never actually seen this done before but I reckon it’d be to stop you from hitting it with your mower?
roam93 on
I’ve only ever seen this over above ground water meters – I’m assuming to give them some protection as well as letting your shins hurt slightly less when you run into it?
sandybum01 on
Its covering the water pipe and meter. Been a long time since I’ve seen one though.
dntdrmit on
So you don’t hit them with your mower, car, horse and cart, etcetc.
skunkoceros on
Also a place to raise spiders
Flyerone on
Back in the days when we actually had a winter, this was to stop the water from freezing. At least that’s what my old man told me back in the 70’s when I asked the same question.
You’ll see more of them in locations like Orange in NSW
oneforthedawgs on
Protect the water meter from cars, mower, whipper snipper etc.
one_step_backwards on
Does it follow the length of the underground pipe? Maybe to indicate which side of the tap is / isn’t safe to dig around?
Trewarin on
to protect the water meter from freezing/mowers
lilmanfromtheD on
ooo that’s to keep the drop bears away.
D_hallucatus on
It’s the aesthetic mostly. Fuckin love a good half-tire in the yard mate. Really ties the yard together.
bigdust88 on
to protect the water meter from freezing pre global warming.
mazellan1 on
I actually did hit the water main with my mower, the mains side so I couldn’t shut it off. Quite embarrassing.
schmickers on
For high-rise taps not mounted on a wall, it protects them from being bent over under an impact.
Shot_Delivery_ on
#Straya.
Recent-Mirror-6623 on
Why is it only Australian’s who put garden taps in the garden and not only on the walls of the house.
A_lurker_succumbed on
After having my mum attempt to drive over our tap that doesnt have one, maybe it is to stop people from trying to drive over it.
jb2824 on
It all started in 1962 when Gwennith Looseby from Lithgow asked her husband for a small part of a Kingswood that was eerily like a tyre swan to ornament their front yard in rememberance of the time she bruised her shin while whippersnipping the bindies
ZOTETHE-MIGHTY on
Oh thank god I thought that was just me
LeDvs on
They used to have see-saws but the kids moved out.
IndyOrgana on
In Ballarat, stops your water main freezing.
STEGGS0112358 on
Meter
moama60 on
Generally over the meter to stop freezing /breakage overnight in colder areas
thumpingcoffee on
Somewhere for the redbacks to live
knowledgeable_diablo on
Stop people from running over it with a mower I’m thinking??
landswipe on
Only to mark a Good Year.
Ud0gz on
I broke my arm as a kid tripping over a tap like this… if only there had been a half tyre to warn me 😥
Thick-Cream on
You tend to do something like this after you’ve already hit it once and paid the price.
no-but-wtf on
We do it where I am (cold regional vic) to give them a little bit of protection from freezing. Only needed a few weeks out of the year but worth the effort.
ApteronotusAlbifrons on
It still baffles me that we do this in some places (not the tire, but putting the meter above ground, which is why you need the tire)
Putting it above ground – it’s exposed to physical hazards – its exposed to freezing weather. I can’t think of a single benefit
Putting it in a pit – like this – https://www.iconwater.com.au/my-home/your-water-meter – the biggest hazard is that it gets buried and the meter reader can’t find it. (they’ll estimate your usage – or you can request a re-read – and you just clean up so they can find it next time)
If they are reasonably close to flush, you can drive a truck over them. They don’t freeze in Canberra – so they probably wouldn’t freeze anywhere else that the tire works for. You can’t run in to them with a mower or whipper snipper…
33 Comments
never actually seen this done before but I reckon it’d be to stop you from hitting it with your mower?
I’ve only ever seen this over above ground water meters – I’m assuming to give them some protection as well as letting your shins hurt slightly less when you run into it?
Its covering the water pipe and meter. Been a long time since I’ve seen one though.
So you don’t hit them with your mower, car, horse and cart, etcetc.
Also a place to raise spiders
Back in the days when we actually had a winter, this was to stop the water from freezing. At least that’s what my old man told me back in the 70’s when I asked the same question.
You’ll see more of them in locations like Orange in NSW
Protect the water meter from cars, mower, whipper snipper etc.
Does it follow the length of the underground pipe? Maybe to indicate which side of the tap is / isn’t safe to dig around?
to protect the water meter from freezing/mowers
ooo that’s to keep the drop bears away.
It’s the aesthetic mostly. Fuckin love a good half-tire in the yard mate. Really ties the yard together.
to protect the water meter from freezing pre global warming.
I actually did hit the water main with my mower, the mains side so I couldn’t shut it off. Quite embarrassing.
For high-rise taps not mounted on a wall, it protects them from being bent over under an impact.
#Straya.
Why is it only Australian’s who put garden taps in the garden and not only on the walls of the house.
After having my mum attempt to drive over our tap that doesnt have one, maybe it is to stop people from trying to drive over it.
It all started in 1962 when Gwennith Looseby from Lithgow asked her husband for a small part of a Kingswood that was eerily like a tyre swan to ornament their front yard in rememberance of the time she bruised her shin while whippersnipping the bindies
Oh thank god I thought that was just me
They used to have see-saws but the kids moved out.
In Ballarat, stops your water main freezing.
Meter
Generally over the meter to stop freezing /breakage overnight in colder areas
Somewhere for the redbacks to live
Stop people from running over it with a mower I’m thinking??
Only to mark a Good Year.
I broke my arm as a kid tripping over a tap like this… if only there had been a half tyre to warn me 😥
You tend to do something like this after you’ve already hit it once and paid the price.
We do it where I am (cold regional vic) to give them a little bit of protection from freezing. Only needed a few weeks out of the year but worth the effort.
It still baffles me that we do this in some places (not the tire, but putting the meter above ground, which is why you need the tire)
Putting it above ground – it’s exposed to physical hazards – its exposed to freezing weather. I can’t think of a single benefit
Putting it in a pit – like this – https://www.iconwater.com.au/my-home/your-water-meter – the biggest hazard is that it gets buried and the meter reader can’t find it. (they’ll estimate your usage – or you can request a re-read – and you just clean up so they can find it next time)
If they are reasonably close to flush, you can drive a truck over them. They don’t freeze in Canberra – so they probably wouldn’t freeze anywhere else that the tire works for. You can’t run in to them with a mower or whipper snipper…
As I said – it baffles me why we do it
https://www.iconwater.com.au/sites/default/files/2024-01/small%20water%20meter%20installation%20guide.pdf
It’s to keep the rabbits away from
How you can spot a bogan.
Poor man’s croquet set