hit by copper thieves
after work yesterday I went downstairs to wash my clothes.
what the heck?
looked up at the plumbing.
looked over at the hot water heaters.
at the other end of the basement the water main had been cut too.
aint that peachy. now I don't have water upstairs either. until this gets fixed.
what the heck?
looked up at the plumbing.
looked over at the hot water heaters.
at the other end of the basement the water main had been cut too.
aint that peachy. now I don't have water upstairs either. until this gets fixed.
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Damn thieves.
Good luck getting everything put back together. Are you able to do it yourself or will you have to hire a plumber?0 -
landlord is having the maintenance guy come out and fix it.
I said what about a police report? he said they aren't going to catch the thief, not going to get the pipes back, the cops aren't going to fix the plumbing for us, and insurance won't barely pay anything on this, so just let it go.0 -
buschmaster wrote:landlord is having the maintenance guy come out and fix it.
I said what about a police report? he said they aren't going to catch the thief, not going to get the pipes back, the cops aren't going to fix the plumbing for us, and insurance won't barely pay anything on this, so just let it go.
Mostly he is right, But the police have a lot better chance to be on the look out for this activity is they know about it. I wonder if your landlord has an idea who it was and knows them or is related to them. A son, nephew, or someone.0 -
And a local recycling yard is accepting cut copper pipe from a guy with three teeth and meth burns all over his face.
We lost about $ 10,000.00 worth of copper cable 6 - 7 years ago. My guess is the guy got around 10 cents on the dollar. We tracked him down through the tools he sold. Recovered almost all of the tools, but didn't get squat for the wire.
Guy was a poster child for meth addiction, but a local recycler was apparently more than happy to take our cable, knowing full well it was stolen.
Looks like the theif was at least good enough to shut the water off.
People suck.0 -
Although that really sucks Brother.
It could be worse. It could be on you to fix it, and the $$ behind the fix.
(But) Hey, on the bright side, your basement makes me feel much better about my basement. :shock:
Weren't you the Member who posted about a "break in," and your subsequent beefing up of the rear door?
When I first moved up to N/NJ., we were next town/village over from Paterson, NJ. (Haledon) My Audi 5000 got stripped (curbside) within a couple weeks of moving in. "Welcome to the neighborhood."
Time to move Brother.0 -
Some shark bites and CVPC and it is repaired. 0 -
Negative. Shark bite fasteners are fine for temporary repairs, but never trust one for a long term fix.select-fire wrote:Some shark bites and CVPC and it is repaired.
CPVC? I'd rather use PEX, easier, quicker, more durable.0 -
NeoBlackdog wrote:
Negative. Shark bite fasteners are fine for temporary repairs, but never trust one for a long term fix.select-fire wrote:Some shark bites and CVPC and it is repaired.
CPVC? I'd rather use PEX, easier, quicker, more durable.
Now that is funny. Been using Shark bites for repairs and Never had an issue in the many yrs of using them. Nor with PVC or CVPC. No use for Pex.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/pex-piping-problems-failures-derek-bradfield0 -
select-fire wrote:NeoBlackdog wrote:
Negative. Shark bite fasteners are fine for temporary repairs, but never trust one for a long term fix.select-fire wrote:Some shark bites and CVPC and it is repaired.
CPVC? I'd rather use PEX, easier, quicker, more durable.
Now that is funny. Been using Shark bites for repairs and Never had an issue in the many yrs of using them. Nor with PVC or CVPC. No use for Pex.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/pex-piping-problems-failures-derek-bradfield
Pex is useful/utilized when there is a danger of freezing. The stuff does not crack/burst etc. Will expand.0 -
Mostly he is right, But the police have a lot better chance to be on the look out for this activity if they know about it. L-O-L in this part of town? happens every day to someone somewhere
I wonder if your landlord has an idea who it was and knows them or is related to them. A son, nephew, or someone.
he is thinking probably the same jerkwad that broke in last time. among other things stole 4 air conditioners and 2 shopping carts. scrap metal ya think? funny thing is the cops got back to me on that and believe they have a suspect, linked to 10 burglaries in this neighborhood and several (or numerous) in other parts of town, and they got him on those but just don't have enough to prosecute him on mine... but for this here, the landlord doesn't want to call the cops, and that could give them more to "link" this guy to. more to investigate, possibly get more results, and finally bust him for mine too.
