In my days in the military I spent a week at a unit training soldiers for
peace keeping duties. Over the mock town was a pylon run and the sound it
made was like heavy rain falling. If they are all like that I wouldn't want
to live near by.

Cheers
Jonathan

In article ,
"Dave" writes:
We're planning to move soon but noticed there are overhead electric pylons
in some parts of the town... health and aesthetic issues aside, we are also
concerned about the fizzy and/or buzzing noise they are said to make.

Anyone confirm this and suggest at what distance the noise should be
inaudible?

I have often heard the overhead lines near me buzzing in damp weather. I
dont know whether it only happens at the pylons or not, but there is a pylon
within about 30 metres of where I have heard buzzing.

It happens all along the length of the cables, not just at pylons.
I used to walk under some on the way to work, and you could clearly
hear when you were underneath, even when visibility was such you
couldn't see them. Alongside a main road, you can hear them for
perhaps 100 yards either side (these were the 275kV ones). In the
quiet countryside, I would imagine that would be extended. As Dave
said, it's more noticable in damp weather.

--
Andrew Gabriel

"Dave" wrote in message
...
We're planning to move soon but noticed there are overhead electric
pylons
in some parts of the town... health and aesthetic issues aside, we are
also
concerned about the fizzy and/or buzzing noise they are said to make.

Anyone confirm this and suggest at what distance the noise should be
inaudible?


I have often heard the overhead lines near me buzzing in damp weather. I
dont know whether it only happens at the pylons or not, but there is a
pylon
within about 30 metres of where I have heard buzzing.



At high voltages (275KV and 440KV) there is often a fizzing noise caused by
low level corona discharge around the glass insulators. This discharge can
be visible on a dark night, especially during rain or high humidity.

The main downside is that the discharge can produce wideband electrical
noise which can upset anything from your hi-fi to your TV to your computor,
depending on level and distance.


--
Woody

Some are only (!) 132kv. They are local distribution and tend to be quiet.

Don't climb up with your voltmeter! There is usually a notice with the
voltage. Long insulators = higher voltage.

http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/bigh/bigh/pylonof.htm

--


Regards

John

j
"Stuart" wrote in message
...
Anyone confirm this and suggest at what distance the noise should be
inaudible?

Many thanks,

Lionel.


We have a pylon near where I work. It's very noisy when it's wet. A
colleague of mine opened his umbrella in the car park, and sparks started
to fly off of it! Personally, I wouldn't want to live near one - I guess
it depends on how close it is. Remember, you may want to sell this house
in the future, and other buyers may have the same concerns as you.

S.


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.497 / Virus Database: 296 - Release Date: 04/07/2003

"Lionel" wrote:

Hello Lionel

L| We're planning to move soon but noticed there are overhead
L| electric pylons in some parts of the town... health and
L| aesthetic issues aside, we are also concerned about the
L| fizzy and/or buzzing noise they are said to make.

L| Anyone confirm this and suggest at what distance the noise
L| should be inaudible?

Not all pylons are equal.

The big ones do buzz in misty or damp weather, very audibly. Maybe you
can't
hear 'em behind double glazing, I don't know. I DO know it plays merry
hell
with mobile and radio signals. Their buzzing also seems to vary
according to
time of day (I'm guessing load).

Small pylons don't buzz, as a rule.

Overhead power lines (2 or 3 wires, 11 or 33kv) don't buzz, neither
does
overhead LV (240vac, usually strung vertically around here). They do
arc quite
prettily when the wind pushes 'em together though.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK
uk.d-i-y FAQ: http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/

"Lionel" wrote in message ...
Hello,

We're planning to move soon but noticed there are overhead electric pylons
in some parts of the town... health and aesthetic issues aside, we are also
concerned about the fizzy and/or buzzing noise they are said to make.

Anyone confirm this and suggest at what distance the noise should be
inaudible?

Many thanks,

Lionel.

The normally only buzz on misty nights and from my own experiance you
have to be fairly close as well.

Ian

On Mon, 07 Jul 2003 18:03:31 GMT, Simon Avery wrote:

The big ones do buzz in misty or damp weather, very audibly. Maybe
you can't hear 'em behind double glazing,

Personally I wouldn't want to be that close to a big power line. I
know "they" say that the field is "harmless" but...

Overhead power lines (2 or 3 wires, 11 or 33kv) don't buzz,

Ours sing, I can't quite make up my mind if it's some curious
midfrequency oscilation in the single phase pole transformer or just
wind induced wire whistle that is amplified by the pole.

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

Simon Avery wrote:

"Lionel" wrote:

Hello Lionel


L| We're planning to move soon but noticed there are overhead
L| electric pylons in some parts of the town... health and
L| aesthetic issues aside, we are also concerned about the
L| fizzy and/or buzzing noise they are said to make.


L| Anyone confirm this and suggest at what distance the noise
L| should be inaudible?


Not all pylons are equal.

The big ones do buzz in misty or damp weather, very audibly. Maybe you
can't
hear 'em behind double glazing, I don't know. I DO know it plays merry
hell
with mobile and radio signals. Their buzzing also seems to vary
according to
time of day (I'm guessing load).

