CO/Propane alarm going off

[Bill in Parker]

Bought a 2019 178 LHS and brought it home Monday. Finally had time to put power to the unit today (battery is dead). Once plugged in, the CO/Propane alarm is going off about every 10 seconds. Thing is, propane isn't on...nothing is on for that matter. Is there something I need to check, reset or? If not, anyone know the fuse for this circuit so I can at least stop the alarm till I can get it checked out?
thanks

[peanut]

We bought a brand new 2012 TT in July, 2012. Used it a lot the rest of that year and all of 2013. Everything was fine. In 2014, on a trip back east, the detector started going off for no apparent reason. Usually in the middle of the night but not always. Tried everything including turning propane off and not using it. Took it to a repair shop in Indianapolis and they took 4 hours checking it out and testing the entire propane system. Didn't find anything wrong. We don't travel with pets or kids. My wife doesn't use hairspray. None of the other trouble items people mentioned applied.

Long story short. It turned out to be a bad/old CO2/propane detector. Those things have only about a five year life span. My TT was only two years old but when I pulled the detector it had a label with a build date in 2010. It had sat on a shelf somewhere for a couple of years before it got installed in my unit. I replaced the detector and never had any more trouble with it. I replaced the replacement after another five years. I now replace them every five years regardless of whether I've had trouble with them or not. I consider it routine maintenance just like an oil change with a car.

Your problem may be completely different. Only mentioning this as a possiblility not to overlook.

BTW - my OE detector was hard wired in. When I replaced it, I crimped on some spade type quick connects. Makes replacements much easier and faster.

[Pull Toy]

These alarms have a life expectancy of five years, at which time they alert you that they need replacement.

Enjoy your new camper, and Good luck.

[sourdough]

As a note, the OE detector in this trailer started chirping like yours approx. 2 years after the manufacture date of the detector. I had to replace it.

[Bill in Parker]

as a verification, this is the unit on the floor next to the power panel. Two questions - I assume the unit is hard-wired (has to be I guess for it to only work when there is power to the trailer) and where/what suitable replacement did you find?
thanks

[travelin texans]

First it's not a CO2 or CD detector, it's a CO/LP detector.
It will also chirp when the battery is low or as in this case dead as its wired directly to the battery. It has typically a 5 year lifespan from the date on the back of the detector not the date of rv purchase. And it will chirp if using aerosol sprays such as hairspray or air freshners & believe it or not if Fido lays near it & breaks wind it will also chirp, the dog will jump & run, very funny.

[Lee]

Originally Posted by Bill in Parker

as a verification, this is the unit on the floor next to the power panel. Two questions - I assume the unit is hard-wired (has to be I guess for it to only work when there is power to the trailer) and where/what suitable replacement did you find?
thanks

Hi,

Yes, it is mounted near the floor due to LP being heavier than air and will "sink" to the lowest point if there is a leak.

Also, yes. Most are hardwired to a 12volt source. If plugged into shore power, the converter is providing 12volts. If not plugged into shore power, the RV's batteries are providing the 12volts.

The LP detector will continue to be powered no matter the position of the battery switch. This is usually the reason we see so many posts on this forum of users complaining of a dead battery when the RV has been sitting even with the switch off. The detector will eventually kill the battery.

Here is a link to the one I purchased to replace my failed unit:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[chuckster57]

Is it flush mount like this:

https://parts.unitedrv.com/products/...%7C%20%2483.99

Or surface mount as above? there should be a part number on the detector to get an exact replacement

[JRTJH]

There are at least 4 or 5 different manufacturers of safety detectors and most have a slightly different "footprint" which means one brand may not "easily replace" your existing detector. THEN, there are CO/LP detectors, LP detectors, CO detectors and some are even "tripled up with smoke detectors".. You only need a replacement that does what the old one did. No need to "buy up for more detector than you need, although it's an option if you're inclined to "add protection"....

So, without knowing what brand and model you have that's "chirping" (which means either a low 12 volt power input or end of detector life) I'd recommend getting down on your knees and writing down the actual model number for the detector that's installed in your trailer.

THEN, go to Google search and type in that model number and search for a replacement. Usually, the better detectors have a plug in harness, so replacement is simply unscrewing the two or four screws, unplugging the harness, plugging the new detector to the harness and putting it on the wall using the same screws. About a 2 minute job.

On the other hand, if you buy a different model or different brand, you may wind up either cutting off the connector harness and rewiring it to power the new detector or having to remove the old wiring harness (sometimes a daunting job) and then install the new detector and rewire it to the power source.

I've found that even if the identical detector is 3 or 4 dollars more, trying to "save the money" very often ends up costing you much more just in man hours to convert to the new detector, and if it's slightly smaller, you might end up with an "eyesore" on the wall where the old one was and the new one doesn't cover the entire "unpainted or scratched site".....

Just get the model number, order a replacement and when it comes in, do the easy swap....

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

There are at least 4 or 5 different manufacturers of safety detectors and most have a slightly different "footprint" which means one brand may not "easily replace" your existing detector. THEN, there are CO/LP detectors, LP detectors, CO detectors and some are even "tripled up with smoke detectors".. You only need a replacement that does what the old one did. No need to "buy up for more detector than you need, although it's an option if you're inclined to "add protection"....

So, without knowing what brand and model you have that's "chirping" (which means either a low 12 volt power input or end of detector life) I'd recommend getting down on your knees and writing down the actual model number for the detector that's installed in your trailer.

THEN, go to Google search and type in that model number and search for a replacement. Usually, the better detectors have a plug in harness, so replacement is simply unscrewing the two or four screws, unplugging the harness, plugging the new detector to the harness and putting it on the wall using the same screws. About a 2 minute job.

On the other hand, if you buy a different model or different brand, you may wind up either cutting off the connector harness and rewiring it to power the new detector or having to remove the old wiring harness (sometimes a daunting job) and then install the new detector and rewire it to the power source.

I've found that even if the identical detector is 3 or 4 dollars more, trying to "save the money" very often ends up costing you much more just in man hours to convert to the new detector, and if it's slightly smaller, you might end up with an "eyesore" on the wall where the old one was and the new one doesn't cover the entire "unpainted or scratched site".....

Just get the model number, order a replacement and when it comes in, do the easy swap....

I think I would fully charge the battery; low battery causes the thing to make noise. If the battery is charged, then a new one is on the menu perhaps.

[Bill in Parker]

Travelin Texans - "it came out as "CD" because I didn't check the auto spell check...manually corrected the title

[GlasNav]

The sensors in all of these type of devices have a limited operational lifespan and as stated by others on this post, need to be replaced every few years. Before retiring, part of the PPE I had to wear for work was a multi-gas detector / alarm. (LEL, O2, H2S) The sensor cartridges in the device were replaceable and required replacement every couple of years. Cartridge replacement and calibration / certification cost considerably more that one of these RV LP leak detectors. It's safety equipment, protect yourself and others, don't cut corners or skimp, replace the unit!

[Bill in Parker]

it was power. On shore power at first it started to beep. But as soon as i took the very dead battery out of the circuit, it quit, lights went to full bright, etc. So thanks all for all the input!