When constructing buildings near the location of a high-voltage power line, a safe distance from the power line to a residential building must be maintained in accordance with SanPiN and SNiP standards. Limits are set by building standards and enforced by health inspectors. Fire safety rules are of no small importance for the distance between a residential building and power lines.
Electricity supply to cities
Harm to health
A power transmission line is a high-voltage power transmission line that is a major component of the energy system. The most common option is the overhead method of placing wires.
The health hazards of electromagnetic waves are very real, so there is no need to build buildings very close to power lines and overhead power line (OHL) supports. In order to protect people's health from the negative effects of electric fields, sanitary protection zones are created.
When purchasing housing, you should know what distance and how many meters there should be from a support or power line pole to the house.
Near the power plant
Possible ailments
Scientists have proven the negative impact of electric and magnetic fields of power lines on general condition and health. In the 60s, they carried out research work, during which a number of ailments of the following nature were noted in people living in apartments near power lines:
- high general fatigue;
- irritability;
- depressive states;
- frequent headaches;
- weak muscle tone;
- disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
- memory problems;
- insomnia.
The list of physiological disorders can be continued endlessly. Foreign scientists have found that children living less than 150 meters from a power line are 2 times more likely to suffer from leukemia, and almost all of them have problems with the central nervous system.
Near the city
It has also been proven that sensitivity to electric and magnetic fields varies from person to person. Increased sensitivity to electrical radiation is called electrical allergy. Thus, one person will continuously feel the negative impact of power lines, while the other will not feel any ailments.
The risk group includes pregnant women, people suffering from allergies and nervous ailments, and children. The longer a person stays in the area of influence of electric fields, the more severe consequences this leads to. All vital systems suffer: immune, reproductive, hematological, nervous, endocrine, cardiac, vascular. Moreover, the risk of cancer increases sharply.
What is a transformer booth?
A transformer booth is a separate object, a metal kiosk or a brick or reinforced concrete building. Complete modular substations made of sandwich panels are also used. The set of equipment for such facilities includes:
- A step-down transformer that reduces the voltage coming from high-voltage lines to the limits required by end consumers (220, 380, 630 V).
- Devices for connecting inputs and outputs on the high and low voltage side.
- Automatic protective shutdown in the event of a short circuit and other emergency situations.
- Disconnectors and other equipment control devices.
- Protective grounding system.
A standard set typical for power substations and distribution equipment.
When tension is dangerous
Voltage in power lines can be dangerous or harmless. There is a connection between the range of the electric field generated by a power line and the power of this line.
Power line support
These quantities are directly proportional. To calculate the voltage, you need to take into account that the total number of wires in the connecting phase of one phase varies. The voltage is:
- 2 wires – 330 kV;
- 3 wires – 500 kV;
- the presence of 4 wires indicates a voltage of 750 kV.
In order to protect people from negative side effects, PUE (Electrical Installation Rules) standards were prescribed for the distance from home to power lines, which should be followed during the construction of a residential building and the construction of non-residential public buildings. When purchasing a plot near a power line, the permitted distance must be observed.
Determination of power line voltage indicator
In the process of planning the acquisition of a plot of land, you should make sure that the overhead lines are located at a safe distance from the proposed construction site. Such data is not always available, but you can find it out yourself by the number of wires and insulator disks near the pole.
Standards for placing overhead lines in various areas:
Determining the value of consumer voltage by the number of wires in the cable:
| Number of wires, pcs. | Voltage, kV |
| 1 | 330 |
| 2 | 330 |
| 3 | 500 |
| 4 | 750 |
| 6 – 8 | from 1 000 |
In this case, it is necessary to count not the number of cables, but the number of wires in a bundle of one of them. In addition, the height of the poles along which the wires are stretched will help you get your bearings: the higher the poles, the higher the voltage in the wires.
When there is one wire in the line, it is possible to find out the voltage indicator by the number of insulators, that is, ceramic disks on one branch. The standards here are:
- from 3 to 5 insulators – 35 kV;
- from 6 to 8 – 110 kV;
- from 15 – 220 kV.
