Rain Gutters Near High-Voltage Power Lines: A Study of Electric Field Induction

This paper discusses electric field induction on rain gutters located near high-voltage transmission lines. The study consists of analytic modeling, measurements under idealized conditions with gutters and downspouts suspended freely in an electric field, small-scale models, and measurements on houses near high-voltage lines. It is shown that a significant portion of the short-circuit current to ground results from charges induced on the house that are transferred to the rain gutter. A model is developed that can be used to predict induced current and spark discharge energy under realistic-case conditions. The equations make use of empirical scaling constants that are used as multipliers of idealized equations. The need for grounding is discussed.