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05/06/2012
Thieves Targeting Air-Conditioning Units For Scrap Metal
It has been revealed that businesses have become a fresh target for thieves, who are stealing their air-conditioning units.
The Irish Independent has reported that externally mounted units have been removed from the walls and rooftops of a number of business premises in Dublin in recent weeks.
Thieves are targeting the air-conditioning units because they contain copper and aluminium, which currently have a high scrap price.
Units that would be considered large enough to yield profits are usually attached to businesses such as pubs, shops, restaurants and specialised warehousing.
Colin Huggett of the Institute of Refrigeration of Ireland said: "These units are full of copper and aluminium. There's a condenser with a copper tube, an evaporator with a series of copper zig zags, the pipes running between split units are copper.
"The sort of larger units which might be used at a big technology or pharma building could contain 40 or 50 pounds of copper. It's a simple matter of disconnecting the electrics and the piping and then it would take a few guys to lift it."
However, while the air- conditioning units might cost thousands for a business to replace, the yield to thieves is minimal.
Even with copper and aluminium priced as high as they are, the scrap value from one large unit might be as little as €30.
The theft of the units has become a major issue in the US but metal thieves in Ireland have only recently started targeting them.
They have previously concentrated on public statues and sculptures, gates, copper-roof flashing, metal manhole covers and even the lead roof off a Victorian bandstand.
Colin Huggett added: "There are security cages available for a few hundred euros each to install around roof-mounted air- conditioning units but these are really designed to protect people from damage from the units rather than the other way around.
"The way things are at the moment, if the thieves want to get in they will, and they might even take the cages as well seeing as they're made of metal also."
(H/GK)
The Irish Independent has reported that externally mounted units have been removed from the walls and rooftops of a number of business premises in Dublin in recent weeks.
Thieves are targeting the air-conditioning units because they contain copper and aluminium, which currently have a high scrap price.
Units that would be considered large enough to yield profits are usually attached to businesses such as pubs, shops, restaurants and specialised warehousing.
Colin Huggett of the Institute of Refrigeration of Ireland said: "These units are full of copper and aluminium. There's a condenser with a copper tube, an evaporator with a series of copper zig zags, the pipes running between split units are copper.
"The sort of larger units which might be used at a big technology or pharma building could contain 40 or 50 pounds of copper. It's a simple matter of disconnecting the electrics and the piping and then it would take a few guys to lift it."
However, while the air- conditioning units might cost thousands for a business to replace, the yield to thieves is minimal.
Even with copper and aluminium priced as high as they are, the scrap value from one large unit might be as little as €30.
The theft of the units has become a major issue in the US but metal thieves in Ireland have only recently started targeting them.
They have previously concentrated on public statues and sculptures, gates, copper-roof flashing, metal manhole covers and even the lead roof off a Victorian bandstand.
Colin Huggett added: "There are security cages available for a few hundred euros each to install around roof-mounted air- conditioning units but these are really designed to protect people from damage from the units rather than the other way around.
"The way things are at the moment, if the thieves want to get in they will, and they might even take the cages as well seeing as they're made of metal also."
(H/GK)
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