And a local recycling yard is accepting cut copper pipe from a guy with three teeth and meth burns all over his face.
oh "that" one? haha good luck. might as well look for some guy with tattoos. they're all like that.
We lost about $ 10,000.00 worth of copper cable 6 - 7 years ago. My guess is the guy got around 10 cents on the dollar. We tracked him down through the tools he sold. Recovered almost all of the tools, but didn't get squat for the wire.
okay you got your tools back. you didn't get your copper. can't you sue the thief for what the copper was worth and damages?
Guy was a poster child for meth addiction, but a local recycler was apparently more than happy to take our cable, knowing full well it was stolen.
they're all like that. pawn shops too I'm sure. this happens so much they should be required to record drivers license and take a photo.
People suck.
they sure do. and the weird thing is they all insist that you trust them.
(But) Hey, on the bright side, your basement makes me feel much better about my basement. :shock:
can I come over to your basement and watch gladiator movies?
Weren't you the Member who posted about a "break in," and your subsequent beefing up of the rear door?
yep that was me. this time they tried kicking in the door and it didn't budge. don't know how hard they tried.
When I first moved up to N/NJ., we were next town/village over from Paterson, NJ. (Haledon) My Audi 5000 got stripped (curbside) within a couple weeks of moving in. "Welcome to the neighborhood."
New Joysey? could have told you that
Time to move Brother.
takes time and money... don't have enough of either. working towards that.0 -
Install sensors that alarm (Sound) of intruders would help.Connect to phone line for a heads up call. Could deter stupid amateurs druggies.
serf0 -
Not trying to bust your chops by any means Brother.
Being a Gun aficionado, (why you are here, I would imagine.) I can not live in a place like that. Do you own a Gun Safe?
I've been there, done that. (See my Haledon, NJ comment.)
Not interested in doing it/experiencing it any longer. Pretty much why I live where I do now. (Amongst other reasons as well.)
Good luck with whatever you decide Brother.
Not trying to harsh on you.0 -
Yard owners are very savvy about good guys or bad guys. Of course some don't care. I have to sign for weight and amount $ received. Local police do check with yard owners on larger sales/theft. 0 -
if I had the money for an alarm system I would use it to move out instead!
no I don't have a gun safe. the extra guns are well hidden. I used to be a carpenter. I'll give them a head start when I'm at work. come home, take a shower, eat dinner, surf the 'net for a while, call the cops and wait 2 hours for them to show up, and we're all standing there "did you find them yet?" "no" "okay we're tired of waiting" [handcuffs]0 -
sorry too hear , what a terrible thing to come home to
maybe just me but public beatings and the old placed in a stock for public square humiliation along with public executions ( next day after sentence )
should be brought back
I do not care what the PC crowd thinks it would have a huge impact on crime
and they wonder why people want the right to have a gun(s) and defend themselves and property
they passed a law here several + years ago the scrap yard has too take your photo and what your bringing in record it
odds are some smaller scarp yard or employee would still gladly take in questionable items at a discount :shock: and forgo the process
and odds are the crooks know nothing will come of it no money no property to take so judge may say 30 days ( suspended ) and probation
the cities and state are going broke housing so many they ignore and relese back to the street countless thefs and druggies along with the mentally ill
just too much cost involved0 -
Ditch-Runner wrote:
the cities and state are going broke housing so many they ignore and relese back to the street countless thefs and druggies along with the mentally ill
just too much cost involved
JMO. jails/prisons should be a For Profit business. Bring back chain gangs and hire out the dregs for farm work, road repair and such.0 -
You are lucky they didn't burn your place down because you didn't have enough to steal. 0 -
Urban strip miners are a plague, mainly two legged locusts 0 -
The critters love Pex.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HzbhMXLoNA0 -
I can't quite picture how much copper plumbing they got, but from one end of the basement to the other, a few feet around the washing machine, and a few feet pieces off the hot water heaters can't add up to much. 30 pounds of copper? what did they get, 5 bucks? to wreck my plumbing, risk a burglary charge and risk getting shot by someone.
