LP leak detector

WildJohn · 05-28-2007, 12:26 PM

Has anyone had the LP leak detector go out.. we were trying to sleep this morning (night shift) and the detector wound itself up to a scream.. I turned off the propane tanks.. opened the door.. opened the overhead vent.. put a fan on it and after I reset it the umpteenth time and it started again I pulled the fuse.. after about another 20 seconds of sounding it finally stopped... then a strange chirping sound started. not loud but there... well I think I need a new detector.. I will leave the propane off the rest of the day and put the fuse back in... if it starts again I will be sure.... the only other time we heard a sound from it was when we were cooking cabbage and once when there was some flatulance near it..LOL.. what you think guys and girls?

Gillesm · 05-28-2007, 12:55 PM

I had the same problems look at old post there is a name at the manufacturer to call and they will send you a new one

rdunk · 05-28-2007, 01:05 PM

Two possibilities that we have experienced - with three detectors close together, it is a little hard at times to know which one is going off.

1. On our RE3, the smoke detector is on the ceiling, and directly above the other two detectors. Once when we thought the carbon monoxide detector was going off, it turned out to just be the smoke detector signaling "low battery". It did take us a while to figure this one out, because of the prior bad experience mentioned in #2.

2. On a prior instance, our converter failed, and was overcharging the batteries. The batteries were 'out-gasing", and the sulfur gas was coming into the living area. The carbon monoxide alarm was going off "big-time", and the smell was terrible.

I assume you are not experiencing the "bad smells", so, could it be that you just need to replace he smoke detector battery?? That certainly would be the easy problem to fix!!

Good luck in finding the problem.

dz06 · 05-28-2007, 01:31 PM

On my Streamlite trailer the LP detector which is powered by trailer battery would go off whenever the trailr battery was very low on charge.

shergry · 05-28-2007, 02:43 PM

So sorry to LOL,,,,our boy was sleeping right next to the detector and let one go.....he slept right thru DW having a heart attack trying to find the leak

Once she moved the fir butt the alarm calmed down,,this happened twice in the last week

. We had one that used to chirp every so often never really found out why. Have you introduced a new air freshner that has a strong smell.
We also had our Freightliner's fumes get in the trailer and set it off...wind was just right when we were getting ready to move. Does the neighbor stink???? Been with a few carnival trailers....well we will just leave it at that

Hope you find out the problem quick....I know how that particular sound can drive you

rotaxman · 05-28-2007, 07:59 PM

WildJohn

In our 06 36TK3 we had the plug on the converter dislodge it self from the outlet then the batteries lost a good part of their charge causing the LP detector to alarm. Plugged the converter back in and haven't had any trouble since.

I might of been down there in the basment rumaging around and possibly bumped it causing it to dislodge don't remember for sure I do have Trailair centerpoint and pin box so the ride is pretty good.

Hope this is of some help

Joyce and Jerry

bstark · 05-28-2007, 08:01 PM

We've had episodes of both the Carbon Monoxide and the Propane Detector startling us. The propane was actually genuine as I had a tank line to regulator leak and it vented into the cabinet and when I opened the ceiling vent in the bedroom and powered it up the propane was drawn in through the pocket door opening from the storage/service bay.

The Carbon Monoxide went off when we were running the dryer and using the cook-top with the unit all closed up. The dryer created a negative pressure situation inside the trailer and pulled the carbon monoxide from the burners up past the detector so all in all they did what they're supposed to do.

I have had the Propane detector respond to our cat's "emissions" as he likes to lay right at the foot of the stairs as well.

Pulling the fuse will silence the detector's loud output but it goes to a low voltage warning mode and beebs softly.

WildJohn · 05-29-2007, 01:26 AM

well the strange chirping noise was driving me crazy so I pulled the LP detector out and clipped the wires... then shortly later started hearing the familiar chirp of a smoke detector.. so I pulled it down and removed the battery while I looked for a 9v battery... low and behold the chirp again... okay it is not the smoke detector it is the CO detector... looky looky... chirp every 60 seconds means low voltage... I will check it all out tomorrow to see what kind of a 12V problem I have... went outside and noted the front scare light on the curb side wasn't working... more to do... may all be tied together. I will check it all out tomorrow... LP is turned off at the tank so I am not afraid to sleep tonight.. Imagine ME sleeping at night...Thanks for all the comments.. they help.
John

WildJohn · 05-30-2007, 03:00 AM

Ok the "LOW POWER" on the CO detector was the clue... I gave up about 3AM and went out and checked the battery.. 13.7 volts.. checked and the wing bolt was a little loose.. tightened and the CO detector became quiet.. reconnected the LP detector this afternoon when I got up and that cured that problem.. now on to the scare light in the am.. any tips?
gonna sleep tonight.

