wires are all underground.

Not sure if thats really any safer.

On a similar issue I think I'd probably avoid working in a building with a mobile phone tower on it. But then each of my kids hold mobiles to their heads on a regular basis so I'm not sure if we are kidding ourselves here.

I think the exposure the average 'consumer' gets is relatively minor versus anyone exposed to large scale EMF's. Time will probably uncover a lot of heavy mobile phone users with some pretty scary tumours (Mobile phone tumour risk: new study - Breaking - Technology - smh.com.au) but making your kids use hands free and avoiding use in enclosed spaces like cars will likely reduce the risk a lot.

Let's face it, asbestos was an easily-accessible and well-respected construction material a couple of decades ago. It simply needs enough time for the potential harm to be uncovered and publicised in the media till most people are aware there are precautions they should take.

Cheers
Carl

Our old PPOR backed on to high voltage power lines and we had alot of problems selling because of it. Took over 6 months and we had to reduce the price alot, median for the suburb is about 600k and we sold for 400k.

I'd imagine it would be a pain for vacancies of it was a rental property.

Jacque,

We found our dream house in Forestville in about 2000 and had even signed the contract and paid a deposit until Kay spotted the high tensile power line about 500m away. We looked into it in detail and the evidence is pretty strong that there is a direct causal link between the EMFs they put out and childhood leukemia.

So we pulled out of the contract before they were exchanged and never looked back. I remember sitting in the real estate agents office as we pulled out and her calling the vendor. The vendor was in tears as it was a divorce settlement sale and they had really struggled to sell it due to the power lines. I felt really sorry for her but just didn't want to expose myself or my future children to anything life threatening that can be readily avoided.

And these power lines were 500m away from the house. Heaven forbid you'd be lumbered with a property where they were closer again! Movie quotes about affordable land and "serenity" come to mind...

Cheers,
Michael.