A/C Unit Theft…The Cat Burglar is out of the Bag

The cat is out of the bag, or should I say the Cat Burglar is out of the bag. In my opinion, copper theft is here to stay even after the economy recovers. The recent copper theft epidemic has opened the eyes of criminals to a brand new avenue of making money. This knowledge will simply not disappear after the economy recovers. In times past, air conditioner theft did occur, but was typically focused on re-selling the unit to a contactor who then installed it into another home at a dirt cheap price. You needed a shady outlet to get rid of it. Now, the untraceable copper in the A/C units can be taken to virtually any scrap yard and turned into quick cash. That spells trouble for anyone who has a costly investment just sitting outside their residence or business. To make things worse, the problem has not stopped at copper, it has involved numerous other metals such as brass and aluminum. The brass fittings of the Backflow Prevention Valves that are being stolen are leaving people with tremendous water damage as a result. Property Armor has just completed work on a medical facility who had several of their brass valves stolen. This resulted in a weekend of constant water running into the building. The damage was so severe that most of the expensive equipment that was sitting on the ground was ruined. Look close and you will notice that quite a few of these valves are suspended over the ground with two pipes. Look even closer and you may realize that the pipes are often PVC. Not real strong, and can be simply kicked and broken. A Criminal could care less if they get wet and leave water gushing out. My advice for the New Year is to resolve not be a victim. Don’t take the chance of leaving these items exposed because the damage is to costly. Property Armor has been in business since 2003 and deals with these situations on a daily basis. To learn more about the ongoing copper theft problem, the available solutions, as well as browse through a gallery of recent projects, visit the Property Armor website at www.propertyarmor.net