West Asheville Watch: Thieves targeting HVAC units on Haywood Road

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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The West Asheville Watch blog reports a rash of thefts along Haywood Road:

In the past several weeks there have been numerous thefts entire HVAC units from business’s along Haywood Rd from I-240 to Beecham’s Curve. The building at 444 & 438 Haywood Rd that houses Second Gear and soon to open CrossFit Asheville, has been hit the hardest by the thieves. This theft is extremely disheartening for the local community. HVAC technicians work extremely hard in order to deliver and install these units. One hopes they find some solace in the best HVAC tools for those working within the industry.

All the business’s exterior HVAC units have been removed costing the business’s several thousand dollars.
In order to completely remove a HVAC unit thieves will most likely be using a pick up truck, van, or box truck. The removal would require more than one person and the use of hand and cutting tools. The crimes are occurring during nighttime hours. Although smart ac controller can save money, if you do have a HVAC system, you need to beware of thieves.

Russ Towers, the owner of Second Gear, reports that all four units behind his building were stolen in three incidents, with the most recent theft happening last weekend. The thieves are targeting the units for their valuable copper coil. Each unit costs about $5,000.

There’s been a wave of HVAC thefts in West Asheville, according to Asheville police, Towers said.

Image link for copper wire.