I live 15 meters from a 3 doors bedroom size electicity transformer which is very disturbing to say the least. I need to measure the magnetic field flex and the Hmm which is heard in my unit even on a windy day, or anything else you can suggest for me to solve solve this problem.The evil utility company Western Power which every electrician and engineer I talk to, hates them for their lack of corporation and elusive transparency. I hope that one day soon, just like the tobacco company, the truth will come out on how they have been cooking us all with all sorts of radiations.
Hi Eric,
Mains transformers are enclosed in steel housings which act as a very effective faraday cage preventing any measurable EM radiation from escaping. This is the same technology used to shield you from the microwave radiation inside your microwave when heating food, and used in an RFID blocking wallet to protect your credit cards from being scraped with an RFID reader.
These do not block the physical vibrations so you can still hear the 50Hz Hum, but other than being a nuisance this has no impact on your physical health. The powerlines feeding the transformer on the other hand, are not shielded, so they will emit some EM radiation. Here’s a great resource on understanding any potential health impacts of living near powerlines:
https://www.arpansa.gov.au/understanding-radiation/radiation-sources/more-radiation-sources/electricity
If you would like to measure magnetic field strength I’d recommend using a magnetometer:
Regards,
Oliver
Support | Core Electronics
Hi Eric,
Just to follow up on our call, I’d recommend looking into this sound level meter for measuring the sound output of the transformer:
Or we’ve got one which will work with a microcontroller such as an Arduino Uno:
There are also many smartphone apps you can get which do the same thing, but these only give a very rough idea of sound level as they are completely uncalibrated.
If you’re interested in learning more about how transformers work, I’d recommend working through setting up an Open Energy monitor. These use the principles of a transformer for measuring mains voltage and current using logic level device.
Regards,
Oliver
Support | Core Electronics
Hi Eric,
As per our call I have included the parts to get the magnetometer working.
Cheers,
Liam.
