TexasCHLforum.com

The thefts of HVAC equipment is escalating in our part of the woods. Rural churches seem to be the hardest hit. Our Antique Tractor and Engine show grounds are on a rural county road with no one living within sight of the building. In August, our one year old condensing unit was stolen and dragged 150 yards and thrown over the fence. We had a break-in of the building earlier in the year and several thousand dollars of stuff stolen. Now we have an alarm system and more lighting. But we are also going to put disconnects and valves on the AC system where we can store in in the building as we usually use it only twice a year.

I partially blame the scrap yards who buy stolen scrap from these yahoos. The salvage yard I sell to (and sometimes buy project metals from--we call this "going to the mall") will ask lots of questions and take down truck, trailer, DL information and take your picture if they think you are hinky. I sell scrap as I clean up around the shop or jobs when I was still working, but I do not mind the salvage folks making sure I am not selling stolen goods. My local guys know me when I drive across the scales and have my DL number and license plate numbers on file. Scrap is bringing the highest dollar ever in the US, so the welfare crowd is out in force. My grandson cleaned out my short copper and #2 with solder on it out of the barn and we split $1806--my copper and his labor. My wife lady wishes I would clean up more of my "spare parts repository".