CO Detector Problem

[cohuttariverrat]

Im with you Evereddie. I think we end up having the same problems out of same units 2014 minilite 2306. Got the thermostat thats mounted on a warm wall problem solved. Now the faulty alarm issue. I go camp to get peace and quiet away from emergency tones at work. If I have to buy another detector Im smashing the bejeeze out of the crapy one before going to trash. I been awaken now 5 times at night. Its a Safe T Alert combo LP/CO. I will at least try to contact MTI industries as Im sure forest river will not help

[Falcon35]

When I called John Armstrong at Forest River when our co detecter was alarming he told me to have the dealer to put on a new one because they are very Finicky. Before the dealer in TX had the new detecter come in we had a coach battery blow up. They replaced the batteries and it has never alarmed since. It was picking up the gas from the battery out gassing and FR decided I had a defective battery.

[RamblerGuy]

I've had alarms more than 12 hours after propane tank was turned off, lines were bled, and the coach battery switch was off. Even got a call from the campground that it was going off 5 or 6 hours after we left it with propane and batteries off. Detector was less than 2 years old so it was not out of date (5 year life per manufacturer).

[jst3]

Ours went off a few times over the summer too. (2015 2700DS) I think they are just way too sensitive or simply defective. We've had RV's for 20 years and never had a CO or LP detector go off.

I went out and bought a AA battery powered CO detector with a digital readout for peace of mind. It always reads 0 when the built in one goes off so I know the CO levels are safe.

If it continues next year, I'll start looking for a replacement propane detector and disconnect the built in one. Hopefully someone will identify the problem before then.

[RamblerGuy]

Originally Posted by jst3

Ours went off a few times over the summer too. (2015 2700DS) I think they are just way too sensitive or simply defective. We've had RV's for 20 years and never had a CO or LP detector go off.

I went out and bought a AA battery powered CO detector with a digital readout for peace of mind. It always reads 0 when the built in one goes off so I know the CO levels are safe.

If it continues next year, I'll start looking for a replacement propane detector and disconnect the built in one. Hopefully someone will identify the problem before then.

I also installed a battery powered CO detector with a digital readout. I've searched for a battery powered LP detector but the ones I found have battery backup, and they state the backup battery is only good for about 20 hours. That implies to me that the LP detector requires way more power than dry cell batteries can furnish, so maybe a battery-only powered LP detector does not exist. (There are industrial hand-held units but they are typically recharged periodically.)

If anyone finds a battery powered LP detector with a digital readout and reasonable battery life, please post it. I'd sure like to get something better than the one that is installed now.

[keith_h]

I haven't had any false alarms but my detector is located away from doors, windows or baths. It seems to me the dual LP/CO detectors they put in our trailer is somewhat useless for CO since they put it near the floor. To me it seems to make better sense to replace the LP/CO detector with a dedicated LP detector near the floor and a CO detector near the ceiling. I have already added a separate CO detector over the bed and will replace the dual unit from the manufacturer when it ages out or fails.

[wesslvm]

CO is heavier than air, that is why it belongs close to the floor. If you move the detection up high you will already have some CO poisoning BEFORE the detector alarms.


2014 Sunseeker 3050S

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[bclemens]

We use Safe-T-Alert currently. We moved them all away from the step well area in case there was something setting them off through the door.

[wesslvm]

CO detectors are very sensitive to DC supply voltage. Whenever I read about detectors alarming my first thought is that there is a battery or battery charger (converter) problem.


2014 Sunseeker 3050S

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[keith_h]

Originally Posted by wesslvm

CO is heavier than air, that is why it belongs close to the floor. If you move the detection up high you will already have some CO poisoning BEFORE the detector alarms.


2014 Sunseeker 3050S

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That is not correct. LP is heavier than air which is why the detector is near the floor. The The specific gravity of Carbon Monoxide is 0.9657. With air having a specific gravity of 1.0 this means CO will float. As to where to place the detector the general recommendation is up high but below the ceiling to allow for hot air at the top that can keep CO from rising all of the way up. I placed ours on the side of the cabinet that is over our bed and is about 10" from the ceiling.