Thanks for all the help..
John

rotaxman · 05-30-2007, 11:46 AM

WildJohn

I'd almost bet that you have a burned out bulb in the scare light. On our 06 36TK3 I had the same bulb burn out within the first six months.

Hope thats the only problem a pretty easy fix.

As always good camping

Joyce and Jerry

WildJohn · 05-31-2007, 01:09 AM

You called it.. 1156... same bulb that was used for thirty years as a dedicated stop, turn, backup light in nearly every American made car... prior to halogen and then LED popularity... I never knew they put out so much light... 2 for 2 dollars and ten minutes... total investment in all the problems... soldering gun and solder and tape.( to reconnect the wires I stupidly cut so I didn't have to listen to the racket) and the bulb.... less than 15 dollars.. plus lots of agrivation and worry. Back to relaxing and enjoying my Home.. thanks again and
HAPPY CAMPING..
speaking of which a friend of ours spent the night with us this winter and brought her 6year old grandson.. after sleeping together on the full size fold out couch.. the next morning he was relaxing on the couch in his PJs watching cartoons on the 42" plasma and playing with his gameboy while the furnace kept him a comfortable temperature despite the sub zero temp outside and he remarked to her
YOU KNOW GRANDMA I THINK I LIKE CAMPING!!!
boy is he in for a rude awakening in the future..

John

Motor31 · 06-14-2007, 09:55 AM

Our LP detector started sounding off last night. What the heck is it with the need for alarms to go off at 3:30 AM?!?!?!?!

No detectable propane, door open, trailer vented, LP valve closed, multiple fans on, no "bio gas" noted just the detector sounding off. I had no low voltage light and my multi meter said 13.7 volts at the wire. Repeatedly muting it was no help so I disconected it so we could get back to sleep. The connections were tight so contact wasn't an issue. sigh.

Has anyone contacted the company about the detector or had to replace it?

RustyJC · 06-14-2007, 12:26 PM

Certain products can poison the LP detector's sensing element. Lysol spray is one of them. We had this happen with a previous Jayco Designer XL 3610RLTS where the detector was mounted in the end of the cabinet - adjacent to where my DW placed the trash can. Your imagination can fill in the rest....

Rusty

Gillesm · 06-14-2007, 01:16 PM

get a hold of the senser manufacturer and they will send you a replacement unit ,after time ,he said that they all go bad and sense someting other than propane.

Motor31 · 07-02-2007, 09:58 AM

Just an update on this. We did send in the detector. I had to get rather insistent with the individual on the phone., He didn't want to have it returned and kept insisting it was sensing "something" in the trailer. Finally after almost 4 minutes of arguing with him I asked for a supervisor. At that point he agreed to give me a return authorization. They tested it and sent me a new one as the old one was sensing below normal threshold. So far after 3 nights it's still quiet.

I'm happy with the replacement, I'm just not happy I had to argue with the guy to get it checked.

2 DA WDS · 07-02-2007, 10:45 AM

We were about to pull into Red Lobster last night and the couple that was with us got a call from the campground that 'some alarm is going off in your trailer'. We headed out to check it out and it was the LP detector. I told him that when we had that problem it was the battery. We checked the battery and it was hot and had water boiling out. I had a spare battery so we took his out and put mine in. That stopped the alarm but we sat and had a cold one to make sure it was going to stay off

. He said that it was a good thing I was along because he would never have thought to check the battery. Hopefully it was a bad cell and not overcharging.

rdunk · 07-02-2007, 11:20 AM

FWIW- My experience with the same situation --------- it wasn't a "bad battery" (or "batteries" in our case). It was a bad power converter, that was boiling the batteries, and would not shut off. The battery "outgasing" is what was causing the alarms to go off. The power converter had to be replaced.

2 DA WDS · 07-02-2007, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdunk

FWIW- My experience with the same situation --------- it wasn't a "bad battery" (or "batteries" in our case). It was a bad power converter, that was boiling the batteries, and would not shut off. The battery "outgasing" is what was causing the alarms to go off. The power converter had to be replaced.

Yes, I told him that could also be the problem.