Propane Alarm

JanBCarter · 10-23-2005, 08:06 AM

4:30am at 5200' in the Sierras...temp around freezing and the heater is running when the propane alarm goes off... the darned dog will never be the same, nor my wife;&lt

. Could not find any alternative but to turn off the propane at the tank and try to live with the heat pump which would not do the job...but that's another story. I'm going to schedule a visit to the dealer service dept. ASAP but seem to remember these things get inefficient at altitude (causing poor burning because of the air/fuel mixture?), and wonder if that's the problem and what you've found to do about it. We're flatlanders in the central valley, but do enjoy Tahoe and Shasta and other higher destinations in the spring and fall. As always thanks for your input.

JanBCarter · 10-23-2005, 08:06 AM

4:30am at 5200' in the Sierras...temp around freezing and the heater is running when the propane alarm goes off... the darned dog will never be the same, nor my wife;&lt

. Could not find any alternative but to turn off the propane at the tank and try to live with the heat pump which would not do the job...but that's another story. I'm going to schedule a visit to the dealer service dept. ASAP but seem to remember these things get inefficient at altitude (causing poor burning because of the air/fuel mixture?), and wonder if that's the problem and what you've found to do about it. We're flatlanders in the central valley, but do enjoy Tahoe and Shasta and other higher destinations in the spring and fall. As always thanks for your input.

troth · 10-24-2005, 02:09 AM

Past threads have said the sniffer is very sensitive to some odors other than propane (ex.- hair spray). Also I've read where the sniffer unit needs to be replaxced after awhile, some as short as two years. But chin up, it's an easy fix for the do-it-yourselfer, although I recall the sniffer itself was a little pricey ($25 ??).

Bella · 10-24-2005, 04:55 AM

When you say you can replace the sniffer, does that mean just a small part of the sensor or do you mean the entire sensor? I too am having problems with my LP sensor going off at wierd times for no reason.

rvcarpenter · 10-24-2005, 05:45 AM

I have had the propane detector go off for other reasons then propane. One is that on my old rig if the battery got low the propane detector goes off. First time this happen wife made me go out in the pooring rain at 2 oclock in the morning in my boxers to shut off the propane. Now THAT was fun.. wasn't until the next mornign we discovered the battery was all but dead.
Second time was the dog would lay up against it and sometime she would hit the test button, boy it sure woke the dog up....

Geechee · 10-24-2005, 05:47 AM

I had posted a similar experience earlier this month. This was our second time to experience a concern with unexplained middle of the night alarms. The original CCI LP detector was replaced during the first year we owned our Brave under warranty. It was determined to be defective by CCI. Yes hairspray (the propellant is LP), methane (sewer gas), hydrogen gas (emitted by a discharging battery), etc. can cause the detector to alarm. However, if you have eliminated all the potential culprits and determined beyond any uncertainty that there are no Propane leaks present, replace the detector at once. The risk of a Propane leak should be very low, but the consequences would be monumental

Winnobego · 10-24-2005, 06:48 AM

To make sure its a bad dector take a hair dryer and point it at the unit for 5 mins. If there was a carbon build up that will burn it off and you should be good to go. Now if the unit is too sensitive, as they do with old age then the unit will go off all the time.

Scooter · 10-24-2005, 06:49 AM

We have a similar over sensitive LP alarm. I think it is because it is mounted near the inside steps, under which is the chassis and coach batteries. Battery charging is suspect.

I am searching around for some battery powered LP alarms which I will place in the RV, after the hardwired alarm goes off for no apparent reason and I pull the fuse.

I do have the $29 battery powered propane detector sold by CW and others.

Who sells battery powered LP alarms? Not local RV stores or Home Depot.

Bella · 10-24-2005, 01:18 PM

My last RV (97 Adventurer) had the LP detector in the stairwell. What a pain. Every time I serviced the batteries it went off for a couple of days. Also my step did not have a good seal and the alarm would go off when I was driving as well as any other time it felt like it. I finally disconnected it. Same as I did to my current one last week. Only this one, I'll replace.

W8RLM · 10-24-2005, 05:11 PM

Just had the same problem. Sometimes it would beep continuously and sometimes it would beep intermittantly as if the voltage was low. I checked with the manufacturer of the detector, and he confirmed that it was bad. The OEM detector has a two year warranty. I don't know how old your's is. Repairing it was going to be more than replacing it. At Camping World or at a Winnebago dealer, they go for about $58.00. You can find one that will fit exactly in the cutout. Winnebago puts a plug on the leads which supply the 12 VDC. You can easily cut it off of the old detector leaving some lead on the plug and splice it on to the new one. Took me 5 minutes with a soldering iron and some shrink tubing.

Hope this helps.

W8RLM - Bob

JanBCarter · 10-25-2005, 06:45 AM

Thank you all for your insight and assistance. Turns out my rig has a recall outstanding for the propane tank mounting system, so will have the local dealer go through all the propane appliances for proper operation and adjustment when that is done. Good, safe traveling to all