13 air-conditioning units robbed of copper coiling

MOUNT PLEASANT — A couple of tenants in Daniel Vallini's building at Moultrie Office Park complained that their offices felt stuffy Friday morning.

A quick inspection of three outside air-conditioning units told the owner exactly what was wrong: someone had pulled out the copper coils during the night, likely to sell as scrap.

Vallini had just become the victim of a rampant problem at office parks and industrial areas throughout the country.

"They stole three of our units — just ripped them apart to take copper wiring," Vallini said.

Vallini said he has to replace each $5,000 to $6,000 unit, not just the missing coils.

Not even a week earlier, the coiling was stolen from 10 A/C units at another Mount Pleasant office park. The thefts at 498 Wando Park Blvd. occurred between the night of Aug. 8 and the next morning, Sgt. Steve Meadows said. All told, 21 such incidents have been reported in the town this year.

Mount Pleasant police have contacted scrap businesses, telling them to watch for the stolen parts.

Other local departments have noted the pattern as well but have had limited success catching thieves.

Sgt. Trevor Shelor, a Charleston crime-prevention officer, said businesses in the city rarely have had more than four units vandalized at once.

The most effective safeguard, Shelor said, is a wooden or chain-link fence to keep a vehicle from pulling up close. Alarms, better lighting and security cameras also help, as does trimming shrubbery to make the equipment more visible.

Shelor said it's important to post signs warning the thieves.

Jim Murrill, supervisor of Charleston-based heating and air company Environmental Control, worked on replacing units after both recent Mount Pleasant thefts.

His company has worked on at least 20 similar jobs this year, and he thinks other companies are probably seeing the same thing.

"They're taking just the condenser coils, for the most part," Murrill said. "The sad things about it is they're making $50 and it costs thousands of dollars to replace them."