Property under power lines
Hello everyone .i was wondering if any one can shed some light on power lines and their effects on your health.we found a nice house in Long Valley that we liked a lot but it is directly under the power line.thanks in advance for your imput.
Deb113 Is it the one on Mission? We considered that house. Too close for comfort for us. Can't believe a builder would put it that close.
Tracy Here you go.
http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/power-lines-and-your-health
Let me summarize it for you - no one knows for sure. Some studies suggest it. Some studies say it has no effect.
emaxxman My husband has been a construction electrician for over 25 years, handling high voltage power every day with no adverse effects. My father-in-law too.
I believe that if power lines were that dangerous it would be very evident.
Our diets and lack of exercise as well as family history impact your overall health more, IMHO!
trekster3 I get real frightened on this topic and have done some research. What I found was that lines carrying power are fairly innocuous; it's the "transformation" of power that causes bad stuff for humans like transformers (those boxes on the poles and the nifty power stations protected by chain link fence), machines that convert power into useful appliances (micro's, electric hair dryers, razors, tvs, etc. etc. etc.) From my studies, there are clusters next to power stations and large transformers but not under the high tension wires since they are just carriers, not transformers. No one has ever been able to prove it but I believe it.
Plus, proximity counts. So, holding a electric razor next to your face is far worse than a hair dryer at 12 inches (still not great) which is far worse than a tv at 3 feet (mom was right). And the back of the tv is worse than the front (for all you cubicle workers killing your neighbor.....)
So for example, the "hot spots" in my house include where the wire attaches to the house and drops to the fuse box. However, you would have to press your face into the corner of a room; a few inches back and it's OK. Behind the tv was bad, in front was OK. Microwave was not to bad, but LED clocks really buzz ---- don't want to sleep too close. And yes, I ran the emf meter all over the house.
If any concerns, hold an emf meter under the wires and see what you read. Helps if it is a hot day so you get peak usage.
mistergoogle Keep in mind, you will have big problems selling it later on....regardless of actual health issues.
ladeevee 
Firefly You will read studies that it is harmful and that it is not. And there is nothing to say that the existing lines would not be replaced with more powerful ones in the future.
I would not buy this house from you when you are ready to sell. Too many other options, no matter what the science may or may not be.
maja I remember when we first saw the listing for that house. I knew right away that something had to be wrong with it since it was so cheap and on the market for so long, considering the age, size and quality. When the realtor told us about the power lines I did a drive by and saw just how close they were. It's really unfortunate, since similar houses across the street are selling for $800K and they can't give this one away at under $500K. Health effects and resale value are exactly what kept us away.
That is why it is a great price! I bought the gauge and tested that area about a year ago. You can buy it at Home Depot for about a hundred bucks. That may save you thousands. If it is the same house, the people left due to illness if I remember correctly. They had a huge estate sale at a few years back. Good luck on your search.
MarianneO'NeillI wouldn't worry about it. It's no different then breathing the disgusting air everyday when you go outside. Car fumes, cigarette smoke, pollution. It's all the same.
botheredbyu Resale, Resale, Resale... Look how long it has been on the market. If you ever need to sell it, for whatever reason, you will have the same issues. Could you wait for 2+ years to sell your house?
"Car fumes, cigarette smoke, pollution."
Not in Long Valley, Hackettstown and vicinity. That's why people live in suburbs and work in the city.
When we were considering buying a house in a brand new development near Route 46, I did a lot of research because of the power lines going thru it. Ended buying a house in the development but on a safe distance from power lines considering the voltage and if the voltage will be increased during next 15 -20 years. Plus other houses built between power line and our house "protect" us some how.
Power lines also affect electromagnetic fields. Try to make a call on a cell phone going thru Long Valley and you will definitely know where high voltage power line is. One thing is to use microwave, cell phone and other similar technologies by choice - some people don't at all or limit the usage, but affect on you is different if you have to spend at least 12 hours every day (assuming you are working / going to school) in a possible danger environment. Also think about someone with heart condition who has/might need a pacemaker. Do you want to put this person in a risk?
Lena A year ago we considered a house like this. It was very tempting becasue of the price. But we passed.
things to consider:
re-sale
keeping kids away from towers
clearance if you are bringing something in or seting up a tent..
cleaning around the tower
you will have an easment allowing the electric company to come in and work on the lines 24/7
BrownEyesGuy Looks like there are many houses built along the power lines there - the one across the street looks quite nice.
http://www.zillow.com/homes/176-mission-rd-long-valley-nj_rb/
Read a study out of Australia that living within 300 meters of power lines could increase your chance of developing certain types of cancers.
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/pdf/79na2.pdf
RU Lena - hope you are joking.
That development on Rt 46 East, 1/2 way up the mountain, IMO is terrible. Everyone is on top of each other. And forget parking. I don't get it (why it was built that way).
@bbu - not THIS development. I even cannot park a car on these hills when going to garage sale. Once I tried to use emergency brakes, almost broke them, never again. It's absolutely horrible. I used to work with a lady who's family owned the land long time ago and sold it to the developer. They are extremely sad with what happened to this beautiful land. I live in a different development.
