We now have a new term for the theft of copper wire, brass, bronze, etc.: Urban Mining. From fire hydrants to street light wiring, thieves are busily stripping homes, businesses, even utility services to sell to scrap dealers for quick cash.
Here’s a video of a thief stealing the bypass meter and valve on a fire sprinkler line.
Armed with as little as a hacksaw, these thieves have been known to steal over 50 backflow valves from one location in one night. Then they come back again and take the new ones.
We've replaced valves that were stolen on a busy street where the thieves actually cut through the pipes without shutting off the water, leaving a restaurant with a 40' high "water feature".
Prevention
How to prevent this? The honest answer is that locks keep honest people honest. They have a hacksaw in their hands already, right? What's a few more minutes? Especially when it's a battery powered Sawzall.
One very inexpensive answer is paint. Painted devices are worth a fraction of the value of unpainted. The scrap dealers consider it "dirty" brass or bronze if it's painted. Plus, if they're painted green they're harder to spot, especially buried in a hedge, which is another low cost approach.
More expensive, but certainly better prevention, are locking mechanisms. Cages help deter the thieves; why deal with a cage when there's another valve across the street that's unprotected? Unfortunately, the cages are expensive, and are protected by a padlock. Remember what I said about locks?
South Coast Water Protection has found a new series of devices that are much cheaper to install, are designed to minimize the chance of attacking the lock(s), and can make a thief think twice before attempting to steal your backflow devices. Find out more on our StemLocks page.
With thefts on the rise, we recommend you at least paint the backflow device and hide it in a hedge. If you've already had some stolen, it may be time to step up your protection.
Contact us for a free theft evaluation.