I wouldn't think it's worth even driving to the scrap yard if someone handed it to them for free.0 -
buschmaster wrote:I can't quite picture how much copper plumbing they got, but from one end of the basement to the other, a few feet around the washing machine, and a few feet pieces off the hot water heaters can't add up to much. 30 pounds of copper? what did they get, 5 bucks? to wreck my plumbing, risk a burglary charge and risk getting shot by someone.
I wouldn't think it's worth even driving to the scrap yard if someone handed it to them for free.
If you are driving a stolen (borrowed?) vehicle, it will lower your transportation costs.0 -
I've been putting them in for 12 years not one leak yet? NeoBlackdog wrote:
Negative. Shark bite fasteners are fine for temporary repairs, but never trust one for a long term fix.select-fire wrote:Some shark bites and CVPC and it is repaired.
CPVC? I'd rather use PEX, easier, quicker, more durable.0 -
I've seen two of them let go in the last year in newly constructed homes. Won't ever be one in my place other than as a temporary fix.GilWilson1 wrote:I've been putting them in for 12 years not one leak yet?NeoBlackdog wrote:
Negative. Shark bite fasteners are fine for temporary repairs, but never trust one for a long term fix.select-fire wrote:Some shark bites and CVPC and it is repaired.
CPVC? I'd rather use PEX, easier, quicker, more durable.0 -
dude was in my house. I know it. my bed was moved from the wall 1" or 2", the holster I keep my gun in next to the pillow was between the mattress and the wall, and a pack of hot dogs is missing from the fridge. nothing left to steal except my computer the burglars didn't steal last time (looks like junk, theft resistant) must have been looking under the mattress for a gun/money/etc and didn't want to make anything obvious unless he ran across high value items so they didn't take anything else. this was a stealth burglary. (aside from ripping out the plumbing downstairs)
he must have keys to my house. had to have a key to get into the basement (no broken windows) and the upstairs takes a different key, and the above happened on that day. so he has a key to the upstairs too.
lessons learned (or, Adaptive Burglar Busting Strategy)
1. need a trail camera pointed down the hallway
2. they sometimes eat your food
3. don't ever hide valuables under the mattress. they always look there.
4. if he has a key, it's easy for him. he'll be back.0 -
NeoBlackdog wrote:
I've seen two of them let go in the last year in newly constructed homes. Won't ever be one in my place other than as a temporary fix.GilWilson1 wrote:I've been putting them in for 12 years not one leak yet?NeoBlackdog wrote:
Negative. Shark bite fasteners are fine for temporary repairs, but never trust one for a long term fix.
CPVC? I'd rather use PEX, easier, quicker, more durable.
Newly constructed use pex. Probably critters or fittings on the pex.0 -
Back in the early 2000s the company I worked for over saw the building of new schools and the remodeling of the old schools for the DeKalb County school system in the Atlanta area. Some of the contractors were painting their copper piping black that they were installing so the homeboys wouldn't know it was copper. 0 -
buschmaster wrote:landlord is having the maintenance guy come out and fix it.
I said what about a police report? he said they aren't going to catch the thief, not going to get the pipes back, the cops aren't going to fix the plumbing for us, and insurance won't barely pay anything on this, so just let it go.
In our state folks that scrap have to get a local permit, and show ID and get photographed every time they turn in scrap. There are only a few scrap yards around here so it wouldn't be to hard in our area to narrow it down. Several years back we took a B&E report for theft of copper from an old vacant house. They spent alot of time in there, with a sawzall they cut holes in floors, walls, and ceilings...the estimate damage and theft was north of $20K for likely less than $200 worth of scrap copper.0 -
You think you got it bad, check out this story from 9 years ago. These guys went to Southwire in Carrollton Georgia, and stole 48,000 pounds at a time...