Safe distance from power lines to residential areas
The standards prescribe a safe distance from power lines when sanitary protection zones must be created along it, the type of which is closely related to the degree of network voltage.
Dimensions of the security zone and its distance from the power line support
When constructing buildings in close proximity to a power line, the following distance is provided:
- 0.4 kV (380 V) – 2 m;
- 6–10 kV – 10 m;
- 20 kV – 10 m;
- 35 kV – 15 m;
- 110 kV – 20 m;
- interval from 150 to 220 kV – 25 m;
- 330, 400, 500 kV – 30 m;
- 750 kV – 40 m;
- 1150 kV – 55 m.
An overhead line (overhead line) with a voltage of 6 kV and even 10 kV is considered safe for humans according to SanPiN 2971-84. This also complies with European standards.
Secured territory
To more correctly determine the permissible boundaries, a conditional perpendicular projection is made onto the surface of the earth from the side wires of the power line. It is better to multiply the presented voltage indicators by 10: this will increase the degree of security.
A minimum distance of 100 meters will be completely safe. During bad weather, an additional amount of oppositely charged ions is released into the atmosphere, and this leads to the growth of the electromagnetic field and its entry into safe areas.
Electromagnetic wave propagation diagram
Thus, the higher the voltage of the power line, the further away the residential building should be. There should be no garages, fences or other structures in the sanitary protection zone, as well as near the supports. Moreover, no trees are planted in these areas.
High voltage power line near the house
What should be the safe distance from power lines to residential buildings? To give a comprehensive answer to this question, we will analyze the reasons for the danger that power lines pose.
Electricity has become an integral part of our lives, and we can no longer imagine our existence without household electrical appliances, cell phones and familiar gadgets, and yet all of them are fraught with hidden danger.
Why is current dangerous?
The main danger, it turns out, is electromagnetic radiation, which comes from all electrical appliances and spreads over a long distance around. Only as you move away from the source does its indicator slowly fade. It differs in frequency ranges and is characterized by wavelength: radio waves, infrared and ultraviolet radiation, visible and x-ray radiation and, finally, gamma radiation. Their daily influence on humans is not safe.
Using scientific research methods, scientists were able to determine the effect of these fields on the concentration of ions in the cells of the body. A pathological change in this value is fraught with metabolic disorders. Refrigerator, TV, electric hood, built-in electric hob, air conditioner, washing machine, microwave oven - this is an incomplete list of secret spiteful critics. And yet, electromagnetic radiation from household electrical appliances is not so great, since it is determined by the power of the radiation source and the duration of exposure.
What additional methods of protection are there?
To increase protection from the harmful effects of fields generated by power lines, additional protection options are provided. These include:
- Shielding devices for voltages from 10 kV.
- Roofs made from metal tiles or corrugated sheets should be grounded. The roof is grounded only if the distance from it to the power lines is small.
- The presence of reinforcing mesh - the kind that is laid in reinforced concrete walls.
At present, the harmful effects of power lines on human health have not been officially confirmed. Such studies have not been conducted in Russia. But this does not mean that the problem does not exist.
Possible damage zone in an accident
According to the observations of foreign scientists, a huge number of people who live or work in close proximity to high-voltage structures experience their negative influence, they often feel unwell. In addition, the risk of nervous ailments and the development of cancer increases.
Impact on the environment and ecology
Electromagnetic fields have a strong influence on all biological objects located near air routes: insects, plants, animals.
The proximity to high-voltage lines has a detrimental effect on bees. Insects become aggressive, restless, lose their working capacity and flight activity. There is a threat of death of queens and families.
Flying insects - beetles, mosquitoes, butterflies - tend to an area with a lower level of tension.
Plants change the shape of leaves, stems, flowers, extra petals and other developmental anomalies appear. According to some data, the electromagnetic field has a positive effect on the yield of agricultural crops, on the fruiting of berries and vegetables. Experiments have shown that after exposure to a high-intensity field, the seeds began to produce a higher percentage of germination and rapid germination.
