Anybody else having a problem with stolen condenser coils. Losing them left and right here in No.Cal. There were even 4 units mangled and cut open without any copper being removed. Far as I know no ones come back to get the coils later either. Consensus here was that the guys got busted somewhere else and couldn't come back and finish the job. I think the cops are finally getting the message that we got a big problem here...
In talking with the cops, they say that the crooks are now having to sell the copper to fences as the scrap yards are being watched. So for them to make $25 it means $3-5K in repairs. Fucking Retards need to be shot!!!
there was a story a while back in the hvac news , about a maufacturing facility in Oklahoma city , had all 18 of their rtus stripped out over night everyt bit of copper and aluminum , ripped out
and it had to happen between 1 and 5 am ,
the local authorities said they had to have operated with military precision, and even more especially , these people had to have had working knowledge of air conditioning equipment , so their looking hard at unemployed hvac people in the area .
sad thing about it is, these were some "huge" units , 20-30 tonners imagine all the 22 that got released .
last couple of times ive gone to sell scrap, ive seen people in there selling brand new copper fittings and pipe , saw one guy selling a ten foot stick of 2" pipe , and it was clean and shiny certainly not scrap by anyones definition, and a five gallon bucket full of new clean fittings
i asked the guy at the scrapyard about it , and he said, its not up to me , i just recycle it,
what to do . cops here seem completely apathetic about it seems theres more money in busting drunk drivers and writing tickets for seat belt violations , than busting the crackheads who rip people off,
will cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair , they figure the thieves made 7- 8 grand
We have had the same problem here in the Houston area and what I have done has helpped my customers.
Carrier sells a low pressure switch that mounts in the high side of the system. The switch opens around 6 psi and closes around 12 psi. You then have the buuilding alarm be wired into the switch. I noticed that the jerks will cut the copper lines to release the refrigerant then tear out the copper.
Well when the system loses it charge the alarm goes off and scares the crooks. Now your customer may have to pay for the repairs but not replace the equipment.
With the switch setting is so low then if your system is running low on charge it does not set off the alarm.
Now there is a product that I have seen on the web called Copper Cop. I have never used it but I think it does the same.
The last time copper was high I remember seeing a photo in the NY Daily News of a thief hanging (dead, with one leg missing) from the lines of either the LIRR or Metro North railroad who was caught in the middle cutting wire when the line was re-powered. BTW the leg was on the ground under him.
Now there is a product that I have seen on the web called Copper Cop. I have never used it but I think it does the same.
hehe, just went and looked at it , looks like the kit is a supco BPV and a low pressure switch and they want 130 dollars for it , somebodies gonna make some money on that one .
I thought you might find this link interesting from my neck of the woods...
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The largest food bank in Indiana was vandalized over the weekend when thieves stole about $600 worth of copper from outdoor units that serviced two 40,000 cuF freezers and one 30,000 cuF cooler room at the facility.
The loss is estimated be in excess of $500,000 worth of foodstuffs destined for poor families in our state.
The Indianapolis Star had a decent security video... provided by the food bank... on their website...
I haven't been seeing it until recently. I am tired of the worthless crap that passes as news these days though.
Sheriff shared a story with me this week re: coil thefts. He was on patrol one Sunday afternoon recently, when he spots a guy on the roof of a warehouse cutting coils loose. He sees the vapor clouds as the guy cuts them. Calls it in and they question his report as it could be defrosting, LOL. So he gets back up and the guy sees the back ups pull in and he takes off. The Sheriff said he didn't hardly have to get out of his car the guy ran right to him. He looked surprised and gave himself up. The work these guys will do to support their habits is incredible.
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