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Power Lines Behind Homes In Pearland


njvisitor

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Almost every development in Pearland is scarred by towering power lines. Unfortunately, many homesites and invetory homes are within the path of these eyesores...

One of the houses we're considering has a powerline cutting across the rear of the backyard. The pole is not in our property - the wires just hang above it.

It's not one of these:

http://www.copper.org/applications/electri...ne_terminus.jpg

Nor one of those massive high-tension wires:

http://www.unmuseum.org/tower.jpg

It's more like of those street powerlines, except that it's in the back of the house, not the front.

Anyone have any thoughts/advice on this?

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I've always thought one of the reasons Houston is not as 'pretty' as other cities is because of these power lines all over the place. In rural areas I understand it, but at some point (I would think in neighborhoods) we'd want to bury them. They scream tacky to me.

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Almost ever development in Pearland is scarred by towering power lines. Unfortunately, many homesites and invetory homes are within the path of these eyesores...

One of the houses we're considering has a powerline cutting across the rear of the backyard. The pole is not in our property - the wires just hang above it.

It's not one of these:

http://www.copper.org/applications/electri...ne_terminus.jpg

Nor one of those massive high-tension wires:

http://www.unmuseum.org/tower.jpg

It's more like of those street powerlines, except that it's in the back of the house, not the front.

Anyone have any thoughts/advice on this?

Many subdivisions don't come with buried power lines because it is expensive not only to install but to maintain. Even the folks at Trees for Houston (who absolutely despise overhead powerlines because Centerpoint tends to cut V's through treetops to accomodate the wire) readily admit that it often doesn't make sense to bury lines except in places like downtown and parts of the Galleria area. It sometimes can make sense for a developer doing a subdivision from scratch, but not always.

Question: are there any power lines along the street on the front side of your homes? It could be the City's attempt to increase curb appeal by moving the overhead lines to the back yards of properties. That wouldn't be so bad. Or are these lower-voltage transmission lines?

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Almost ever development in Pearland is scarred by towering power lines. Unfortunately, many homesites and invetory homes are within the path of these eyesores...

One of the houses we're considering has a powerline cutting across the rear of the backyard. The pole is not in our property - the wires just hang above it.

It's not one of these:

http://www.copper.org/applications/electri...ne_terminus.jpg

Nor one of those massive high-tension wires:

http://www.unmuseum.org/tower.jpg

It's more like of those street powerlines, except that it's in the back of the house, not the front.

Anyone have any thoughts/advice on this?

Even the million dollar McMansions in West U have power lines running along the backyard with poles in their yards. If they cant get the wires buried, then nobody can.

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Even the million dollar McMansions in West U have power lines running along the backyard with poles in their yards. If they cant get the wires buried, then nobody can.

I was told that Houston is so water logged in most areas that burying lines is very expensive and most subdivisons or cities aren't willing to foot the bill. I currently live in Shadow Creek and live next to the greenbelt that has power lines running down it. Not very asthetic, but I'm hoping once my trees grow in it will cover them a bit. I used to live in an older subdivision that had buried lines and for some reason my street's light would go out every time we had a lot of rain. It wasn't the whole neighborhood, but was a pain. They finally fixed whatever the problem was about a year before I moved.

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I used to live in an older subdivision that had buried lines and for some reason my street's light would go out every time we had a lot of rain.

This happens with phone/dsl connections too. i know my parents line becomes full of static when it rains. the phone co. installed tanks to keep the lines dry which has helped the situation but occasionally, they will have problems.

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The explanations I've heard have to do with Houston's infamous gumbo soil; it expands and contracts dramatically depending on moisture content, and chemically reacts with the materials used to insulate the lines.

At least that's what they told us when I worked for HL&P. My emperical observation was that customers with underground service had a lot more problems then those with overhead drops.

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Those towers may be eyesores, but they sure were fun to climb as a kid. The last one I climed was when I was a kid of 32.

Thats hilarious and a miracle your alive to joke about it! You must have 9 lives like Morris here!

Power lines have always been hellish on the eyes. My corner lot is almost surrounded by them that's why I say I am in trouble if a hurricane downs them. I will be trapped! :blink:

At one time they were rumoured to even cause future health problems ie; cancer, etc. because they put out radiation or the like. It looks terrible when the city or HLP cuts the trees like a V. Once the trees continue growing they seperate by the extra weight HLP created. Its a mess.

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That's not really a concern unless you live right underneath the high-voltage transmission lines.

yeah and by the time most reach your home, voltage has usually been stepped down a couple of times. the field produced is inversely proportional to the radius squared and it occurs circularly around each conductor. if you had the right hardware, you could easily "steal" quite a bit of electricity by induction and not have to come in contact with the wiring itself.

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