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05-17-2017, 11:49 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 851
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CO detector chirping
After a night or two boondocking the CO detector starts to chirp with a low battery. It seems it is hardwired on a 2017 Palomino 19x. There is still plenty of battery voltage but this always seems to happen at 3 am when furnace blower is drawing it down even more. Having to use only 1/4 of the battery capacity is unacceptable but his detector is the only issue. Is there a way to disable or change to voltage the detector considers low? Is there a way to give it it's own battery? I'm about to just ditch it all together which can't be good, but I also like sleep.
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05-17-2017, 12:03 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Mountain Foothills of Southern Alberta
Posts: 1,973
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Two solutions.
1 - Get a better battery or 2 batteries for the trailer.
2 - Disconnect it and buy a (stand alone) battery operated CO detector.
__________________
2007 Surveyor SV230 - 200 Watts Solar/MPPT Controller - 220 AH Battery Bank (Two-GC2) - 600 watt PSW Inverter - (2) 2000 watt Inverter Generators - LED Lighting
2009 F150 - 5.4 Litre with Tow Package
Boon Docking 99% of the time.
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05-17-2017, 02:35 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 851
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I have 2 deep cycles, it is silly this thing needs so much voltage. Like I said, it starts when there are still 3/4 lights showing on the gauge when there is another draw on the system like the furnace fan. That furnace fan is really the only thing we need, I bet the LED lights would run for months, everything else is gas. I wish they still had heaters that didn't need fans in these things. Built in catalytic heaters.
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05-17-2017, 03:08 PM
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#4
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Site Team
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Goodyear, Arizona
Posts: 33,556
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I bet you have more parasitic power drains than just the CO detector.
__________________
Dan-Retired California Firefighter/EMT
Shawn-Musician/Entrepreneur/Wine Expert
and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
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05-17-2017, 03:11 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 1,363
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CO2 detector chirping
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hersbird
I have 2 deep cycles, it is silly this thing needs so much voltage. Like I said, it starts when there are still 3/4 lights showing on the gauge when there is another draw on the system like the furnace fan. That furnace fan is really the only thing we need, I bet the LED lights would run for months, everything else is gas. I wish they still had heaters that didn't need fans in these things. Built in catalytic heaters.
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What batteries specifically do you have?
The voltage on the batteries could be low when the furnace is running due to its draw... then is higher when you check it after the batteries have relaxed after the furnace is off.
The detector is seeing the voltage drop when the furnace has been drawing for a bit.
The furnace can draw a lot. I'm curious what "2 deep cycles " you have. Are they 6 volt?
It is all about amp-hours (AH).
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05-17-2017, 04:13 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 851
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I see another review of the same meter with the same complaint. Apparently the low voltage alarm is supposed to go off when voltage drops below 12 volts. That's not exactly low voltage. Mine I would say is going at 12.2-12.4 volts, maybe I have bad connections, or it seems only designed to be run when the camper is plugged in. I guess a shutoff switch is in it's future. It will chirp and flash the low voltage even if nothing else is on when the battery meter shows 1/2 charge.
it's a Safe-T-Alert 30-442 on a 2017 Palomino BTW.
I see now in the specs it should operate down to 8V before giving the low voltage alarm, well it certainly doesn't do that. Maybe I should try to get it replaced under warranty.
I have 2 , 11 month old, Interstate HD24-Dp 12 volt batteries.
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05-19-2017, 12:36 PM
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#7
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Member
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 90
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Your batteries must be fried if they're at low voltage that quick...maybe time for some better batteries...and make sure they get charged!
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05-19-2017, 12:54 PM
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#8
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Site Team
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 15,243
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Actually 12V is low voltage ( see chart attached). The solution if you plan to boondock is to add another battery or larger capacity batteries. Disconnecting the alarm is not a good idea. Just last week an RV in Myrtle Beach blew up. Replacing with a stand alone CO detector is not a good option as that covers CO only and not propane. If you plan to boondock often, maybe add solar or a generator to recharge batteries daily.
__________________
2015 Freedom Express 248RBS
TV 2015 Silverado HD2500 Duramax
TST Tire Monitors
Honda 2000I + Companion
2 100W solar panels
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05-22-2017, 02:29 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 851
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The batteries weren't at 12 volts that quickly, they were at 12.0-12.2 volts after 2 days of below freezing camping in a hybrid and the furnace running a bunch. But at that voltage the detector started chirping for "low voltage" which apparently isn't supposed to happen until it hits 8 volts. Thats my problem, alarm at 12 volts vs 8 volts. I now figured out what fuse to pull and will just do that when not plugged in. I will just get a simple $15 battery CO2 detector and take my chances with LP detection.
