Tread lightly, Geez!

[+TeamTwoStar]

Since everyone loves a good online rant, I decided to go ahead and start one

 

We were at an event for Friday the 13th with lots of the active local cachers in our area.

 

While out looking for a new cache that was placed for the event, we noticed that someone had totally disassembled a sprinker head, right near GZ (parking lot of a restaurant) and left it in pieces on the ground.

 

What the heck??

 

That was really annoying to see from someone who should have known better...and why, you ask, is it annoying??

 

Cause that kind of stupid crap is what will give geocaching a bad name and ruin the game if caches are banned because landowners are afraid of property distruction!!

 

It would have taken a few seconds to put the thing back together too.

 

RANT OVER.

 

Lol.

 

Any thoughts?

[+TeamTwoStar]

For a minute when I saw a new post, I thought our account got hacked!! And then I remembered that you are probably playing on your computer too!! LOL XD

 

-J-chan

[+Max and 99]

Since everyone loves a good online rant, I decided to go ahead and start one

 

We were at an event for Friday the 13th with lots of the active local cachers in our area.

 

While out looking for a new cache that was placed for the event, we noticed that someone had totally disassembled a sprinker head, right near GZ (parking lot of a restaurant) and left it in pieces on the ground.

 

What the heck??

 

That was really annoying to see from someone who should have known better...and why, you ask, is it annoying??

 

Cause that kind of stupid crap is what will give geocaching a bad name and ruin the game if caches are banned because landowners are afraid of property distruction!!

 

It would have taken a few seconds to put the thing back together too.

 

RANT OVER.

 

Lol.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Oh boy, I would have given them "the look!". Shame on anyone who would do such a thing.

[+uktim]

Since everyone loves a good online rant, I decided to go ahead and start one

 

We were at an event for Friday the 13th with lots of the active local cachers in our area.

 

While out looking for a new cache that was placed for the event, we noticed that someone had totally disassembled a sprinker head, right near GZ (parking lot of a restaurant) and left it in pieces on the ground.

 

What the heck??

 

That was really annoying to see from someone who should have known better...and why, you ask, is it annoying??

 

Cause that kind of stupid crap is what will give geocaching a bad name and ruin the game if caches are banned because landowners are afraid of property distruction!!

 

It would have taken a few seconds to put the thing back together too.

 

RANT OVER.

 

Lol.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Did you see the person who did it?

 

If so why didn't you take it up with them in person?

 

If you didn't see who it was it's best not to make wild assumptions!

[+TeamTwoStar]

 

Any thoughts?

 

Oh boy, I would have given them "the look!". Shame on anyone who would do such a thing.

 

OH no!!! Not "the look" Rofl!

Edited April 15, 2012 by TeamTwoStar

[+jellis]

I've seen it many times, so sad that cachers don't test a sprinkler head before really opening them.

[+Ms.Scrabbler]

We charge $75-85 an hour to repair irrigation systems plus parts. Most problems are broken underground lines, less often are broken heads from mowing. as far as I know we have not had to repair any cacher mistakes.

[+Don_J]

I've seen it many times, so sad that cachers don't test a sprinkler head before really opening them.

 

How do you "test" a sprinkler head?

[+Brooklyn51]

It would have taken a few seconds to put the thing back together too.

 

 

So did you put it together then? Just curious..

[+zack_black]

How do you "test" a sprinkler head?

 

Give it a yank - if it comes up easily then it's a cache - if it doesn't move then water probably comes out of it.

 

Also I've never seen a sprinkler cache that - on close inspection - looks like a real one. The look "fake" to me but then - because I know what they are - I know what to look for.

[+Harry Dolphin]

And, why the need for the profanity in your thread title?

[+jellis]

How do you "test" a sprinkler head?

 

Give it a yank - if it comes up easily then it's a cache - if it doesn't move then water probably comes out of it.

 

Also I've never seen a sprinkler cache that - on close inspection - looks like a real one. The look "fake" to me but then - because I know what they are - I know what to look for.

Also when you start to unscrew it you will hear or feel the spring inside. I know some cachers use real sprinklers sealed and then put them in the ground and those I really don't like.

[+jellis]

We charge $75-85 an hour to repair irrigation systems plus parts. Most problems are broken underground lines, less often are broken heads from mowing. as far as I know we have not had to repair any cacher mistakes.

Usually in parks the maintenance crews fix them but it is still sad to go to an area and find about 5 or more sprinkler guts spread all over.

[+Ms.Scrabbler]

We charge $75-85 an hour to repair irrigation systems plus parts. Most problems are broken underground lines, less often are broken heads from mowing. as far as I know we have not had to repair any cacher mistakes.

Usually in parks the maintenance crews fix them but it is still sad to go to an area and find about 5 or more sprinkler guts spread all over.

True, city parks usually have city employees do the kind of maintenance required when a head is damaged. The landscape company I'm with does 98% commercial work.When more than a quick replacement needs doing at a school, county property or park, we do it. Private companies do a lot of work on city sites.

