thread: house near an electrical substation, opinions?

  1. #1
    Registered User

    Sep 2009
    Melbourne
    1,164

    house near an electrical substation, opinions?

    My folks put an offer on a house in Berwick yesterday, an investment property not for them to live in. It's in an estate with underground power and diagonally across the road is a small substation (i think that's what it's called, the metal box about 2.5m long and wide and about 1m high)...I forget how many volts it says on it, I think 100,000 but my question is are they dangerous to live near? She wants to retract her offer now she has discovered it. Overhead powerlines I can understand but this I'm not so sure. Does anyone know anything about these? It's not like it's in their yard, it's across the road a good 40m away.

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Sep 2009
    Melbourne
    1,164


  3. #3
    Nothing like a cuddle from DD after a hard day's work!

    Oct 2007
    in my own world
    3,267

    you mean a green metal box? its called a transformer.

    I have one sitting outside my house. When we did the building inspection the guy said it is fine because it is away from our front door.

    But everyone has different opinions.

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Aug 2006
    On the other side of this screen!!!
    11,129

    Personally I wouldn't buy a house near one, but that's based on having stayed at my ILs who live just down the road of one those big substation things - you can hear it buzzing all night long...I always felt very drained and headachey whenever I stayed there. So it's much bigger than the thingy you're talking about, but it was also further away and I felt the effects, kwim?

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Sep 2009
    Melbourne
    1,164

    Thanks for the feedback ladies, they retracted their offer probably for the best.

    M2OSB yeah one of them...so that's what they are, the section 32 described it as a substation which I thought sounded wrong. We have 2 on our street and they don't seem to make any noise or anything but apparently it's the electromagnetic field they emit which can supposedly make them harmful.

    Wow MD that's really interesting....can't be good at all! DH's best mate is a linesman who works on those massive overhead transmission lines, I wonder if they affect him at all, probably doesn't notice as he's too busy earning lots of danger money LOL. I'll have to ask next time I see him.