5 Ways to Keep Your Air Conditioner Safe from Thieves

In the past few weeks, there have been several cases of air conditioner thefts throughout Pennsylvania, which just goes to show that there are many businesses and homeowners who don’t do enough to protect their A/C units. Many times, thieves are interested in stealing the copper coils from your unit in order to sell them, but sometimes they’re interested in the entire unit.

Here are some things from our air conditioning repair specialists that you can do to prevent your air conditioner from being stolen:

A Locked Disconnect Box

In order to steal an air conditioning unit, a thief will have to disconnect the power before they haul it away. The power is usually located a few feet from the air conditioner inside a “disconnect box,” and depending on the style of the box, it can be locked using a padlock. By locking the box, you’ll discourage the thief from trying to turn off the power and (hopefully) drive him/her away from the unit.

A Motion-Sensor Light

Most robberies take place at night, and an air conditioner robbery is no different. The dark gives the culprit more coverage and makes them harder to see. With a motion-sensor light, however, a culprit can be caught in his tracks and will most likely be scared away by the sudden brightness.

An Air Conditioner Cage

If you’re looking for something built strategically to prevent air conditioner thefts, look for an air conditioner cage. These steel cages can be installed over top of your unit and work well because they’re not only fastened to a slab of concrete (to prevent whole unit theft), but they also come with mesh walls to prevent a culprit’s hand from reaching into the unit and stealing the copper coils.

Security Cameras

What better way to catch your air conditioner thief than with proof from a camera? Install a few around your property so that if a robbery does occur, you’ll know who was responsible. You can also combine security cameras with motion-sensor lights to get an even better idea of the thief and what happened.

An Alarm

In addition to steel cages, there are also air conditioner alarms that are made specifically to prevent air conditioner thefts. These alarms will sound when an air conditioner is being disconnected or when it’s being moved, and the sound is usually enough to scare away a thief.