I’ve heard that more and more people are sealing copper pipes from homes? Is this really a serious problem? Someone I know painted their copper pipes white to look like plastic. Is that a good solution?
–Chris
Chris, theft of copper in general, not just copper pipe, is a huge problem not only here in the U.S., but around the world. Thieves are tearing out copper pipes and copper wiring from just about any source they can get their hands on, including homes or buildings under construction (any construction site in general is a target), abandoned/condemned homes and buildings (foreclosure lists are commonly used), phone lines, and street lights.
Both the Chinese and Indian economies are growing rapidly and have created a huge demand for copper (and other non-ferrous metals) over the past several years. If you add that to the dropping value of the dollar, it’s easy to see why the price of copper has shot up from about 80 cents per pound to more than $3.50 per pound (within the last 10 years).
Just listen to this May 20, 2008 story by Marketplace®’s Jeff Tyler about how copper theft is hitting U.S. cities’ infrastructure hard:
And have a look at some incidents of copper theft from around the world, just from last month!
7/29/08: Police bust alleged copper wire theft gang (Dandan, Saipan)
7/28/08: Store under construction targeted in copper pipe theft (Portsmouth, NH)
7/27/08: ‘Syndicates behind copper pipe theft’ (Cape Town, South Africa)
7/24/08: Copper theft a rapidly growing crime (Las Vegas, NV)
7/17/08: Man’s day in the cells for copper-theft attempt (Halifax, United Kingdom)
7/16/08: Man killed in Ohio during copper theft (New Miami, OH)
7/10/08: Copper Theft: “Inside Job” (Pensacola, FL)
7/09/08: Youth granted bail on copper wire theft charge (Georgetown, Guyana)
7/08/08: July brings no freedom from wire theft (Spanaway, WA)
7/01/08: Police following leads in copper pipe, cash theft (Warren, VT)
Photo: Air conditioning unit destroyed by copper thieves. Click here to read the full story. Used with permission. ©2008, Thompson Realty.
Painting your copper pipes won’t necessarily prevent them from being stolen, but to a thief in a hurry, they just might appear to be undesirable plastic. Another thing you can do is replace basement windows with glass block windows –these let the light in while obscuring thieves view and are much more difficult to break (when properly installed) than ordinary windows. Air conditioners (more so central units than window ones) are a common target too, it’s best to secure them or hide from view –your local installer may have some useful ideas.
–Brian
