Consumerist: copper

Here's a new excuse for bad service: AT&T ...

Chris Walters — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:01:01 EDT

Here's a new excuse for bad service: AT&T is being plagued by copper thieves in Tennessee. The thefts of copper cables "has caused disruptions to voice and data communications, as well as emergency calls, company officials said." [The Tennessean]

The Copper In Your House Is Worth Lots Of Money

Meg Marco — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 15:39:26 EDT

If you're getting some work done on your house and the contractor wants the old copper, think before just handing it over. It's worth a lot of money. Reader Julie writes in with this helpful reminder:

I recently hired a plumber to do a rebuild on an existing small bathroom. During the demolition phase, the plumber remarked that he would be reclaiming the old copper pipe and that it was worth around $25.
I thought nothing of it due to the extreme nastiness of the plumbing involved. As it turned out, the plumber bailed on the job and I hired a neighbor to continue the demolition. He took the same plumbing down to the reclamation center and reported back to me later that it was worth over $200. He ended up not charging me for the demolition because of what he got for the old copper piping.

If I had stayed with the original plumber I would have ended up paying him for the demolition and losing the value of the pipes. I hope this helps out others who are doing upgrades in their houses. These pipes used to not be worth very much but that has certainly changed. For reference sake, the total amount of piping turned in was very modest, approximately 20 feet total.

As far as we know, copper has always been and will always be worth enough money to bother saving. As the daughter of an electrician, we've always thought of scrap copper as the substance that powered Santa Claus. Don't just give it away without thinking!

Verizon Fios Could Leave You In The Dark When The Power Goes Out

Meg Marco — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 13:58:39 EST

From Newsday:

Consumers who switch to Verizon's new FiOS TV or Internet services will find a change to their existing Verizon phone service: Their copper-wire phone line will be replaced with a fiber-optic line.
Verizon touts that the fiber-optic lines can carry more information and provide a better signal.

But some consumers see a downside: They will lose phone service during an extended power outage. That doesn't happen on phone service provided via copper wire.

It's worth mentioning because while most people understand that with an internet-based service like Vonage you'll lose phone service when the power goes out, customers might assume Verizon's FiOS service is no different from the copper-wire variety. Fiber-optic cable is made of glass, and doesn't conduct electricity, and therefore can't be powered remotely. Verizon provides a battery back-up to its FiOS customers, (which needs to be replaced periodically) that stores enough power for 4 hours of talk time. In the event of an extended power outage, however, you're out of luck. —MEGHANN MARCO

CONSUMER WATCH: Fine print in Verizon switch-over [Newsday]

Photo: Josh Bancroft

Your Old Plumbing Can Help Pay For Your New Plumbing

Meg Marco — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 15:29:44 EST

Selling the copper from your old plumbing can help offset the cost of new plumbing, says DIY site Curbly:

There are great alternatives to copper when it comes to re-piping your home, so there's no real need to pay any premiums there. But why not take advantage with the old copper pipe you're going to replace?

Scrap metal recyclers in Seattle, where I am, are paying upwards of $1.75 or so per pound for scrap copper. This is what they'll pay you for what you'll probably throw away anyway. Why not take advantage? If you're lucky enough to have all your waste lines in old copper pipe and plan to gut the house anyway, so much the better.

As the daughter of a construction electrician, we understand the power of tiny, seemingly useless, pieces of copper. Scrap copper is the substance that powers Santa Claus. —MEGHANN MARCO

Help Your New Plumbing Pay For Itself [Curbly]