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05-22-2017, 04:34 PM
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#10
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Site Team
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Goodyear, Arizona
Posts: 33,556
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By the way, Hersbird, if you didn't what we posted, it's a CO monitor, not CO2.
__________________
Dan-Retired California Firefighter/EMT
Shawn-Musician/Entrepreneur/Wine Expert
and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
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05-22-2017, 04:54 PM
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#11
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Grayson County, Texas
Posts: 21,475
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bikendan
By the way, Hersbird, if you didn't what we posted, it's a CO monitor, not CO2.
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I just now edited the title and 1st post to read CO - to help with searches, etc.
__________________
2015 FR Wildcat 295RSX / GMC Sierra
Nights Camped: '13 = 49/'14 = 74/'15 = 74/'16 = 85/'17 = 110/'18 = 111/'19 = 86/'20 =108/'21 = 115/'22 = 135/'23 = 78; Booked for 2024 = 69
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05-22-2017, 05:06 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Posts: 306
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Get a portable solar charger. Mine is ALWAYS at a full charge at the end of the day. The CO monitor is just doing it's job.
__________________
2016 Forester 2401WS MBS
Life is short...eat the cookie
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05-23-2017, 07:06 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 851
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I have a feeling if everybody's was chirping at 12 V there would be more complaints. It should chirp at 8 V according to the specs. Mine is broken. Here is the quote from the owners manual "LOW POWER OPERATION
This alarm will operate normally down to 8 vDC. Do
not operate this alarm below 8 vDC."
Sorry about the CO, CO2, thing, I don't need to find Colorado, but it would be more important to know Carbon Monoxide levels vs Carbon Dioxide levels although they both will kill you in high enough levels. High CO2 is more a low oxygen problem where high CO is a poison (or John Denver problem.)
I plan to add a couple 100W panels, but we are talking cold Montana hunting seasons with short days and long nights. I have a generator, I just hate having to get up at 3am and start it, or be running it every single evening just to keep a "low voltage" chirp from going off when I have 1/2 battery charge remaining. Now that I found the fuse I will take that direction.
The solar will help on other trips we take where we can't run the generator but for certain hours when we are rarely at the campsite. Plus I hate generator noise even though mine is one of the quietest 2000W ones out there.
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05-23-2017, 09:50 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 1,834
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Mine goes off at 12. It's gonna get a switch added to it for now.
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05-24-2017, 12:19 AM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Posts: 306
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hersbird
I have a feeling if everybody's was chirping at 12 V there would be more complaints. It should chirp at 8 V according to the specs. Mine is broken. Here is the quote from the owners manual "LOW POWER OPERATION
This alarm will operate normally down to 8 vDC. Do
not operate this alarm below 8 vDC."
Sorry about the CO, CO2, thing, I don't need to find Colorado, but it would be more important to know Carbon Monoxide levels vs Carbon Dioxide levels although they both will kill you in high enough levels. High CO2 is more a low oxygen problem where high CO is a poison (or John Denver problem.)
I plan to add a couple 100W panels, but we are talking cold Montana hunting seasons with short days and long nights. I have a generator, I just hate having to get up at 3am and start it, or be running it every single evening just to keep a "low voltage" chirp from going off when I have 1/2 battery charge remaining. Now that I found the fuse I will take that direction.
The solar will help on other trips we take where we can't run the generator but for certain hours when we are rarely at the campsite. Plus I hate generator noise even though mine is one of the quietest 2000W ones out there.
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Looks like you answered your own question.
__________________
2016 Forester 2401WS MBS
Life is short...eat the cookie
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05-24-2017, 11:30 AM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 851
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On my 2017 It seems the fuse labeled something like TV outlet (which I don't have) powers the detector and only the detector. I haven't tried the front compartment lights with that fuse out, but so far that's all that seemed to go off by pulling the fuse. Then other benefit I see in pulling the fuse most of the time is they are programmed to go off after 5 years of use. It looks like that "use" time only counts when they are powered up. As often as we use the camper that 5 years would turn into a lifetime.
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