Copper Problem Solved. Or is it?

Here in Columbus a new law has been enacted so anyone dropping off scrap metal must have ID checked, etc.  The new regulations stem, in large part, from all of the break ins where thieves strip copper pipe from vacant homes and sell it to fund their crack habit.

No matter what you did, they got in.  Lock it, board it, put a dog in it.  They still got in and stole your pipes.

The cost to fix this problem ranged from a few hundred to a few thousand.  Most people replaced the pipe with PVC.

In the last week, I have had 3 outdoor A/C systems stolen.  What are they doing, stripping them for parts?  Is the new scrap yard the nearest HVAC contractor?

Newsflash !!  This is more expensive than the pipe.  According to the HVAC contractor I have been using for years, the new A/C systems are not compatible with the old (more than 3 years) furnaces.  Yes, there are repair parts available, but installing whole units isn't going to work right.

So out of the frying pan and into the fire.  Cost of new AC + Furnace = $2500 +/-.

Great.  Landlords and owners be advised this is starting to be a problem.

Anyone know where I can get a PVC AC system????