Sciencemadness Discussion Board

What's happening in this video? Electricity on fence

Beezwax - 13-3-2019 at 01:05


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3ZWEwR7eH4


One fellow in the comment section suggests induction from high voltage power lines.
Can anyone here extrapolate and share your thoughts as to what is happening?

Thanks for any and all informative replies!

[Edited on 3-13-2019 by Beezwax]

[Edited on 3-13-2019 by Beezwax]

Twospoons - 13-3-2019 at 18:35

Given the comments re lack of rain and low humidity and 60Hz buzz, I would guess its the result of a fault somewhere causing a large earth current that's going via the fence instead of the ground, since the ground is probably too dry and the fence makes a better conductor. That the phenomenon went away also supports this theory - when the fault was cleared the earth current would disappear.
Power lines are usually run in such a way as to not induce current in fences - that represents a loss of power that no-one is paying for, and electricity companies don't like that. Around here you can be forced to move a fence that is causing power loss.

j_sum1 - 13-3-2019 at 21:46

Quote: Originally posted by Twospoons  
Around here you can be forced to move a fence that is causing power loss.


I have heard of an enterprising farmer who buried some cables under the high voltage pylons that crossed his property and used that to power his milking shed. He justified it as rent for the land that was being used by the pylons. The power conpany, naturally enough, disagreed. It took a while for him to be discovered though.

XeonTheMGPony - 14-3-2019 at 04:36

Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1  
Quote: Originally posted by Twospoons  
Around here you can be forced to move a fence that is causing power loss.


I have heard of an enterprising farmer who buried some cables under the high voltage pylons that crossed his property and used that to power his milking shed. He justified it as rent for the land that was being used by the pylons. The power conpany, naturally enough, disagreed. It took a while for him to be discovered though.


Same sort of thing here, it was just a normal fence that the guy discovered was being energized enough to run a few lights, and that's what he did, no one knew about it including the power company till he died, and they found wires going from the fence to a home made transformer running the few lights in his place and a small battery charger!

kulep - 14-3-2019 at 05:15

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-wire_earth_return

Could be that

Morgan - 14-3-2019 at 07:01

I remember my car antenna buzzing one day on a drive-on fishing bridge over the bay. There was a steady wind but it wasn't very fast. Everybody was alarmed or quite curious as they all noticed their own antennas doing it. I removed my antenna because it had been previously broken and it just slid on and off. Holding finger and thumb against the antenna, you could vary the sound like a slide whistle, attenuating the sound as you moved up and down the length.

Here's this ...
"Blue flames erupted from metal fences, electrical systems in cars shorted out, and people would drag chains in order to offset the electrostatic charge."
https://www.nachi.org/static-electricity.htm

"St. Elmo's fire is a bright blue or violet glow, appearing like fire in some circumstances, from tall, sharply pointed structures such as lightning rods, masts, spires and chimneys, and on aircraft wings or nose cones. St. Elmo's fire can also appear on leaves and grass, and even at the tips of cattle horns.[5] Often accompanying the glow is a distinct hissing or buzzing sound. It is sometimes confused with ball lightning."
Wikipedia

Static Electricity Discharge
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ukt351SpmdM

[Edited on 14-3-2019 by Morgan]