Beware of AC Copper Thieves

You’ve probable read or heard on local news that, with the rising price of copper, there is an increase in the theft of central air outdoor units in the Tampa Bay airwaves.

Copper everywhere is at risk of being stolen. Thousands of dollars of damage are done to half-built houses when thieves rip out the walls for a few hundred dollars worth of copper wire.

In the case of central air outdoor units, the places most at risk are abandoned houses and businesses. For example, bars and nightclubs would get hit in the morning or churches would become victimized on weekdays when no one is there.

Many churches have put chain link fences around their outdoor units. Also available are various kinds of alarms (much like home security systems) to notify you when someone is tampering with your outdoor unit.

The sad thing is that many central air contractors acquire scrap copper from old units they have replaced. Some contractors would be happy to freely give these old units to someone who would take them away. Instead, criminals would rather cost a church or business thousands of dollars in damages to steal under $100 worth of copper.