While I would never buy a house within view of power lines, if you do, make sure you get a good deal. IMO, subtract at least $100K from any other comp in the area. Even more if the property has been on the market for a long time. You should also note, unless you plan on dieing there you will have the same issues selling that the current owner has.
There are 3 sets of high tension towers in our area. A 230 kV system that feeds from the PPL grid and Yards Creek (they can be seen next to Donaldson’s Farm stand) a local step down is on Obrien road. The second is a 115 kV system that feeds from Martins Creek (they can be seen crossing the Mama’s pizza parking lot). The most dangerous are the 500 kV Branchburg-Ramapo lines (can be seen near Winding Hill Drive- see pic). They are (as of now) the only link to South Jersey and Pennsylvania’s nuclear power plants and the NY power grid. They can deliver an astounding 2500 mega watts of power during peak hours. When standing directly under them a distinct ‘sizzle’ can be heard as if someone was holding a arcing stun gun nearby. The magnetic field from these lines is so strong in some spots that a fluorescent tube will illuminate simply by holding it (I tried at night).
Now as for health concerns, mainly magnetic field exposure; It is common knowledge that 10,000 gauss/sec can induce about 1 microA/cm2 of current in the human body. At this level or less no biological effects have been observed short term. However, at 100 to 1000 mA/m2 of induced current has documented potential health hazards. The link between cancer and leukemia is still disputed, but there is a high correlation between field exposure and adverse psychological issues.
I call that area half way up 46 E 'the wart' that's just what it looks like as you drive down the Franklin St hill and look up at it.
hktownie "high correlation between field exposure and adverse psychological issues."
Did you mean to type "physical issues" or are there studies actually linking it to mental illnesses?
ianimal Not to start this up again, but people who live on Mission Rd consider it Long Valley. Just saying. :)
There are a ton of studies linking constant magnetic field exposure to depression and suicide.
Here's one, I'll post more when I get home from work.:
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/146/12/1037.full.pdf
They must live on the new part of Mission that was developed within the last 15-20 yrs. That section may have a Long Valley mailing, bothered.
The new section is by the lovely power lines, by the old abandoned camp, which at one point had satanic activity. The camp was at the corner of Reservoir, Spring Lane and Mission. The older section has a Hackettstown mailing address and the people that lived there for years consider that Schooley's Mountain. At least the people that I know that live on that road do. ;)
youngnfresh They live closer to Naughright Rd and their mailing address is Hackettstown. Kids went to WMC. They have been there over 25 years and ask them where they live and they will tell you LV. Another family that moved a few years ago from Mission also said they lived in LV.
- NIH summary:
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/materials/electric_and_magnetic_fields_associated_with_the_use_of_electric_power_questions_and_answers_english_508.pdf
- Based on the published numbers, you're likely encounter more EMF in your daily life than you'd see 600 ft from power lines.
- Resale value is relative. If you get the house for a "steal" then when you sell you'll have to let it go for a "steal" to make it worth your while. Never pay the same as the neighboring homes further from the power lines.
Do your research and decide. To each his own.
justintime What difference it makes if house under power lines belongs to Long Valley, Hackettstown, or any other township or borough? The affect from power lines is the same regardless where you pay your taxes and kids go to school. This discussion is not meant to decrease the values for properties on a particular street. It's just a reminder - You get what you pay for.
It is an old joke, Lena. It makes no difference.
Bothered, the people I know have been there for over 50 yrs. when it was all farm land. You can't change old school. Anyway, that big sign as you enter Washington Township just past Drakestown, heading towards Mission certainly says Long Valley. My bad. Ha! We can dig out the maps again though. ;)
Homes never should have been built near the power lines like that. They kept over developing that land trying to squeeze in homes wherever they could. Nice big homes not in nice locations though. There are reasons they did not build there first many years ago.
LOL youngnfresh.
Its a shame that the power lines turn people away from buying. I think its an eyesore more then a health issue. All power lines should be buried under ground, IMO.
What are builders thinking when they build new homes near the lines? Don't they realize its going to be a hard sell?
bothered, that's exactly what I kept saying when we were looking at the house. What was the builder thinking? He should know better.
He probably got the land for next to nothing. Plus, with the Highlands and other recent regulations imposed, most of the prime developable land is gone... developers are down to trying to make a buck on parcels with power lines and wetlands.
I know of a house on Rockport Rd in Mansfield, backs up to Donaldsons Farm and it sits right under a power line tower. It has been for sale for years and now I'm pretty sure its sitting empty. The outside of the house is deteriorating. Its a mess. I'm guessing they cant sell it because of the tower. Such a shame.
@bby - a shame it was built this way or a shame nobody wants to risk their health even if house is free?
Lena - its a shame it was built there and its just sitting, falling apart. I know families that live on the same road, and they have been there a long time and have no health problems, that can be blamed on the towers. I'm not in the position to say they cause health problems or not, I just know what I know.
Botheredbyu,
I know what house you're talking about. It was up for sale when we were in the market back in 2009. I just passed by it earlier today and it caught my eye due to the deteriorating condition you mention. I wonder which came first...the house or the power lines?
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