Copper plumbing got cut and stolen!

Hi PCers,

I have recently vacated a IP and going through some re-painting and minor renovation. Yesterday the contractor told me my old copper plumbing (tubing) of the whole house were cut and stolen! It is a 1950 home with copper plumbing lining the external walls.

My question is would the police handle such cases? Why would people cut off and stole the old copper tubing? Presumably they want to sell it as copper materials? Or use them as spare parts for other jobs? They even stole the water meter. Sounds like a very desperate plumber? The funny thing is they didn't break into the house.

Now my whole plumbing system is gone, altogether!!!!

Anyone with similar experience and what did you do if so? Any suggestion/help welcome...

S.

 

Call insurance to make a claim if the cost to repair is more than the excess.

The insurance company may request a police report.

 

It wont be a plumber who stole it, it will be a drug addict. They steal it and sell it for scrap. They may have only got $100 for the whole lot. Plumbers wouldn't waste their time stealing it when they get paid more to work normally. Police will attend and you will need a report for insurance.

 

Used to be very common in Sydney until police started calling on scrappies asking why they paid out on obviously stolen goods.
Best one was a tenant rang us to say someone was cutting off their sewer pipes ( in a unit block). We called the police who arrested a guy covered in **** with a few pipes on top of his wagon and two school aged kids eating ice creams in the back seat.
Months later I had to appear as witness for the prosecution and he pleaded guilty. The magistrate noted that this was his fifth such appearance and declared that no fine or penalty be applicable but that should he come before the courts again, the magistrate would have “to consider” a custodial sentence. It cost us $7,000 to replace these pipes in plastic.

 

Consider it a godsend. Now you can upgrade your accessible pipes to plastic and have another 50-60 years of worry free water supply.

Might be time to consider replacing the internal piping as well.

 

That would not be the plumber,they would know the minute the scrap metal dealer saw the councils meter where the metal came from..Plus with the hws if its copper --some brass from the tap fit-offs-- and the pipes in money value it would be less then 300 bucks total..
Look on the upside if they ripped the walls out ,which would have been a lot of hours of work then if insured you will end up with new painted walls that have to be matched -and a new plumbing system..

 

Thank you for the support and replies. I have home and content insurance but not sure if it covers the theft of plumbing tubing. It couldn't happen at a worse time as we are travelling overseas at the moment. I almost felt someone knew our schedule and did it purposely but then there could be a lot of hypotheses.

Hi Cartart, so it costed so much to replace it? That's a lot of money Would the plastic tubing as good and durable? Sorry only lived in older homes with coppers.

 

Need a lot of positive thinking energy to consider a godsend. Loss in rental income. Out of pocket plumbing work, mortgage land tax and all the rest...

Still, no one got hurt is a blessing.

 

Yes, and no water hammer.

 

When they rip it out of a block of home units, you have to replace brickwork and rebore the holes in the concrete floors and ceilings.

 

No, rats and mice chew it, recently had to re-plumb a couple of places.

 

I feel for you @spoon It's happened to me and copper pipes cut flush to building external walls. Difficult time for plumber to get purchase to replace. It was an evicted tenant where I had changed door locks but hadn't bothered to padlock the front gate. Live and learn. He used to repair fridges and other steptoe and son activities as well as dispose of used syringes down bathroom vanity drains. Don't take it personally. I did............it isn't worth it

Some people are just pigs. Insurance took care of it after a rent default claim. Just new claims one after another with him. Move on and put it down to the things landlords need to put up with occasionally. Most people are good........some aren't.

You will the police to file a report for your insurance claim. Beyond that they couldn't care less even when the person is known to them............another story

 

I recently had a similar experience with a hot water system and associated plumbing stolen.
Ask PM for a police report, insurance company may ask for one. I didn’t have one but Allianz have accepted the claim.
Good luck.

 

Thanks for the consolation. It was a very sad scene because the tubing was cut to the wall. I even suspect it was one of the tradies did it. The timing was just too good to be true. I wished I had installed a CCTV. Arghhh.

 

@spoon I feel you. I am going through same thing now. Can I please ask how much it cost you at that time to replace copper pipe & hot water system?
Thanks.

 

@LEARNTOINVEST I don't have the bill with me as my wife is the Chancellor of Exchequer of my House I recall it was a couple of thousand dollars at least.

 

The same thing often happens with heavy duty electrical cabling in empty warehouses. Thieves cut and steel it (for the copper content) and sell it for cents on the dollar in replacement costs.

I have heard of commercial buildings requiring tens of thousands of dollars of replacement for what the *******s probably received a few hundred dollars for as scrap.

 

Yep happened to me in an IP in the GC a couple of yrs ago. Tenant moved out and a few days later copper pipes were cut and removed.

Can't remember if I claimed for it but I do know it was replaced with plastic and the one heartwarming thing going forward is noone is going to bother stealing that.

 

A multi storey building with a earth down conductor copper stripped and taken. We almost didn’t notice it until wondering why there was a mark on the wall. It’s so dangerous someone might be killed when there’s a thunder strike.