How To Prevent Window Air Conditioner Theft
Window air conditioner units, like ones that can be purchased from Economy Air Systems Inc, can be a great convenience, and they are often used to provide additional cooling to areas of a home that are insufficiently cooled by a central air-conditioning system. Unfortunately, window air conditioners are a frequent target for thieves. This is because the window these air conditioners are placed in are usually open and they can so easily be extracted from most windows if the unit is unsecured. Thieves like to take window air conditioners because of the copper they contain. However, there are things you can do to reinforce your window air conditioner installation so that it will be much more difficult for anyone to quickly remove it.
What You Will Need
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Electric Drill
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Drillbits
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Screws
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Lights
Step 1. The first step in protecting your window air conditioner is to seal the window so that it cannot be lifted. This will make it much more difficult for any criminal to pull the air conditioner out. Start by locating the channel on your air conditioner frame that the window sits inside. There should be pre-drilled holes in that channel.
Step 2. Put a drill bit in an electric drill matching the type of screws you are using (Phillips head or flathead). Make sure that your screws aren't too long, since you don't want them poking through the other side of the window. Put one of the screws on the drill bit and drill it through one of the holes in the channel and into the window frame. Repeat this step to put screws in all of the other holes in the channel.
Step 3. Most air conditioners are going to have expandable wind guards to close the gap on either side of the air conditioner. Just like the air conditioner itself, these wind guards are going to have channels on the top of them that the window sits in. You should drill screws into the holes in these channels as well.
A Few Tips: In addition to physically preventing a criminal from stealing your air conditioner by correctly securing it to your window, there are other things you can do to protect the unit. One is to make your air conditioner more visible and less appealing as a target. You can do this by adding lighting outside your home that focuses on your air conditioner. You can also cut back any shrubs that might block the view. Criminals don't like to be seen doing what they're doing.