[+L0ne.R]

How do you "test" a sprinkler head?

 

Give it a yank - if it comes up easily then it's a cache - if it doesn't move then water probably comes out of it.

 

Also I've never seen a sprinkler cache that - on close inspection - looks like a real one. The look "fake" to me but then - because I know what they are - I know what to look for.

 

About a year ago, I was in the Niagara area looking for a cache. Zero'd out at the sprinkler head. My first sprinkler find. It came out easily but looked like a sprinkler head with a big spring on it. Scared me. I thought I might be messing with city property. I put it back. Tried again. Zero'd out at this sprinkler head. Took it out again and looked more closely. Still didn't look like a cache to me, I saw no container. I figured I was supposed to twist something off but I didn't want to end up destroying property. I put it back and walked away. So I can see how a newbie who has never seen one of these before might start dismantling and then perhaps not know how to put it back together and leave it in hopes that someone else will fix it. How does someone know when they're looking at the real macoy or a fake?

Edited April 16, 2012 by L0ne R

[+DragonsWest]

Simply put - this is why I do no Sprinker hides. I once had one, it was muggled, and I replaced with something better. If at all possible, I hide away from Sprinkler Heads and Transformer boxes.

[+bflentje]

I've seen them done with both the fake hide-a-key AND the real sprinkler heads.

[+StarBrand]

I've seen cacher damaged sprinkler heads 3 times over the years. Always a cache placed nearby too close to the real ones.

 

The successful ones I've seen are fairly obvious to a cacher that it is not a real one.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

How do you "test" a sprinkler head?

 

Give it a yank - if it comes up easily then it's a cache - if it doesn't move then water probably comes out of it.

 

Also I've never seen a sprinkler cache that - on close inspection - looks like a real one. The look "fake" to me but then - because I know what they are - I know what to look for.

 

About a year ago, I was in the Niagara area looking for a cache. Zero'd out at the sprinkler head. My first sprinkler find. It came out easily but looked like a sprinkler head with a big spring on it.

 

One has to wonder if it came out easily because a previous cache damaged it by pulling on it a bit harder than you did.

[+Planet]

What you describe is vandalism and that cacher could have been arrested and should turn in his or her caching badge and get out of the game.

Bad Cacher, Bad!

Bad hide too. Why do people think these types of hides are clever?

Any cache that could possibly give this game a black eye should not be hidden.

What's worse is people keep on hiding them. Show of hands. How many sprinkler head cache hiders got permission to put it there? Please. Speak up.

[+Don_J]

How do you "test" a sprinkler head?

 

Give it a yank - if it comes up easily then it's a cache - if it doesn't move then water probably comes out of it.

 

Also I've never seen a sprinkler cache that - on close inspection - looks like a real one. The look "fake" to me but then - because I know what they are - I know what to look for.

 

I gave one a yank once. It was real and it broke. The park maintenance guy that was watching, wasn't very happy. The last sprinkler head cache, (SHC), that I found was in the ground so tight that I couldn't remove it. I had to dis-assemble it in place. I only did so after I had a very specific hint as to which one it was. This one matched the surrounding heads.

 

When I found my first SHC in 2005, I thought that it was the greatest thing sinced sliced bread. I have since realized that they really are not a good idea for a cache. They cause damage to real heads and to the landscaping, plus, they really are not waterproof.

[+slukster]

How do you "test" a sprinkler head?

 

Give it a yank - if it comes up easily then it's a cache - if it doesn't move then water probably comes out of it.

 

Also I've never seen a sprinkler cache that - on close inspection - looks like a real one. The look "fake" to me but then - because I know what they are - I know what to look for.

 

About a year ago, I was in the Niagara area looking for a cache. Zero'd out at the sprinkler head. My first sprinkler find. It came out easily but looked like a sprinkler head with a big spring on it. Scared me. I thought I might be messing with city property. I put it back. Tried again. Zero'd out at this sprinkler head. Took it out again and looked more closely. Still didn't look like a cache to me, I saw no container. I figured I was supposed to twist something off but I didn't want to end up destroying property. I put it back and walked away. So I can see how a newbie who has never seen one of these before might start dismantling and then perhaps not know how to put it back together and leave it in hopes that someone else will fix it. How does someone know when they're looking at the real macoy or a fake?

I would imagine that if you try pulling the whole unit out of the ground and it does not come up easily, then it might be the real McCoy. The piping connecting the sprinkler heads would resist your pulling or you will see pipes coming out of the ground on either side of the head as you pull up. If the whole sprinkler unit comes out of the ground, nothing attached to it (and no water pouring out of the ground ) then you have a cache.

[+Ms.Scrabbler]

A few years back I read on a cache page "NOT SPRINKLER HEAD" This was repeated 3 times on the page.

The cache was hidden 20ft from the nearest head, yet even with the warning, it was in pieces when walked by.