CO detector

[old guys]

It must be the heat. We are in a bit of heat wave just now and mine has started going off daily in the late afternoon. I too am on shore power at home. Mine is suppsed to not need replacement before 2016 but I think I will just disconnect it and purchase an aftermarket plug in with battery backup. Then I can also use it as a second unit in the house when we are at home. Old Guys

[hkreck]

Just finished talking to a dealer and they stated 99.9% of the problems their seeing with these are defective detectors.

[Taylorgso]

Good article on detectors in current edition of Motorhome mag.

[socalron]

I think I have had this problem too (false alarm on the LP & CO detector) but have suspicions that it may be detecting Hydrogen gas from the understep battery compartment.

I was adding distilled water to the batteries - something I do every couple of months (I keep my 2013 Solera connected to shore power) and the LP detector went off when I filled the cells closest to it. I reset the alarm and it was quiet for half a day when early that evening my neighbor calls me to tell me there is an alarm going off in my RV (It was a warm day too). Alarm was the LP/CO detector.

Could the issue be outgassing of hydrogen from batteries? I'm guessing this might be the root cause.

[hkreck]

Good point socalron, I don't care for the location of the detector. It's states in the detector's manual that it shouldn't be installed within 12" of an open window or exterior door. But in the Solera it right in the entry way. I know there's not much room for it in the Solera's but there must be another location for it.

[socalron]

With propane heavier than air, the stairwell seems ideal for sensing that, but with CO about the same as air - probably not the best place.

Reading this thread many experiencing the problem seem to be continually on shore power so there may be some overcharging going on. I am convinced the alarm is detecting hydrogen.

Ultimately I will some day replace the lead acid batteries with sealed AGM ones.

[Antiochrich]

Originally Posted by MotocrossCamper

25 bucks for one with a digital read out so you know exactly what is going on. Every RV should have one. There is no guessing! You don't have to stand there wondering if you really have a co problem or a faulty detector. You can see the number climbing long before it gets to a dangerous level.

Good idea so I bought one too

Kidde KN-COPP-LPM Battery-Operated Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Digital Display - Amazon.com

[BigJohnD]

Mine just crapped out. I wondered too if it was the heat. Coach is ) months old. Called April at FR service, she had me kill shore power and check batteries, batteries all good. She's sending me a replacement. Mine was showing fault every time.

[Taylorgso]

Went out to Coach yesterday to rearrange some "stuff." Outside temp around 90, and I was plugged in to shore power. Since I figured to be in the coach for a while, I reached over and turned on the Air. As it came on, the detector "chirped" 3-4 times, then went silent. Went out there again today to see if it happened again... it did. I have no idea what this signifies. I looked through the manuals and there was nothing on that particular item in my stack of literature! Wondering about the heat, but I keep the Solera under a pole shed, so it is never in direct sun. I'm wondering if this is a sign of a the detector is beginning to fail?

[socalron]

Originally Posted by Antiochrich

Good idea so I bought one too

Kidde KN-COPP-LPM Battery-Operated Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Digital Display - Amazon.com

So what do you do use now for LP gas detection? This Kidde CO detector item doesn't appear to do that. Did you disable the one installed at the stairwell? (I have a 2013 Solera and presumed that you have a Solera as well).

[MotocrossCamper]

Originally Posted by socalron

So what do you do use now for LP gas detection? This Kidde CO detector item doesn't appear to do that. Did you disable the one installed at the stairwell? (I have a 2013 Solera and presumed that you have a Solera as well).

Your CO detector and your propane detector should be 2 separate units. CO detector should be about head height on a wall and propane should be down low by your stairs. No need to disable the propane detector just because you replace the CO with a digital one.

[Taylorgso]

Motocross:

The OEM unit in the Solera is a combination CO and Propane detector. For those who are going to replace the OEM unit, they DO NEED TO have BOTH CO and Propane detector units.

We were camped in Parsippany NJ back in late '80s. We had been into NYC as tourists, and returned to eat a late meal in the camper. Suddenly... BOOM! A beautiful Country Coach parked next to us blew up. The Roof went skyward, and the walls simply folded out... all the cabinetry on the floor was still in place. I ran out with my fire extinguisher as the occupant was walking around with his underwear and socks on fire. We got him out onto a blanket and someone asked him what happened - he replied he couldn't sleep, so got up and decided to light a cigarette. We found out he died about a week later with 3rd degree burns all over his body.

Lesson learned about detectors: I'll ALWAYS have a functioning one!

[MotocrossCamper]

Sorry, my apologizes, I didn't know did that. Seems like a dumb idea seeing how they are both more effective being at different heights.

[Antiochrich]

I had my detector go off again last night so I checked to see if the new Kidde CO detector would register a reading. Still showed zero so I'm fairly confident the wall mounted one above the steps is either a defective unit or the coach batteries are giving off a gas.

[hkreck]

Do you still have it plugged into a shore line?

[Antiochrich]

Originally Posted by hkreck

Do you still have it plugged into a shore line?

Yes, that's why I'm thinking the coach batteries.

[hkreck]

Considering that everyone who seems to be having this problem is on a shore line, I'm beginning to think you may have something here. I've had my unplugged for about a week now with the coach battery switch on and nothing is happening with the alarm. I think I'll plug it back in and see what happens.

[DebbieMH]

When mine went off it was on shore power in Alabama (not 30 amp though). It hasn't gone off since it was unhooked from SP here in Nola. (The extension cord to plug it in here wouldn't last the night).

[Taylorgso]

Originally Posted by Antiochrich

I had my detector go off again last night so I checked to see if the new Kidde CO detector would register a reading. Still showed zero so I'm fairly confident the wall mounted one above the steps is either a defective unit or the coach batteries are giving off a gas.

I wonder if - rather than resetting it, you took the cover off , and plugged in a fan to exhaust any battery gas outside - if it then quit alarming, that would be an indication. Just a wild speculation!

Then again - are these things supposed to detect hydrogen?

[socalron]

Originally Posted by socalron

I think I have had this problem too (false alarm on the LP & CO detector) but have suspicions that it may be detecting Hydrogen gas from the understep battery compartment.

I was adding distilled water to the batteries - something I do every couple of months (I keep my 2013 Solera connected to shore power) and the LP detector went off when I filled the cells closest to it. I reset the alarm and it was quiet for half a day when early that evening my neighbor calls me to tell me there is an alarm going off in my RV (It was a warm day too). Alarm was the LP/CO detector.

Could the issue be outgassing of hydrogen from batteries? I'm guessing this might be the root cause.

I want to add that with the Safe-T-Alert detector in my 2013 Solera there are two light to indicate the reason for the fault: one is labeled "CO" and the other is labeled "Gas". In my case (filling the batteries with distilled water) and having the alarm sound, the "gas" indicator was lit.

Since the RV door was open the whole time I topped off the batteries and with propane gas heavier than air - I conclude that my"false alarm" was from the batteries emitting gas (hydrogen). Of note, it also happened when I filled the cells closest to the detector (left side of step entering RV).

We all seem to experience the alarm when plugged into shore power - a condition necessary for battery overcharging and outgassing to occur.