Small pylons don't buzz, as a rule.

Overhead power lines (2 or 3 wires, 11 or 33kv) don't buzz,


They do. Just not very much.

Leastways the ones I used to have over the back garden did.

neither
does
overhead LV (240vac, usually strung vertically around here). They do
arc quite
prettily when the wind pushes 'em together though.

John wrote:

Some are only (!) 132kv. They are local distribution and tend to be quiet.

Don't climb up with your voltmeter! There is usually a notice with the
voltage. Long insulators = higher voltage.

http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/bigh/bigh/pylonof.htm



Even 11KV overheads buzz in damp weather.

In article , John
writes
Some are only (!) 132kv. They are local distribution and tend to be quiet.

Don't climb up with your voltmeter! There is usually a notice with the
voltage. Long insulators = higher voltage.

http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/bigh/bigh/pylonof.htm


Ah great!. I wondered where than site had gone. Just like the American
one the electric pole shrine..a tribute to the lone electric linesman...
--
Tony Sayer

In message , tony sayer
writes
In article , John
writes
Some are only (!) 132kv. They are local distribution and tend to be quiet.

Don't climb up with your voltmeter! There is usually a notice with the
voltage. Long insulators = higher voltage.

http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/bigh/bigh/pylonof.htm


Ah great!. I wondered where than site had gone. Just like the American
one the electric pole shrine..a tribute to the lone electric linesman...

I remember sending him a load of photos of microwave towers I worked on
a few years ago - the word "obsessed" springs to mind

--
geoff

On Mon, 7 Jul 2003 16:25:11 +0100, "Jonathan@Home"
wrote:

In my days in the military I spent a week at a unit training soldiers for
peace keeping duties. Over the mock town was a pylon run and the sound it
made was like heavy rain falling. If they are all like that I wouldn't want
to live near by.

The ones passing near the CPTA were 440kV, and indeed sang quite
loudly. However it was also a very quiet environment (if you ignored
the odd gunshots, explosions and irate SNCO's).

--
Peter Parry.
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/

In article , Peter Parry
writes
On Mon, 7 Jul 2003 16:25:11 +0100, "Jonathan@Home"
wrote:

In my days in the military I spent a week at a unit training soldiers for
peace keeping duties. Over the mock town was a pylon run and the sound it
made was like heavy rain falling. If they are all like that I wouldn't want
to live near by.

The ones passing near the CPTA were 440kV, and indeed sang quite
loudly. However it was also a very quiet environment (if you ignored
the odd gunshots, explosions and irate SNCO's).

If you wind 1 mile of cable in your garage (as someone did) you can
steal the electricity.
--
Zaax
http://www.ukgatsos.com

On Tue, 8 Jul 2003 02:20:21 +0100, zaax wrote:

If you wind 1 mile of cable in your garage (as someone did) you can
steal the electricity.

Doesn't sound like a good deal to me! I have the benefit of high
voltage cables running over my home and potentially inflicting harm on
my family, with free electricity. Or not have the high voltage cables
and have to pay for electricity.

I know which I'd vote for.

Andrew

Do you need a handyman service? Check out our
web site at http://www.handymac.co.uk

Andrew McKay wrote:

On Tue, 8 Jul 2003 02:20:21 +0100, zaax wrote:


If you wind 1 mile of cable in your garage (as someone did) you can
steal the electricity.


Doesn't sound like a good deal to me! I have the benefit of high
voltage cables running over my home and potentially inflicting harm on
my family, with free electricity. Or not have the high voltage cables
and have to pay for electricity.



'Potentially' inflicting harm...haha. Nice pun.

They are harmless really, but the static is annoying sometimes.

Personaly I like peace and quiet, so I wouldn't. But teh inflicting harm
bit is almost certainly baloney.


I know which I'd vote for.

Andrew

Do you need a handyman service? Check out our
web site at http://www.handymac.co.uk

On Tue, 08 Jul 2003 10:24:06 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:

Personaly I like peace and quiet, so I wouldn't. But teh inflicting harm
bit is almost certainly baloney.

I'm not sure it is possible to draw a conclusion on that. At one time
X-rays were considered safe - people used to do magic shows to
demonstrate their use. Perhaps an extreme example, but any external
influence on the human body could be harmful.

Andrew

Do you need a handyman service? Check out our
web site at http://www.handymac.co.uk

Andrew McKay wrote:
On Tue, 8 Jul 2003 02:20:21 +0100, zaax wrote:

If you wind 1 mile of cable in your garage (as someone did) you can
steal the electricity.

Doesn't sound like a good deal to me! I have the benefit of high
voltage cables running over my home and potentially inflicting harm on
my family, with free electricity. Or not have the high voltage cables
and have to pay for electricity.

They only harm your family if they decide to go and climb them (or fly
kite into them etc).

The only reasonably agreed theory behind power lines causing cancer is
that they can cause a static charge in the air around them, this air
then attracts potentially carcinogenic particles from vehicle exhausts
etc which then "hang around" in the air near the lines rather than
falling to the ground, meaning you are more likely to breathe them in.