musicman Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 The just had a news report where copper thieves are now going into backyards to steal copper out of a/c units. they are also stealing copper phone lines off of telephone poles. The interviewed a lady who said that in the past two weeks her phone has been out twice because of copper thefts. the first time 3 days and the last time for a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Marty Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 My condenser unit is on the side of the house i wonder if i should plant a shrub about 5 feet in front of it to hide it or would that make it easier for the thieves? i live on a busy road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted November 17, 2006 Author Share Posted November 17, 2006 My condenser unit is on the side of the house i wonder if i should plant a shrub about 5 feet in front of it to hide it or would that make it easier for the thieves? i live on a busy road.hopefully the abundance of traffic will help....but then, maybe they might think that the thieves are a/c repairman. A/c theft itself has been going on for yrs anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonDFW Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 (edited) The just had a news report where copper thieves are now going into backyards to steal copper out of a/c units. they are also stealing copper phone lines off of telephone poles. The interviewed a lady who said that in the past two weeks her phone has been out twice because of copper thefts. the first time 3 days and the last time for a week.In Dallas they've stolen a good portion of the copper wires to the highway lights around town. These are on very busy roads, like I35.Jason Edited November 17, 2006 by JasonDFW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 In Dallas they've stolen a good portion of the copper wires to the highway lights around town. These are on very busy roads, like I35.JasonSo much for the 'visibility deters crime' theory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 How much does copper go for to make it so popular to steal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 How much does copper go for to make it so popular to steal?They said last night on the news that it was like $3.80/pound or something like that. Plus its fairly dense, so you don't need a lot to get a pound's worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmainguy Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 (edited) They said last night on the news that it was like $3.80/pound or something like that. Plus its fairly dense, so you don't need a lot to get a pound's worth. Scrap copper is down to almost $3/lb. [been buying alot for sculpture lately] Futures are holding pretty steady at $3.4-3.5/lb. There's a growing surplus in China so the theft cycle may be on the downturn. My neighbor across the street has had her A/C unit stripped recently. She caged it with a locked door but...she didn't attach the cage to the slab sooooooooo... She's out of town and doesnt know it yet. Edited November 17, 2006 by nmainguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danax Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Scrap copper is down to almost $3/lb. [been buying alot for sculpture lately]Futures are holding pretty steady at $3.4-3.5/lb. There's a growing surplus in China so the theft cycle may be on the downturn. My neighbor across the street has had her A/C unit stripped recently. She caged it with a locked door but...she didn't attach the cage to the slab sooooooooo... She's out of town and doesnt know it yet. These thiefs must be crack addicts. How much copper can be in an AC unit? Even 10 lbs is only $30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 These thiefs must be crack addicts. How much copper can be in an AC unit? Even 10 lbs is only $30.There's a fair amount when you consider all the motor windings...of course it takes a bit of doing to crack open the compressor and get to all the coppery goodness inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted November 19, 2006 Share Posted November 19, 2006 These thiefs must be crack addicts.Yup. I use to work at an Optemtrist in Greenspoint (Square), and We use to lose a/c every so once in a while. Summer sucked.Its not hard to get up on the roof of the strip center. We'd also get stinky presents in the back ally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston1stWordOnTheMoon Posted November 19, 2006 Share Posted November 19, 2006 This has been going on for a while now. There are a staggering number of churches and businesses in the 3rd ward that i am aware of that has had this happen. Seems they target places there that they know are not guarded at night or dont have people in or around under the cover of darkness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted November 19, 2006 Author Share Posted November 19, 2006 in 2002, a 12-2 bundle of wire was 18. summer 2005 it was 36. friday at lowes it was 79. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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