The impact of overhead power lines on animals is just as negative as on people. Artiodactyls are the most sensitive. If the pasture is located in an area adjacent to an overhead line, a potential of 10 kV can be induced in the body of the animal, isolated from the ground by its hooves. When you touch grounded objects (grass, bush branches), a current pulse of 100 - 200 μA occurs. This value is not life-threatening. The health of the artiodactyl will not deteriorate, but it will experience unpleasant sensations. If wooden overhead line supports are treated with creosote, then contact with this substance can have adverse consequences for the animal.
Birds become victims of electrical discharges through direct contact with live parts and when touching the insulating parts of the wire suspension.
By the way, we talked about why birds are not electrocuted on wires in a separate article: https://samelectrik.ru/pochemu-ptic-ne-bet-tokom-kogda-oni-sidyat-na-provodax.html.
To minimize the harm caused to the environment by high-risk objects, it is necessary to use special protective devices.
High-voltage power lines are capable of locally affecting even the weather. It was recorded how power lines affect air flows. The cold air, having reached the high-voltage route (800 kV), began to flow around it.
In his work on the theory of atmospheric electricity, Russian scientist Lev Aleksandrovich Pokhmelnykh put forward the hypothesis that high-voltage power lines have an adverse effect on the environment. According to the scientist, global warming and the formation of an arid climate occur due to the ionization of the atmosphere by power lines, so the greenhouse effect has nothing to do with it.
Sanitary protection zones
Security zones near power lines are fixed in accordance with the requirements of Rostechnadzor. The boundaries of protected areas are marked in the State Cadastre. When purchasing land or housing, you need to carefully study the cadastral documentation in order to subsequently avoid unpleasant factors.
Marking of the territory is carried out using signs installed on the supporting structures of the power line at a distance of 250 meters from each other. The signs indicate the size of the zone, the power of the line in kW and the contact information of the owner of the power line.
Pole options
On the territory of the sanitary protection zone it is prohibited:
- launch foreign objects, for example, kites or flying objects towards power lines;
- climb onto supporting structures;
- block the passage and access to supporting structures;
- drain corrosive liquids or substances that promote corrosion into the ground, since they negatively affect the supports;
- organize landfills;
- plant or cut down bushes and trees;
- carry out blasting operations;
- use agricultural machinery higher than 4.5 meters;
- make fires.
In these territories it is prohibited to organize events requiring the participation of a large number of people.
Scheme of a security zone along an overhead power line
Sports and children's playgrounds cannot be installed there either. Thus, the sanitary protection zone cannot be used to its maximum. Compliance with all rules is mandatory.
Regulations
The main regulatory document when determining the security zone of a power line is GOST 12.1.051-90, which describes in detail the safe distance. A separate paragraph is devoted to the safety of work in the zone of occurrence of an electromagnetic field around power lines.
Regarding the protection of human health, SanPiN standards were introduced. With their introduction, the construction of power lines inside sanitary protection zones was already prohibited and safe values of electric fields were indicated. SanPiN 2971-84, which has been in force for quite a long time, has now lost force and has been replaced by a new document SanPiN 2.1.2.1002-00 regulating the development of SNT and individual housing construction.
Methods of protection against electromagnetic radiation
As you gradually move away from the power line, magnetic radiation decreases. SanPiN indicates the distance when it reaches an acceptable value, but does not disappear completely. Professionals say that a completely safe distance is 10 times the permissible distance.
Layout of poles next to a residential building
Additionally, the house has wires and electrical appliances. During operation, they also emit electromagnetic waves at a distance of up to 2 meters from the compressor and heating elements.
The most dangerous are irons and refrigerators. People receive a large share of radiation from televisions, since they spend a long time in front of them. As a result, all radiation is summed up, and the result is a value that exceeds what is safe for humans.
Residential buildings located closer than 100 meters from household voltage lines and 200 meters from high-voltage lines must be protected from electromagnetic radiation.
European standards for power lines for residential buildings
Girls from Europe, please explain. This question has been bothering me for a long time.
