OK. I just wrote about someone turning on our faucet this morning. My dad happened to call me a few minutes ago, and I told him about the ordeal. He told me to put this epoxy on it he has at work. It takes about an hour to dry, and it bonds on contact. BUT, it does not harm the skin, you just have to use water and several minutes to get unstuck. In a way, it's totally hilarious. In another way, it's pretty childish, and it could make them want to vandalize the house more. Really, I would like to catch them long enough to confront and be able to contact their parents...and warn them I'm calling the police next time. If the turn it on and run, I won't be able to do that. What do you think? Not be childish? Or, stoop their level and catch the little idiots?
In reality, I'll just sit by the front window and go outside when they start walking up and go outside. Wouldn't it be fun, though? :)
Seriously, I really AM kidding!! I wouldn't do it!
We don't have basements or water shut off switches here. It's autumn, but it's still 70 degrees or above most days. When we get hard freezes during the winter (it's not common), we simply drip all the faucets, because we don't have shut off switches. I'm not sure in what states that is something that exists, but it doesn't here.
AGAIN, to reiterate...I'm NOT actually going to do it. Just a fun little hypothetical.
I love the idea....but agree with the other posters...it could go south for a variety of reasons.
What about placing some fake spiders around the faucet? Or a motion detector dog barking? Play the prank back in a way.
If you have a sprinkler system then you are able to shut the water off to the outside of the house. Otherwise, I don't think you can.
you do what you gotta do. Instead of using an epoxy, you could use something like black paint that would take a LONG time and effort to wash off.
something hubby would do (and has done!) would be to rig a plug/single stream sprinkler at ground level, pointed at the house, so that when the faucet was turned on, it would turn on the sprinkler and soak the idiot.
i would get a deer cam and face it towards your faucet. It only snaps pics when motion is detected. Then print off the pics and send it to the parents with a note and let them know what your next steps will be. If you can't borrow a cam from someone.. and hopefully this was a one time prank.. then ok, be childish ;)
Don't don't don't! I know you are joking but don't! Believe it or not they can sue you if you do something like that. I know that logically it is crazy but you would be knowingly creating a hazard. Without getting into an unintended consequences lecture, say someone's house is on fire and they go to hook up to your hose......
Don't do it!!
Don't do it. Besides the childish factor, you don't want to make enemies with neighbors. If you came to me and said my child did that, they would get it from me. If you "glued" them to your faucet, you both would. I think you know the answer. While HILARIOUS to think about, I would leave it at that.
We had a problem with teens ringing our door bell and asking for a drink, a bandaid, the time etc. My hubby yelled at them pretty good. That night he saw them sitting across the street from our house. He saw one of them come across the street with a hammer in his hand getting ready to hit my hubby's work truck. My husband was watching from the window and said, "don't even think about it." The kid took off running. The next day he waited out front after school and saw the kid walking across the park by our house. My hubby called the police and the kid ran home and hubby followed with 911 on the line. Once the police and parents got involved, we never had a problem again. Keep an extra eye out and try to catch them if you can. They could get into trouble with the police just by going on your property. Good luck!!
Funny, but you will probably get sued so not worth it in the long-run.
Equally amusing, use grip wrap for baseball bats and tennis rackets. Turn it reverse side out. Nice and sticky with an ugly residue which is darn hard to get off. If they protest, well, for one they have no business being on your property in the first place and heck that grip wrap improves your grip on the faucet when you do yardwork with gloves on. :) The sprinkler bit is darn good too. Thinking silly thoughts like this will help relieve the anger.
As tempting as that would be, I wouldn't do that because of how some parents are these days. They could turn it againist you in some ways. The kid may have an allergic reaction to it or something as well. I would just sit there and see if you can catch them in the act or put something over it preventing them from being able to do it in the first place.
Sprinkler idea! Genius! haha...you could also maybe loosen the hose just enough so when turned on, it sprays em from the spicket (sp)!! good luck w/ this...let us know what happens! (and yes, unfortunately, you do have to be careful not to get yourself in trouble in the process!)
Go with the other suggestions LOL! change the faucet, put a lock box on it or remove it so they can't do anymore damage. Personally there has to be some shut-off in the house somewhere. We've got some safety shut-offs in ours. I would look at seeing how much it would cost. Best wishes.
We bought four sprayer attachments for the hose before we put the epoxy all over the handle. Three hours later the neighbor lady (the one we've had major issues with her boys...the youngest threw dog poop in our pool several times), she pounds on our door. Her son is is standing behind her off the porch. She demands to know what we did to her son. I told her I hadn't seen her boys since that morning. She grabs her son's arm and there, stuck to his hand is our sprayer. I started laughing so hard. (It pissed his mom off.)
I simply explained that someone kept stealing our sprayers, so we ensured that we would never have a sprayer stolen again...and we haven't.
Personally, if you think it's going to happen again, then go for it. Just be prepared for the consequences. There's a chance that this kid could try to rip his hand off the faucet, or something else and his/her parents could try to come after you for damages. I'd be interested in hearing how it turns out if you do it.
I would let it go....
Save the tricks for when the hoodlums steal stuff out of your car. :)
CATCH Them!! I would add dye or something. Then you would have them wearing even more evidence. I may even get mean and add something that has a little hot effect or tingling effect just to scare them, but not really harm them. Hell, they have NO RIGHT o be touching your property to begin with! I say go for it!!
I would be afraid that 1 - they would rip thier skin off trying to get off the faucet and 2 - they would retaliate. I think I would go with a motion detected camera instead. Nanny cam those punks.
Now that it's autumn we just turn the outside faucet off completely from in the basement. There's no reason for it to be on this time of year.
sigh.... this is really frustrating, but u might wanna let it go.
my friend politely asked for her neighbor kids to slow down when flying down the street, now they cut her phone line about once every month or two and she has to fix it out of her pocket each time. called the police, but no proof.
this could be a one time mischievous prank that u turn into a feud.
also, if they are hurt somehow (allergic reaction, ext..) they can sue!
You need to be careful. The parents of the child might be able to sue YOU for assaulting their child. I know it sounds backward, but our laws protect the guilty and not the ones they are vandalizing. Contact the police department and find out what your choices are.
I like the deer cam and the sprinkler ideas, both. :)
As in: do them BOTH together.... then you get to SEE them getting soaked! LOL
I'm the "don't get mad get even" type. So I would be so ready to do the epoxy or black paint or dog poop. My husband would talk me down and we would go to Home Depot and find out what they have that we can use. But wouldn't it be fun to do something like that???!! Actually, the thought of vengence has made my day! :)
Please let us know what you do! We had some vandals in our neighborhood right after we moved in. House was egged 3 or 4 times and a big %uck You was written in our yard with weed killer. we did file a police report and made sure that certain individuals knew (daughter's boyfriend) that we had involved the police. Didn't have any other problems.
