Simply making taps impossible to steal

Were they brass ? Maybe steel ones would be less attractive ?

To be honest I would have thought you'd have a lockable box over it anyway to stop kids leaving it on ?

You could try fastening them to the support with one way screws, which do up as normal, but are a right pig to undo, and put a shroud round the tap, so you can't easily get at the fixings, leaving just enough room to get a hose on. You could also have a look at the new design used by the Canal and River Trust at their water points. They do rely on a padlock for security, though.

Or weld the screws to the body after tightening.

That'd do the job. Use nuts and bolts and a steel backing plate, though, not screws.

No T in Ciao

Doesn't it tend to be a backing plate that screws to the wall and then the tap just screws into that with a bit of PTFE tape? If so then easy to remove the tape even if the backing plate is heavily welded.

"Andrew May" wrote

Lucky to have taps we don't. Anyway, I have no doubt they were after the metal so you can do nothing to stop them getting the taps, they will just use a big hammer and smash them off. Get some cheap non brass taps.

Not specifically, but this make is usually reliable:

Besides which, they would probably steal the cover for its scrap value as well.

Colin Bignell

One would not have thought the effort worth it would you, I hope the supply was not metered.

Brian

Some Lowlife has stolen all the metal taps from our Allotment. Are there any

Go plastic, loads of options.

Mike

Are they frost-proof?

Plastic pipe tends to be more frost proof than copper, I expect the taps not to be much better as they are a harder plastic.

Those particular taps don't look at all robust.

Plastic taps are bound to deteriorate in the sun. And inside the house, I've had a lady visitor who couldn't remember which way to turn a tap off, so she wound it the wrong way until the plastic tap broke, causing a fountain in my bathroom.

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Thanks to all. As far as making some more metal taps difficult to steal , they are simply screwed on at the end of a vertical pipe. So there is nothing to attach any antitheft device to, as has been suggested.

So if buying some more metal taps, which is seen as the preference over plastic; there still remains a as yet unsolved problem as how to make them 'theft-proof'. Life's not easy........

Hi A lot of brass taps are screwed to the back plate with P.T.F.E.I always soldered mine and soldered the compression fitting as well.Retired Plumber.T.R.

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Thanks to all. As far as making some more metal taps difficult to steal , they are simply screwed on at the end of a vertical pipe. So there is nothing to attach any antitheft device to, as has been suggested.

So if buying some more metal taps, which is seen as the preference over plastic; there still remains a as yet unsolved problem as how to make them 'theft-proof'. Life's not easy........

Why not solder them to the pipe? Or use permanent thread lock.

or use Loctite or something similar.

The alternative is to use cast iron or steel fittings, instead of brass, which would be less attractive. I can't find any ready made steel bibcock taps, but you could achieve a similar result with a lever or T handle ball valve and an elbow that has a male BSP thread to suit your hose fittings. To meet water regulations, if it is a mains water supply, you would also need to fit a double check valve, but that could be in the vertical pipe.

Colin Bignell