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Crime Network Behind Massive Copper Heists, Cops Say
ByEAMON MCNIFF
Aug. 2, 2010
Copper Theft On The RiseCourtesy The City of Carrollton Police Department
The man in the license going by the alias of Raul Camacho, is tied to at least five brazen copper thefts in Texas, Georgia and Florida totaling at least $2 million.more +
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Police in at least three states are becoming alarmed that a sophisticated ring of thieves is pulling off spectacular large-scale heists from warehouses and somehow are quickly getting the goods out of the country.
The primary target of the thieves is copper, massive amounts of copper, at a time when the price of the metal is rising.
"It's the new gold rush," said Lt. James Perry of the Carrollton, Ga., Police Department which is investigating one of the heists.
The robberies, seemingly pulled straight from Hollywood, span from Texas to Florida, according to police, and the known haul so far totals close to $2 million.
"They appear to be a highly sophisticated ring," Shaw said.
Shaw in fact made an ABC News reporter calling him for an interview about the gang prove his identity, fearing the reporter was in fact a member of the crime ring trying to gather intelligence on the investigation.
The gang's activities caught the attention of federal investigators as a result of ABC News' questions and the FBI has joined the hunt.
"I think you guys rattled their chains," Perry said, referring to the feds.
John Horn at the U.S. Attorney General's Office in Atlanta, said their office as well as the FBI are now looking into the Carrollton case.
"We are evaluating this theft and working with the Carrollton Police Department as well as the FBI to look at the case," Horn said in a written statement to ABC News.
One of the Copper Heists Was Worth $500,000
What makes the thefts so remarkable is the amount of copper stolen at any one time. The Carrollton heist involved 132,000 pounds of copper rods valued at $500,000.
"Look at one of these coils of copper rod," said Gary Leftwich, a spokesman for Southwire Corp., where the theft occurred.
"It is 4 ? feet tall by 6 feet in diameter and one truck load has 18 of these things. I can't figure out how you disguise it as scrap. Even if you cut it up, it would take you forever. That leads me to think these guys had a place for it to go before they ever took it."
Brian Jacobs, a spokesman for the industry's national Coalition Against Copper Theft, suspects Southwire's copper is now in India or China.
The trail left behind by the thieves begins in a Miami.
"We have one load of high end electronics stolen in Miami. That was the first one as far as we can tell," Perry said. "We've been able to tie thefts together because of copper, but these suspects are probably stealing other stuff also."
Southwire was hit on April 29 and the operation was a template for how the group works.
According to Perry, Southwire brokered the shipping of the materials to Associated Trucking, which posted the job onto a trucking Website. Perry said Associated Trucking was contacted by a group of men claiming to be from LaRolle Trucking, a legitimate company based out of Miami.
"A person said I have three trucks. I can handle those loads for you and they sent in counterfeit documents posing as a legitimate company," Perry said.
Two men, one going by the name of Raul Camacho who Perry said supplied a fake Texas driver's license, made three trips into Southwire on April 29, each time loading 49,000 pounds of copper rods into three semi-trucks.
"The next day, when it didn't show up in Indiana the truck broker tried to reach the guy. They did have phone conversations for a limited time with him after realizing it was missing, but eventually they cut off communication," Perry said.
Perry said Camacho "stalled" until the phone he was using was eventually turned off and $500,000 worth of copper simply vanished.
"We have never, in my 10 years working here, never seen anything of this magnitude. No one's ever seen anything like this," Leftwich said.
Copper Theft Ring Has Hit at Least Three States
Leftwich said to pull off stealing $500,000 worth of copper on three trips would take inside knowledge, as well nerves of?well, steel.
"It really took some nerve to come in and drive off with three trucks of copper," he said.0 -
right... but.. THEY CAN STILL FLUSH THE FRIKKIN TOILET!!!
I can't0 -
select-fire wrote:NeoBlackdog wrote:
I've seen two of them let go in the last year in newly constructed homes. Won't ever be one in my place other than as a temporary fix.GilWilson1 wrote:I've been putting them in for 12 years not one leak yet?
Newly constructed use pex. Probably critters or fittings on the pex.
Sharkbite fittings on copper pipe, SF. Been at this stuff a looonng time.0
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