# Tapping into Line Loss



## DenMacII (Aug 16, 2008)

At the back of our 50 acre farm there are regional power lines that pass across our property. Last year when I was setting up some hot wire for our cattle I found that the hot wire line running parallel under the lines became hot, and showed a .7 KV charge on my fence tester without being hooked up to my energizer.

I'm sure there is a way to capture that line loss energy by running a line to a battery bank, but will a simple charge controller protect the batteries? or do I need some other method to reduce/control that energy to the battery.

Any thoughts would be great. The idea of having remote power for fencing or possibly a water pump would be a huge bonus!!!


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Not only is it illegal, it is Danged illegal and can get you in _*major *_hot water. It is a type of theft of service. The emf around high voltage power lines is a natural function of the transmission of electricity. If you tap into that, you (believe it or not) ARE stealing power from the grid above and beyond the normal line losses. Transmission corridors are under surveillance much more than you might think, and the power company AND the Feds can come down on you like a ton of bricks. The same goes for radio stations. Finding electric thieves is fairly simple through use of field strength measurements. It can even be done from the air.

I know it can be galling, but you cannot steal or block any part of the electromagnetic spectrum, even if a transmission is a nuisance.


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## DenMacII (Aug 16, 2008)

Wow! I had no idea!!! 

I was shocked (literally) when I found that I was getting a zing from my unconnected line of hot wire. I assumed that a person could tap into that loss since it is escaping onto my property. Their easement is solely for the maintenance and upkeep of the lines, and nowhere does it say that I can not impede or use loss coming from their lines. 

Seems bizarre to me, since my line would literally be catching the loss as it hits the ground and disappears. As it was, I had to add an additional line of hot wire to catch the loss at the top of my posts and ground it so the line was not hot. The lower lines are not affected since the upper line catches the loss. 

The loss comes in as a constant, while the hot wire energizers pulse the power through the line. Their loss would very well have messed up my energizer had I not realized what was going on.


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## 12vman (Feb 17, 2004)

I'd check YouTube. I'll bet someone in the world is doin' it.. 

These folks lit up a light bulb and didn't get busted..

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp2X23e6MMc[/ame]


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

The induced voltage will indeed give you a shock. It is high voltage very low current. No way would you be able to "charge" a battery bank.
A guy I know lost badly to the power Co. when his cows were grazing "near" the big transmission line. The cows had all kinds of problems.
So what kind of critters are you going keep in side that hot wire . . . .??
Your critters will also have problems if they are exposed for any amount of time to that radiated energy.

Your "land" or not-- Best to keep humans and animals away from that damaging radiation.


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## farminghandyman (Mar 4, 2005)

Harry Chickpea said:


> Not only is it illegal, it is Danged illegal and can get you in _*major *_hot water. It is a type of theft of service. The emf around high voltage power lines is a natural function of the transmission of electricity. If you tap into that, you (believe it or not) ARE stealing power from the grid above and beyond the normal line losses. Transmission corridors are under surveillance much more than you might think, and the power company AND the Feds can come down on you like a ton of bricks. The same goes for radio stations. Finding electric thieves is fairly simple through use of field strength measurements. It can even be done from the air.
> 
> I know it can be galling, but you cannot steal or block any part of the electromagnetic spectrum, even if a transmission is a nuisance.


I really doubt if they can do any thing about you building a fence under or near the power lines, 

now if one goes and starts to build a collector under the lines that could cause problems, 

and why do they have a right to bombard one's land with EMF radiation, (and some claim it is not with out health risks) 
I do know it affects plant growth, as I did science experiments with electrical magnetic radiation from energized coils on garden plants, corn beans and others, and observed the effects on plant grown in high school, and there was major effects,


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## Nate_in_IN (Apr 5, 2013)

DenMacII said:


> Wow! I had no idea!!!
> 
> I was shocked (literally) when I found that I was getting a zing from my unconnected line of hot wire. I assumed that a person could tap into that loss since it is escaping onto my property. Their easement is solely for the maintenance and upkeep of the lines, and nowhere does it say that I can not impede or use loss coming from their lines.
> 
> ...


Believe it or not but the EMF field is not a *loss*. It is established and then takes no energy to maintain, _unless someone starts removing energy from the field_. In other words the field doesn't cost the power company anything, until your fence acts as an antenna and pulls power from the field.

BTW if you can run your fence at an angle to the power lines the coupling effect will be greatly reduced. Perpendicular there would be no effect.


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## Nate_in_IN (Apr 5, 2013)

farminghandyman said:


> and why do they have a right to bombard one's land with EMF radiation, (and some claim it is not with out health risks)
> I do know it affects plant growth, as I did science experiments with electrical magnetic radiation from energized coils on garden plants, corn beans and others, and observed the effects on plant grown in high school, and there was major effects,


Of course the EMF and MMF has health impacts. When high voltage distribution lines first started being errected across fields farmers were suffering horrible health effects until they started planting the rows across the lines rather than parallel to them.

But the strength of EMF and MMF decays by distance from the source to the 4th power. Usually lines are placed far enough away from the ground to have minimal effect at ground level.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

farminghandyman said:


> I really doubt if they can do any thing about you building a fence under or near the power lines,
> 
> now if one goes and starts to build a collector under the lines that could cause problems,
> 
> ...


Fencing UNDER high voltage transmission lines is generally not allowed, except for cross fence. Fencing IS allowed under distribution lines, which run at lower voltages.

As for why it is allowed, one could ask the same question about roadway easements that allow hazardous materials to cross your property, or railway easements that allow BULK transport of highly hazardous materials. Civilization depends on trade-offs. It is possible to buy property with no easements.


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