Propane alarm goes off...

Young Travelers · 10-26-2007, 01:32 AM

For some reason when using the oven in our Salem TT after say 30 minutes, Cooking a roast, or tater tots for the kids ect, the Propane "sniffer" alarm goes off.
I have a secondary one in the unit also, by the kids bedroom just in case. It does not sound off. The factory sniffer is about 6 foot from the oven, on the far, right hand side of the full sized fridge, about 4 inches off the floor.
I checked the Battery for the TT and its fully charged, and we are on regular elect. power. we cannot smell any leaking propane, and the carbon monoxide sniffer is not going off either....
Would anyone have any ideas why its goes Off like this? could it be defective? Is there anything im missing that I should check?

Full time Days in 2007: 156 and counting :O)

Paul B · 10-26-2007, 05:41 AM

Place your secondary unit by the primary one and see what happens. Also you could try this: get a gas fire starter thingy and without lighting it(gas but no spark) hold it near both sensors. They should both go off. If they do then I would start looking for a leak when the oven is on. A good soap solution in a spray bottle works real good. Begin on the outside and spray every joint you can find and do the same inside. You may have to disassemble some things to get to all the joints. Be patient, if you have a slow leak a bubble may not form righ away, watch for any that look like they are growing. If this doesn't show any leaks then you may have a faulty sensor or some other TYPE of gas source is setting it off. Other things could be methane(flatulance), hair spray, stinky shoes, off gassing of the tt(happens in mine when shut up for awhile), etc.

Good luck,

Paul B

MRimmer · 10-26-2007, 08:20 AM

My factory unit is very sensitive and as stated above if no leaks are found look for other things.

Hairspray in the bathroom set ours of quickly every time. The bathroom is 8 to 10 feet away from the detector.

Mike

NDJollyMon · 10-26-2007, 12:10 PM

Safety Rule #1
If your propane alarm goes off, treat it as a propane leak. Safety first. Once everyone IS safe...you may look for a leak as suggested above. There is probably a small amount of gas escaping somewhere. Don't forget to check outside connections as well.

Other fumes can set off those detectors...like others have stated. (like aerosols) Mine last went off when I was under the trailer sealing up holes with Great Stuff expanding foam.

Check your detectors regularly...ALL of them. Faulty ones need replacement.

I know this may sound like I'm preaching...but some people just don't understand the dangers involved with flammable gases. Hence, the explanation. I deal with leaking gases, and fires and the aftermath of both...and passing on info that may save some suffering is my duty.

True story:
One time, we responded (I'm a Firefighter/Rescueman) to a reported Natural Gas leak inside a home. When we arrived, the occupant told us she couldn't stand the smell of the leaking gas...so she lit some candles to cover up the smell. Sure enough, there they were right on the table with a house full of leaking flammable gas!

Fortunately, for them and us...we were able to mitigate the problem without losing our lives or the whole city block! Some people simply don't get it.

Be safe out there!

aintgotnun · 10-26-2007, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NDJollyMon

True story:
One time, we responded (I'm a Firefighter/Rescueman) to a reported Natural Gas leak inside a home. When we arrived, the occupant told us she couldn't stand the smell of the leaking gas...so she lit some candles to cover up the smell. Sure enough, there they were right on the table with a house full of leaking flammable gas!

Fortunately, for them and us...we were able to mitigate the problem without losing our lives or the whole city block! Some people simply don't get it.

Be safe out there!

Radio · 10-26-2007, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NDJollyMon

the occupant told us she couldn't stand the smell of the leaking gas...so she lit some candles to cover up the smell. Sure enough, there they were right on the table with a house full of leaking flammable gas!

Sound like a Darwin Award wannabe:

Also check the entire length of any rubber lines for pinhole leaks and the valves and such inside the stove as it only seems to go off when using the oven.

Hummmm? Wonder if all the preservitives in the tater-tots are boiling off...?

Radio

aintgotnun · 10-26-2007, 03:03 PM

what gets me about this is that it's only while the oven is in use.

propane burners have an air intake between the tubing and the burner.

maybe you have a slight obstruction in your intake such as a spider nest or something and this is causing not all of the propane to get to the burners and "leak" out. propane being heavier than air will sink and that's where your detector is.

you may need to pull the oven out to check this air intake

just some thoughts

greg

NDJollyMon · 10-26-2007, 09:46 PM

YT, is your oven like mine...an apartment style without a pilot light? (non-regular RV type)

Young Travelers · 10-26-2007, 10:49 PM

The top burners do not havea pilot light, but the oven does, which we only use (light it) when cooking unless we leave, when not cooking with the oven or leaving we shut EVERYTHING off. it does not sound wehn we shut it off and we are home, but when home and using hte oven, the alarm sounds after 1/2 hr of cooking....Oven only. we can use the top burners all day long without a single alarm.

NDJollyMon · 10-27-2007, 10:30 PM

Something has to be leaking...

Kathy Behn · 07-02-2008, 10:41 PM

I too have the same problem with my LP detector, hence the reason I am searching the forum today. Unlike Young Travelers, mine goes off for no reason. I recently went camping, while sleeping at night the detector went off. The funny thing was, I had not even turned on my propane as of yet. Aerosols don't make sense, as like I said, we had been sleeping for several hours already (although they had been used eariler in the day). The alarm continued to go off through out the entire camping trip. Very annoying to say the least!!! I now have the unit home and have disconnected the detector because it continues to go off. Any other ideas???

Radio · 07-02-2008, 10:59 PM

A thought on the oven thing...what if the oven warms the cabinetry and other materials in the RV causing them to outgass formaldehyde or other gasses and that's what sets of the alarm?

Kathy...make sure you are getting a full 12 volts to the detector as they will false on low battery voltage.

Kathy Behn · 07-02-2008, 11:11 PM

Ok...not real sure of these things...how do I know if I have the full 12 volts

aintgotnun · 07-02-2008, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kathy Behn

Ok...not real sure of these things...how do I know if I have the full 12 volts

You may have to pull it off the wall (pop off the outer plate and 2 screws, mine is anyway). You will need to use a multi meter to check the voltage.

NDJollyMon · 07-03-2008, 01:57 AM

Maybe the sensors are fried.

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