Protect yourself against copper theft
Thieves are not always hunting for electronics or jewelry when breaking into your home or car. It's the other valuables they seek - the kind you can't see and probably never, ever think of.
Consider these recent headlines from media outlets around the country:
Man severely shocked in attempted copper theft (Edwardsville, Ill.) Windstream offering $10,000 reward for info into copper thefts (Hazard, Ky.) Five indicted in copper theft ring (Waco, Texas) Authorities raid suspected copper theft operation (Sacramento, Ca.) Weak economy drives theft of copper wiring. (Philadelphia, Pa.)The price of copper, as with most metals, ebbs and flows. And when the price increases so do the number of brazen copper scavengers knowing they can score more money from the scrap yards they sell it to.
They'll do anything, even risk their lives, to get their hands on what belongs to you. They're ripping the copper from catalytic converters in automobiles. They're stripping it from foreclosed homes. Some go door-to-door telling homeowners they have permission from their telephone or Internet provider to remove the cable. Others climb poles and cut it down from overhead power and telecommunications lines.
The cost of copper theft is high in more ways than one:
In many cases, thieves have been electrocuted or badly hurt in the process of committing their crime Copper wire thefts cost individuals and corporations in the United States almost $1 billion a year ( Coalition Against Copper Theft ) These thefts put the public at risk by cutting off your high-speed Internet connections and your vital communications link to emergency services.The Federal Bureau of Investigation considers theft of copper to be a threat to our nation's ability to function, according to a recent article in The New York Times . The crime has become so prevalent that the FBI says it affects national security by disrupting "the flow of electricity, telecommunications, transportation, water supply heating and security and emergency services.
Do It Yourself Wiring - News
Weak economy drives theft of copper wiring. (Philadelphia, Pa.) The price of copper, as with most metals, ebbs and flows. And when the price increases so do the number of brazen copper scavengers knowing they can score more money from the scrap yards
Haynes feels the electronic reach of the Internet broadens its customer base and those who might like to balance a laptop with their code sensor atop their engine block for the do-it-yourself mechanic. Perhaps more importantly, the videos'
Is there a pair of wire cutters in your pocket? Which pocket? How proficient would you rate yourself in trying to get out of an entanglement hazard? To what do you credit the proficiency? Would this incident have qualified as a mayday based on your
We can either pay someone else to do it, or get a Haynes DIY manual and figure it out yourself. Haynes has been helping garage mechanics for the last 50 years, and the company is finally taking its knowledge into the digital world.
They also want residents to be on the look-out for suspicious people in the area. Do not approach suspicious people by yourself. Call police to come and take care of the situation. You must be logged in to rate this story. Login or register.
240v 20a 3-prong outlet wiring with a metal outlet box ...
We recently had a residential house rewired with a new drop and panel. I just found out the dryer was not hooked up correctly and so went to check the other 240v 3-prong outlet powering a large window a/c unit. My concern is they have the ground bare wire running to the outlet AND grounded to the metal box. I tested from one hot lead to the metal box and its reading 120v. The white neutral wire is capped off (but connected to the neutral bar inside the panel). The other two hot leads (black and red) are hooked up correctly and are receiving voltage correctly. Is this wired safely? Or should the neutral be connected to the outlet and the ground connected to the metal box? Our dryer has a 4 wire hook up. Our old one quit working so we bought a new (used) one that wasn't turning on either. After some looking at it, the dryer neutral was not hooked in the panel, and the ground was not hooked up at the outlet. So they had the old 4 wire dryer running just off the two hot leads! I don't even know how the old one was working lol! I connected the neutral in the panel and the grounded at the outlet, and all seems well with it now. So that's a little background on why I thought the a/c unit might have been incorrectly wired.
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