[mcnabbwr]

Originally Posted by keith_h

That is not correct. LP is heavier than air which is why the detector is near the floor. The The specific gravity of Carbon Monoxide is 0.9657. With air having a specific gravity of 1.0 this means CO will float. As to where to place the detector the general recommendation is up high but below the ceiling to allow for hot air at the top that can keep CO from rising all of the way up. I placed ours on the side of the cabinet that is over our bed and is about 10" from the ceiling.

Since CO is somewhat lighter than air you would want the detector lower than your sleeping area. You want the alarm to activate prior to breathing the products of combustion (CO).

[keith_h]

Originally Posted by mcnabbwr

Since CO is somewhat lighter than air you would want the detector lower than your sleeping area. You want the alarm to activate prior to breathing the products of combustion (CO).

The general recommendations from the manufacturers and safety organizations are to mount the detectors around eye level and at least a foot or two from the ceiling. Many safety organizations/fire departments do not recommend using plugin types, unless they have a chord to allow higher mounting, as that would place the detector too low when plugged into a typical wall socket. In the case of our trailer where I have mounted the detector is roughly eye level.

[mcnabbwr]

Fyi

Where to Place a Carbon Monoxide Detector

Manufacturers are not specific concerning where to locate a carbon monoxide detector. If you read the installation instructions from a variety of CO detector models you'll become confused and wonder if there is such a thing as a "good location".

There is a reason for the ambiguity. There is no "best" location. It depends on the type of detector, how it is powered and the layout of the building it is supposed to protect.

Old-school theory dictates that the detector should be placed high on the wall, above the height where room thermostats are normally located. That puts it roughly at 6 or 7 feet above the floor.

The theory says that since CO is slightly lighter than air, it will gradually rise and make its way toward the ceiling. The chemical charts show that carbon monoxide (CO) is 3% lighter than air at standard conditions.

However, over time manufacturers realized that CO disburses in air and generally would follow air currents based on the temperature of the air. If the air cools down, CO would also cool and then hover closer to the floor. So, many of the manufacturers deemed it permissible to locate CO detectors closer to the floor and plug them into standard power outlets that are 12 to 24 inches above the floor.

[wesslvm]

Originally Posted by keith_h

That is not correct. LP is heavier than air which is why the detector is near the floor. The The specific gravity of Carbon Monoxide is 0.9657. With air having a specific gravity of 1.0 this means CO will float. As to where to place the detector the general recommendation is up high but below the ceiling to allow for hot air at the top that can keep CO from rising all of the way up. I placed ours on the side of the cabinet that is over our bed and is about 10" from the ceiling.

I stand corrected. Guess I was recalling propane not CO.


2014 Sunseeker 3050S

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[RamblerGuy]

To further muddy the discussion of CO movement, remember that the two sources of CO inside an RV are the cooktop and furnace (if the heat exchanger is cracked). The CO from these will be hot, so although the specific gravity of it is very close to that of air, it will tend to rise with the rest of the products of combustion (mostly CO2, water vapor and heated air) until all those hot gases mix with the rest of the air in the RV. So it won't really go just to level dictated by its specific gravity.

Propane, on the other hand, isn't heated, so you'd expect it to seek low levels.

Also, remember that the primary value of a propane detector is that odor doesn't wake up humans. You can detect a propane leak long before the concentration is a problem when you are awake, but not when you are asleep.

[Lumpty]

I missed this thread when it was started over the summer. We had a night of continuing false alarms out of the Saf-T-Alert combo LP/CO detector in our July 2010 build '11 Sunseeker 2300 one night this past August, while plugged in with no CO sources anywhere nearby, and no wiffs of LP either. After 3 squawks in an hour between 1am and 2am, venting the unit via open door and bathroom fan each time, it got pulled out of the cabinet and the wiring disconnected. The "expiration date" on it was the prior month.

The replacement, in round numbers with shipping almost $100 (!), went off our next big trip one night in early October, but that was while dry camping with the generator running so it may have been warranted, but in our 4th season of this RV a CO condition inside has never been an issue previously, at least with the original detector.

I'll be staying tuned to what else is posted here.

[Timex]

Why do they always go off at 2:00 am?