subject: Save Water, Save Money, Save The Planet - Tap Security [print this page] Save Water, Save Money, Save The Planet - Tap Security
We are all familiar with the saying save the planet, save water, perhaps the correct saying should be save money, save water, save the planet.
In today's economic climate it is often very difficult to keep in mind the green issues that impact us all on a daily basis; we are all well aware of methods of saving water such as
A) Do not use a hose pipe when washing your cars, use a bucket and sponge.
B) Take a shower instead of a bath.
C) Only run washing machines when you have a full load.
D) Only run dishwashers when you have a full load.
E) Repair all leaks and dripping taps.
F) Harvest your rain water for use when watering your garden.
The list is endless but one of the most overlooked areas of wasted water and wasted money is the simple outside water tap.
Taps located outside your property may be subject to miscellaneous vandalism, unauthorised use, and tampering, even water theft.
Outside taps are found in many locations such as houses, holiday homes, gardens, allotments, shopping centres, caravan parks, schools, hospitals etc all of these taps require to be made secure to avoid wasted water and money.
There are very few methods of securing an outside tap, detailed below are just some of the options that are available.
1) A stop cock valve can be fitted to the pipe feeding the outside tap on the inside of the property; this can be costly as you may need to use a plumber to fit the stop cock.
This would also mean that every time you wished to use the external tap, you would need to access the property to turn the stop cock on and then again to turn the stop cock off when you have finished.
2) A timber or metal box can be fixed to the wall over the outside tap with a hinged lid and a padlock fitted, these kind of boxes require painting on a regular basis, and can be quite unsightly. Tap boxes do seem to attract vandals who like pull them off the wall and then leave the tap turned on.
3) A method of locking the tap is available where a clever metal fitting, screws on to the BSP FEMALE THREAD on the outside tap spout. This acts as a valve for the water and can only be unlocked with its magnetic key. If you do not have a thread on the spout of your tap you can purchase an adapter that allows you to fit the same product to the handle which stops the tap handle turning until the fitting is unlocked with the magnetic key.
4) A moulded plastic cover that fits closely over the tap and is in two halves which you then lock together with padlock, is a very cost effective method of securing your tap and very easy to install yourself.
There will be other methods of securing an outside tap, but with the cost of water rising on an annual basis in many geographical areas; it is worth looking at how much your outside tap is actually costing you or your business.
