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Air conditioner condenser stolen in Olde Towne East

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Started 4 months ago by hugh59
Latest reply from SusanB

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hugh59
Aboard the ultimate power in Olde Towne East
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Sigh. I just got home and found a mess in our back yard. Some joker stole the condenser for our home air conditioner. Just what we need; another $1,000 bill. I know a lot of this is going on right now. One of the down sides of living in Olde Towne East or any of the close in neighborhoods.

I called the police and I am waiting on a unit to arrive. They will probably catch the joker someday, but I doubt they will ever be able to connect him to this crime. Even if they did, I cannot get the fool to reimburse me for the damage. Better yet, he goes to jail and I have to pay for his room, board, entertainment, and health care.

Posted 4 months ago #
mrsgeedeck
Castle of Lions
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When we were looking at places in Vic Village last year we ran into this a couple of times to (though mostly on foreclosures).

Sorry to hear about this theft, I can't imagine how annoying this is. I guess the bright side is you still have six months to save up for a replacement?

Posted 4 months ago #
hugh59
Aboard the ultimate power in Olde Towne East
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I will replace it, then build security around it. Fracker will get a few dollars (about $50 according to one source) from the salvage yard; but it will probably cost me $1,000 to fix it.

Posted 4 months ago #
rus

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Sorry to hear that, Hugh.

Posted 4 months ago #
Snarf
Dystopia
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Good thing it's winter!

Posted 4 months ago #
hugh59
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Yes, I will wait till spring to replace it probably. I need to get estimates first. Just what I need. Put a new roof on the house and it leaked, damaging our kitchen ceiling. Then major expenses on our cars. Then this.

I am thinking of a lot of awful things that I would like to happen to the thief. They will have to be caused by his confederates; our legal system treats criminals very nicely.

Posted 4 months ago #
SusanB
Hungarian Village, Columbus' fastest growing Gayborhood!
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I've started to put mine up on posts, about 8 ft up.

Posted 4 months ago #
leftovers

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When we were looking for an apartment in Weinland Park several landlords said they would not put in central A/C because of this kind of theft. They offered only upstairs window units.

It seems really common in transitional areas.

Really sorry this happened to you.

Posted 4 months ago #
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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The other day I head the copter circling overhead and looked out the door and saw they were running the searchlight on a roof over in the 5xNW area between 3rd and 5th. Turned the scanner on and they were talking about a compressor theft off a roof over there. Didn't listen long enough to find out if it was successful theft or not.

Posted 4 months ago #
hugh59
Aboard the ultimate power in Olde Towne East
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I need to research what the best replacement will be. The unit was a 13 SEER Goodman condenser. We have a Goodman furnace. I suppose we could get one with a higher SEER value. I need to get something that will be compatible with our furnace. I wonder if we could get a heat pump?

I also need to research methods of preventing a repeat. Our back yard is mostly fenced in now; soon it will be completely fenced in. That will make it slightly harder for the bad guys to see the unit and get to it...but it also means they can work on it without being seen.

$1,000+ damage just so the fool can get $40. I really want bad things to happen to this person. Sadly, if he is caught, we end up having to pay for his living and his health care.

We could put a security cage around it; something they would have a tough time cutting through. Make it hard enough and they will go someplace else where the stealing is easier.

Posted 4 months ago #
cheap
Westgate
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hugh59 said:
Our back yard is mostly fenced in now; soon it will be completely fenced in.

that's why you got ripped.

Posted 4 months ago #
patient_zero
Falafel District
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hugh59 said:
... our legal system treats criminals very nicely.

Innocent until proven guilty aside and all, the same thought occurred to me last week while I was serving on jury duty. God, do we coddle our criminals. The thought pissed me off.

Sorry to hear about the crime. If scrap yards and pawn shops were held more accountable for their actions, maybe it would occur less often. There was some kind of accountability movements in scrap purchases recently, but I haven't researched it.

Do you think you could recover the condenser at the nearby scrapyard? I remember when I had a CD player stolen from my apartment when I was at OSU, the police traced it to a pawn shop. They said I could buy it for $40 (it was worth $160 at the time), but they couldn't recover it for me. WTF! Maybe you could do the same. Pay for your condenser in scrap pricing, cheaper than a new part. Still messed up though, I know.

This comes to mind after Kbear's post:

http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/iverifyus

Posted 4 months ago #
hugh59
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Actually, I think it is the compressor they stole. The stole the coils, not the entire unit. It remains to be seen whether the compressor can be repaired or whether I need to get a new one. And, if we get a new one, is it possible to get one that uses the new refrigerant.

Our old unit was a GSC130361A manufactured by Goodman. It was a 3 ton unit that used R-22 refrigerant. They did not steal the whole thing, just parts.

Posted 4 months ago #
evantyler
East of Parsons
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Ugh. I know this feeling, Hugh. Mine was stolen on Wednesday. Came home from work to find the whole external unit gone! $4,595 to replace, and another "pockmark" on my homeowner's insurance record...

Posted 4 months ago #
Snarf
Dystopia
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evantyler said:
Ugh. I know this feeling, Hugh. Mine was stolen on Wednesday. Came home from work to find the whole external unit gone! $4,595 to replace, and another "pockmark" on my homeowner's insurance record...

$4595!?!? Do you have a 10k square foot home?

Posted 4 months ago #
hugh59
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$4,595 to fix it and the fool got about $40 for the copper. Mae gets upset when I say what should happen to these fools. Frankly, there should be some form of punishment that does not end until the reimburse their victims for the cost of the damage they have done. Victims are forgotten in our criminal justice system.

Put in a brain implant in the convict that gives them migraine headaches 3 days a week. The implant is not removed until the victims are made whole.

Posted 4 months ago #
evantyler
East of Parsons
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Snarf said:
$4595!?!? Do you have a 10k square foot home?

Well, that's what Atlas-Butler quoted me, and they were the ones who installed it in 2008. Back then, they installed central air and a new furnace for $6000, so I didn't blink too much at $4500. Am I getting taken? I haven't signed a contract, I just needed the estimate for the insurance claim (which I'm filing next week...).

Posted 4 months ago #
hugh59
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evantyler said:
Well, that's what Atlas-Butler quoted me, and they were the ones who installed it in 2008. Back then, they installed central air and a new furnace for $6000, so I didn't blink too much at $4500. Am I getting taken? I haven't signed a contract, I just needed the estimate for the insurance claim (which I'm filing next week...).

I do not know. A 4 year old system should have been using one of the newer refrigerants. If the unit is still made, they can replace the outside unit without replacing the inside components. My unit is still manufactured, so hopefully they can just put in a new outside unit.

Posted 4 months ago #
Snarf
Dystopia
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You should be able to get a 13seer unit installed for under 2 grand.

Posted 4 months ago #
evantyler
East of Parsons
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@Hugh and @Snarf--Thanks, I'll take a look at the specs of the unit that was stolen and proceed with caution with Atlas-Butler, or any company for that matter. My house is very small (900 square feet) so perhaps the unit was too big to begin with.

Posted 4 months ago #