We finally got appointments set up for today for our roof and air conditioning to be repaired (we noticed last week that the condensing units outside weren't coming on; 41 weeks pregnant and 90-degree heat don't go together very well). Apparently whoever replaced the roof on the house in 2004 reused the old flashing around the chimneys, and it must have gotten blown off or damaged by a windstorm recently. The repair will cost just under $600. We're OK with that.
The air conditioner is another story. When we were investigating for ourselves why the condensers weren't kicking on, we noticed that the refrigerant line was pinched like someone had tried to cut it. We were thankful that it otherwise was intact - just solder on a small piece of copper tubing to replace the damaged part and call it a day. When the air conditioning guy showed up this morning, however, this is what we found:
Both of the condensing units were completely stripped. We filed a police report but they didn't seem optimistic about ever finding out who did it. The officer said that if they catch a person in the act, they'll often confess to all the thefts they've committed as part of a plea. Even if our address is mentioned, we have little hope of ever getting any money out of them. I guess this happens around here all the time. In fact, there's a law office behind our house whose air conditioner is surrounded by a tall chain-link fence topped with barbed wire because of a previous theft. And Tom's brother has a rental property that was stripped of all its copper over the weekend, too.
After we filed the police report, I went to the local scrapyard to see if they could help. Unfortunately, they get dozens of these things in on a daily basis. We filled out a standard form, but they seemed unable or unwilling to really do anything about it. It seems like 2 brand-new, identical coil assemblies being brought in as scrap would be cause for alarm, but they'll buy them anyway. Cost of replacement for the condensers (there's no way to possibly repair them): $3500. Purchase price of condensers as scrap: $30.
I don't know whether I should cry or register for concealed-carry training.
3 comments:
So when did this happen? Just last night? I can't imagine someone attempting something like this while the owners are home and (presumably) using the air conditioning!
Marian
By the way, does your homeowners insurance policy cover this? Can you get a special add-on policy to cover it?(it might be worth it if you can!)
Marian
That's awful. I hope that your insurance can cover it. No wonder the law office surrounded theirs with chain link.
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