We often travel around Europe by car (in the sense of vacation), many times we rented houses for a week. And I would like to draw your attention to the fact that either new houses are easily built under power lines, or in old places (with villas from the early 20th century) power lines are laid directly above the houses. We are always talking about the private sector, not about high-rise buildings (I somehow didn’t look at them).
Twice we ourselves found ourselves under power lines - one old villa with an estate in Portugal, one completely new one for rent - in Turkey. Personally, I don’t care about this power line for a week. But what about those people who live here permanently?
How are sanitary standards regarding power lines in Europe?
Well, a lot of questions. In villages in Europe, the main road can be laid directly under the windows of private houses (both old and new). There isn't even a sidewalk. Is this normal too?
20 meters high? Or to the side?
The power line runs exactly over the roofs of houses.
We are, of course, not talking about a highway, but about an ordinary road that passes through populated areas. Traffic - 1 lane in each direction. In Portugal, Spain, France. The border of the road is the wall of the house.
Maybe it is considered that road transport is very environmentally friendly? Euro 4 exhaust (or whatever it is now).
In Germany (Bavaria) we were also surprised by the railways that literally run along the borders of private plots. You can see people sitting in the garden on chairs 5 meters from the passing train. The question is, are people not resettled during the construction of the railway? Or do they willingly build along it themselves?
On narrow streets - how can you “move aside” a house there? This happens often on old streets, yes. And what do you suggest? On new streets under construction they are not allowed to build so narrowly. Perhaps in Germany, as in Austria, the railway simply leases the areas adjacent to the railway track. The rent is quite small. It is not allowed to build anything there other than temporary buildings. You can plant a vegetable garden, flower beds, and bushes. In Austria this is all too common, but it’s not my thing. And city people who don’t have money to buy land and houses simply relax there. And if Deutsche Bahn decides to expand the road at the expense of these adjacent plots, they simply will not renew the lease agreement. And that's all. And what you built there will not be reimbursed to you.
“Resettlement” of private estates in Europe is an expensive undertaking. Sometimes VERY expensive. You can’t get rid of your family with a two-room apartment in a high-rise building if they have a plot, a garden and a house, the cost of which is (let’s say) half a million to a million euros. Plus the work and time invested over the years. What if the owner doesn’t find a place where they want to “settle” him? Here it is customary not to “resettle”, but to compensate for losses. And if an entire street or village needs to be compensated for losses, few companies have that much money. BUT they often pay if there is no other choice. I worked in a concern that was growing, and not in its “path” was a three-story private house. The owner bargained for several years until he received the required amount.
But it also happens that the railway starts on the border of private property.
Yes, I’m not suggesting anything, I have no authority))
On the one hand, I feel sorry for the people, on the other hand, maybe they don’t give a damn. That's what I'm trying to understand.
There are norms, but observing them in relation to old houses, when no one cared about the norms, is a very difficult task. Standards appear daily. The principle is this: when constructing new facilities, the state requires standards. It is full of all sorts of commissions and documents, without the approval of which it is impossible to start anything. Those who have heard about the standards (and they are all under zip: you can only consult about the standards for money (!) (as in Belgium, for example), hire an expert (and this is terribly expensive) to check compliance with the standards. In response to this the electric company (and more than half of its shares are state-owned) will hire its own, alternative expert. Or two or three. Who will be even more expensive and more solid. And they will write their own report, which, as expected
, will refute the calculations of your expert. With all the baggage received, you can drag yourself to court. Most likely, the court will require you to deposit a tidy sum of money into its account (to insure the case), which if you lose (and it is practically guaranteed), the court will keep it for itself. Plus all the costs: lawyers, payment for your expert, the defendant’s experts and the judge’s work will fall on your shoulders. There is another option - turn to an independent examination with media coverage. something like the Consumer Protection Society. But there the procedure can last for years. Without any guarantee of success. During this time, you will have time to tear down more than one tin foil hat) The best way out is not to settle near such things. Or immediately sell the property as soon as it becomes known that power lines, a mobile antenna-repeater, etc. are going to be built near your home.
