29RE Smoke/Heat Alarm

[Jim in Halifax]

The alarm for our 5er is located on ceiling over steps by led light.....
It continually goes off when making toast...not burning bread to make smoke.......anyone else have same problem?? Should i relocate it toward bRm door???......J

[SilverbackMel]

Had similar issue with former Keystone fifth wheel. IF the one you have would cause damage to remove and relocate buy another portable unit and arm it. Try different areas less sensitive before mounting permanently. DO NOT LOSE SIGHT OF IT'S PURPOSE: save you and your family!! If you place it too far away, you potentially reduce it's effectiveness. Not good; bad😁
One cannot have too much alert time to get out safely.
Maybe someone with same rv will share their experience.

[2 for the road]

Jim,
We have the same model. We haven't had the alarm go off yet. We have cooked inside and made toast. Our toaster was plugged in on the counter by the stove. Maybe yours was closer to the alarm?

[WFD]

In my opinion, many of the smoke detectors in trailers are poorly located, as in right above a cooking area. They are too sensitive for that. Most important time to have a functioning smoke detector is at night when you are sleeping, so relocating it to an area that is closer to bedroom wouldn't be a problem in my opinion. But if you have a trailer with bunks and in moving it you take it further away from the bunk area, you may want to consider installing a second one near that sleeping area. That may not be necessary depending on your trailer setup. These smoke alarms are pretty loud and most trailers are not that big, so 1 smoke detector strategically located should suffice.

[SilverbackMel]

Agree with WFD. Detection is one thing, escape is another. Make sure you have notice to get you and family out of the fire trap! An event in N GA a few years ago. One man was staying without family. Refer caught fire. Alarm. Going out a BR window saved his life.
You can never have too much time to get out safely. Fifth wheel burned to melted frame!
Need a 2nd alarm? Cheap life insurance.

[WFD]

And in keeping with the escape emphasis....everyone should make sure they know exactly how to use the fire exit windows. I am willing to bet that a great deal of RV'ers have never even tried to open the fire exit windows. Know how they work, and release them a time or two a year as they have a tendency to stick to the trailer frame, but a simple push usually gets them to release. There is a very good chance that if you do have a fire, unless its in the day when you are sitting in there, going out the door may not be an option.
As Silverback has said, if they catch fire, they are like a matchstick, and time will be of the essence, most importantly at night when you are sleeping. Believe what I say, 25 plus years as a career firefighter...know your escape route!

[WFD]

The other thing is...Jim did not mention the age of the trailer or detector. It's a good idea to take those down once a year and give them a good vacuuming. You can get cobwebs and "stuff" attached to the detector and these seem to retain particles that cause the alarm to be even more sensitive. Plus being in an environment that is somewhat different than your home, where they are subject to more humidity and bugs and stuff it's a good idea to vacuum them out periodically. Being close proximity to the kitchen and bathroom, they seem to get more covered with steam than those at home and more stuff sticks to them.

[camper1999]

We have the same unit. We cook a lot in our trailer and ours has never gone off. If you are saying the toast is not smoking/or slightly burnt possible the smoke detector is defective. It really does not made the age of the detector it can still be defective.

[Salt Shaker]

Spring forward fall back check your smoke detectors. In every location you have them. Twice a year.

if it is going off it is doing as designed. Try using your vent next time. With the ceiling fan off.

28 years in the fire service and counting.

Salt