AC Service Port Locking Guards?

Can someone please point me to a source where I could buy locking guards to protect against casual pilferage of refrigerant through the "Service Ports" on the refrigerant lines of outdoor AC compressor units?

Here's the reason:

Until today, whenever I've hear someone say that an HVAC tech came out and added some refigerant to their central air system my immediate reaction was to ask them, "You know, that's supposed to be a completely sealed system, did the tech look for, find and repair a leak before he/she added refrigerent?

This morning I was watching the Fox News channel and their medical consultant Dr. Manny Alvarez started talking about how teen agers have taken to filling plastic bags with what he just called "freon" from the service ports on outdoor AC compressors. Then they go off and breath in the gas to "get high".

Thinking about that, it'd take little more than a pair of pliers to remove a service port cap and something to push the valve down with, leaving no sign of what they've done until enough gas is gone and your AC stops cooling well.

Dr. Alvarez warned about the serious medical dangers of breathing freon and mentioned that in some cases it can cause death. He also said frostbite to kid's faces has resulted from their releasing the refrigerant directly (without a plastic bag) and trying and suck it in as its spraying out.

I've been hearing lots of stories about the rising price of copper resulting in an increase in thefts of the copper components of outdoor AC equipment, but this is the first I've heard about the freon swiping thing.

Dr. Alvarez mentioned that locking service port protectors are available for "about $30.00". Those might be good enough to make the kids want to go away and look for someone else's "unlocked" AC system.

Jeff (Who asks, what next?)

Reply to
Jeff Wisnia
Loading thread data ...

Here's a couple. I've never used either of them and the ones at the second link look like they could be removed with a big screw driver which the would be huffer may or may not have with them. Odds are they would just pass it by and move on to another target.

formatting link
formatting link

Reply to
Steve

Thanks,

It looks like that style uses a freely spinning outer cap and uses one of the many styles of "security drivers" tighten the inner cap with.

Can't tell about that one, but it's hard to believe it can do much good if all it takes is a screwdriver or anything else which can fit in the slot and be used to exert enough torque to remove them.

I was expecting something more like a strongly made hinged cover which surrounded the valve and blocked access to the service port. It would be secured in place with a padlock or something similar.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Wisnia

Never seen anything like that. Remember you really aren't talking about people willing to expend much effort here. Given that A/C systems are everywhere and most have no protection at all and that the huffers probably don't even care which refrigerant they are sucking down if they have any trouble getting the caps off they will probably just move on to your neighbors unit. Even standard caps tightened just enough so they can't be removed by hand would probably deter 90% of them. If you go that route just make sure you are gentle with the pliers and don't distort the fitting or it will leak. If you want a true lock get some sort of small box with a padlock hasp and drill holes in the ends for the lines and close it over the valves. Difficulty would vary from application to application and it's probably overkill.

Reply to
Steve

Thanks...I was merely curious about what the "locking devices" Dr. Alvarez was referring to looked like, but I couldn't come up with the right combination of words to Google up anything.

I wouldn't bother getting them for our own two AC compressor units because they are not to easily seen or accessable from streetside and many others in the neighborhood stand out like sore thumbs.

But, it did get my mind to remembering the 1973 "energy crisis" when locking gas caps didn't do much to keep thieves from stealing fuel from parked cars. If they couldn't open the cap to syphon it out they just slid a pan under the gas tank and stabbed some holes in it with a switchblade knife. AFAIC syphoning left far less of a problem for the vehicle's owner to deal with.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Wisnia

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.