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Old 10-12-2012, 07:46 AM   #1
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Propane dector going off at night

Every night around the same time my propane detector goes off. I am not using the generator or furnace when it happens. House batteries are showing full on panel.
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Old 10-12-2012, 07:49 AM   #2
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Every night around the same time my propane detector goes off. I am not using the generator or furnace when it happens. House batteries are showing full on panel.
Faulty detector?
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Old 10-12-2012, 08:41 AM   #3
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Turn off the propane and see if it still happens. With no source at all, I'd suspect a faulty detector. Low cost, home-type CO and propane detection haven't advanced at the same rate and efficiency as smoke detection, so the technology isn't as advanced. Because the technology isn't as accurate, the devices are by default designed to be prone to false positives rather than no activation when ther's product present.
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Old 10-12-2012, 09:23 AM   #4
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Agree with FI. First secure all LP tanks and a good ventilation is a safe thing. Have you tried fans and open windows prior to the alarm? Are you cleaning at night, or cooking on your stove? When the wife cleans floors (Swifter) it causes the dector to go off. And, when I cook beer brats on the stove it causes it to go off. I'm sure thier are other situations that could cause this.
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Old 10-12-2012, 09:53 AM   #5
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Mine just started beeping and flashing red/red/green/green, which is the code for "EOL". I'm presuming that means End Of Life yet it is less than 12 months old. I snipped the red wire and it stopped
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Old 10-12-2012, 09:57 AM   #6
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Every night around the same time my propane detector goes off. I am not using the generator or furnace when it happens. House batteries are showing full on panel.

By any chance are you using the gas heater at night?
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Old 10-12-2012, 05:48 PM   #7
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Every night around the same time my propane detector goes off. I am not using the generator or furnace when it happens. House batteries are showing full on panel.
We had CO detector that kept going of and before the dealer got a new detector in we had one of the coach battery blow up. It turned out we had a defective battery that was that was setting it off.
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Old 10-12-2012, 07:42 PM   #8
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I just checked my house batteries and both were completely dry. Put water in both batteries. Hope that solves the problem of the detector going off in the middle of the night.
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Old 10-12-2012, 07:45 PM   #9
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If detector is older (4-5yrs) good chances are it will be at the end of it's life span. If not, blow it out with compressed air, dust and spiders love those small places. Or, it can give can go bad without a reason.
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Old 10-12-2012, 09:55 PM   #10
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I just checked my house batteries and both were completely dry. Put water in both batteries. Hope that solves the problem of the detector going off in the middle of the night.
Yes but what are you doing for batteries? If boiled dry they're not long for this life as batteries....
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Old 11-19-2012, 10:16 AM   #11
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Mine goes off if wife uses body spray or if we use scented potpourri warmer I believe we will just disconnect ours....
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Old 11-19-2012, 10:39 AM   #12
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There was a batch of faulty detectors. ours was doing the same thing. We finally snipped the wires until we could get a new one under warranty. The new one doesn't go off at all crazy hours of the night.
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Old 11-19-2012, 10:42 AM   #13
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Mine goes off if wife uses body spray or if we use scented potpourri warmer I believe we will just disconnect ours....
This is not recommended. If you are SURE it is not a propane leak, you could relocate it to a similar level elsewhere in the camper.

Since your unit is a 2012, it should still be under warranty and must be checked by a competent tech.

In case you do not have a manual for your unit, here is the manual from my detector. IT has some trouble shooting tips that may be helpful to you.
Attached Files
File Type: pdf Propane Detector.pdf (1.41 MB, 44 views)
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Old 11-19-2012, 11:21 AM   #14
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Thanks
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Old 11-19-2012, 11:21 AM   #15
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I agree with Herk, the propane detector is your friend. Interesting to here there is a bad batch of them out there. The good news seem to be that they fail in alarm not quiet mode.

I already had to replace mine...
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Old 11-19-2012, 11:35 AM   #16
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When mine was going off. John Armstrong at Forest River told me to just tell the dealer to put a new one on “they are very sensitive”. But when the battery blow up I was very glade it was. If it ever happens again I will check there first.
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Old 11-19-2012, 02:41 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Falcon35
When mine was going off. John Armstrong at Forest River told me to just tell the dealer to put a new one on “they are very sensitive”. But when the battery blow up I was very glade it was. If it ever happens again I will check there first.
A little gassy eh? Good post.
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Old 11-19-2012, 09:17 PM   #18
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I just checked my house batteries and both were completely dry. Put water in both batteries. Hope that solves the problem of the detector going off in the middle of the night.
I had nearly an identical problem with the propane alarm going off. I used a gallon of distilled water in a week trying to keep them filled up, but they kept boiling over. When you are plugged into shore power, feel the side of the batteries. If they are anything warmer than holding someone's hand then the batteries are bad. I had to have two new batteries installed and everything is fine now. Folks tried to tell me the charger was overcharging the batteries, but after research I found out that good batteries can't be overcharged because the resistance increases to infinity as they become fully charged.
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