Sub Station

capri579 · Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 5:32 pm Post Subject: Sub Station

hi all
I am about to purchase a house. Behind the back garden fence there is a sub-station some 50ft from the house. Is there anythink i should be worried about. Any advise would be very welcomed
thanks
Capri579

Chri5 · Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 5:47 pm Post Subject:

None much that I can think of, maybe the odd ill health rumour due to emc fields (like the pylon issues)- but nothing substantiated,

Our house had a sub station behind it, it was a retreat to climb over and hide in having stolen a few of my dad's fags- youth of yesterday !

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disinfo · Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 5:49 pm Post Subject:

You'll be able to get some good Z's

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ColJack · Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 5:51 pm Post Subject:

the only thing I can think of would be access issues..
if the way to get to it is through your garden then they have the right to do pretty much what they want to get to it.. if this involves demolishing walls and sheds etc to bring in equipment etc if needs be, then they can...

if the access to it is not through yours ( ie it's accessible from the road behind etc ) then I can't see any problems..

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Lectrician · Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 6:11 pm Post Subject:

Any wayleaves would be found by your conveyencing solicitor.

I expect access has been arranged from another direction - DNO's do not like to rely on wayleaves on domestic properties.

capri579 · Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 6:18 pm Post Subject: sub Station

Thanks all
It is a stand alone unit fenced off and a seperate road leading to it. it is very much out of site. but i just was worried on the health front
thanks again.

properleckie · Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:14 pm Post Subject:

Earthed metal enclosure around windings pretty much takes care of radiated field worries, my concern would be state of metal work as most substations use oil cooled transformers /switches, the oil in which is a known to be carcenogenic, so any leaks are potentially unhealthy.
Most modern subs will have a bund wall around or be in an enclosed building, I would not worry too much, they should be regularly inspected..

RF Lighting · Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:42 pm Post Subject:

Yep, nothing at all to worry about.

Apart from this of course.

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gman76 · Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:32 pm Post Subject:

Many hi-fi buffs would be jealous - cleaner mains (allegedly), that's if your property is fed directly from it I guess.

I know of someone who payed for a dedicated feed from a nearby sub station purely for a separate metered hi-fi supply - madness.

Taylortwocities · Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:41 pm Post Subject:

You should have an electrician check what is known as Prospective Short Circuit Current (PSCC) at the property. This is the maximum current that can flow in the event of a short circuit in the house wiring.

If you are close to the sub station the PFC can be very high. Many contact breakers destroy themselves at curents over 6,000 amps.
If the PSCC is greater than 6,000amps then higher spec breakers may need to be installed.

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Stoday · Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 1:20 am Post Subject:

Go there in the early morning, when everywhere is quiet. Listen to the hum from the substation. They all hum because of magnetostriction. If you are happy that it won't disturb you, fine.

Some substations have a brick wall built round them instead of a fence to minimise the noise.

plugwash · Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:12 pm Post Subject:

Taylortwocities wrote:

If you are close to the sub station the PFC can be very high. Many contact breakers destroy themselves at curents over 6,000 amps.
If the PSCC is greater than 6,000amps then higher spec breakers may need to be installed.

I was under the impression there was a rule that saidnormally in domestic installs you could rely on the service fuse to provide back up protection.

JohnD · Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 4:01 pm Post Subject:

I don't really think it is an issue. An MCB will break a high fault current in the event of a short circuit; if the current is extremely high they might be too damaged to be used again.

With some makers like MEM you can fit the industrial MCBs instead of domestic ones (interchangeable into domestic CUs) if you are concerned enough about a high PFC. I have them but I'm pretty sure there's no real need.

RF Lighting · Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 4:40 pm Post Subject:

plugwash wrote:

Taylortwocities wrote:

If you are close to the sub station the PFC can be very high. Many contact breakers destroy themselves at curents over 6,000 amps.
If the PSCC is greater than 6,000amps then higher spec breakers may need to be installed.

I was under the impression there was a rule that saidnormally in domestic installs you could rely on the service fuse to provide back up protection.

If the Ipsc is too high, and the MCB strikes an arc when it tries to operate or something daft, the cutout will provide backup protection. (assuming it's a BS88 or BS1361 type)

Even near to a substation, it is unusual for a domestic supply to get a Ze below 0.04Ω anyway.

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Adam_151 · Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 6:48 pm Post Subject:

As others have alluded to a consumer unit type tested in accordance with BS5489:13 or BSEN60439 annex ZA has a assumed breaking capacity of 16Ka when protected by a BS1361 type IIb fuse of max rating 100A, whatever devices are in the CU (even wylex rewireables!), careful though, if you mix and match breakers, then its not been type tested in that confirguration and no longer meets the standards...