C.O. Detector/Alarm

[leisurelarry]

FR3 30DS propane detector location

[philv]

No problem Duckogram. I know very little about RV's. I'm just learning . I have no idea where LP detector is. Going g out to look. Thanks.

[pwrstroke2012]

Philv, my carbon monoxide was mounted above bed just like yours and I had to replace. I replaced mine with a Kidde CO/gas detector from Lowe's that plugs into an outlet, has a battery back up and an LED with the parts per million readout so you can see why it is alarming. CO detectors can be mounted anywhere as the gas readily mixes with the ambient air. Gas however lays low and that is why I picked an outlet near the floor. So now I have 2 LP gas detectors. Good luck and keep up posted on results.

[philv]

I found the LP detector. It on the wall Near the floor right by the bathroom door.
I have everything running now to see if C/O detector goes off. Running for 35 minutes now and no alarm. Still goin to buy another good C/O detector.

[Duckogram]

My detector looks like leisurelarry's but it is a combo CO/LP and the green is on the left. Since safety is a high priority in Duckville, I'm thinking that a LP near the floor and a CO on the ceiling in the BR is a better/safer set up.

[leisurelarry]

Sounds like a plan duckogram! Near the floor in the kitchen is my locale for the propane alarm. It's saved us a time or two with a stove top knob turned to light by accident. Didn't take long and the alarm was letting us know!

[Radio]

LP gas is heavier than air so they put the LP detectors near the floor.

CO is heavier than oxygen, BUT since CO comes from combustion (heat) therefore is likely to be warmer and thus lighter than normal air, the CO and smoke detectors go up high.

[Jim Schings]

Yes, but Carbon Monoxide is LIGHTER than ambient AIR. Oxygen only makes up ~22% of air. The difference in mass is VERY slight, so your detector can be mounted most anywhere. Your point of heat makes some sense, but not all CO would be much hotter than the ambient air around it. Everything equal, I would mount it on the ceiling or mid height (as recommended by the industry.)

[colourful64]

We had a thor mh... and the dog flatulence would set it off. .. another time we steam cleaned the carpet and it went off for two weeks!!! So chemicals and cleaners will do it

[philv]

Thanks Colourful64.

[rclogg]

Originally Posted by Duckogram

Can you post a pic of the back or inside cover where the specs are located? That would be helpful. Additionally, if it is a carbon monoxide detector and the factory placed it over the bed, it is incorrectly installed and presents a safety hazzard. RIVA needs to know about that...

We have all three but Im curious as to why a Carbon Monoxide detector shouldn't be mounted over the bed. Ours is at the end of the bed at the top of the stairs in our 5er. This would be the highest most central location? It came that way in our new to us 5er.

[Duckogram]

FYI, If you are looking for a new or replacement detector(s), SafeTAlert has a rebate program in effect until 10/31/15. $20 for combo LP/CO2, $10 for LP and $10 for CO2.
Find the form and details at: www.SafeTAlertRebate.com

[Duckogram]

Originally Posted by rclogg

We have all three but Im curious as to why a Carbon Monoxide detector shouldn't be mounted over the bed. Ours is at the end of the bed at the top of the stairs in our 5er. This would be the highest most central location? It came that way in our new to us 5er.

rclogg,
you cherry picked post #9 where I was "assuming". If you read my posts #20 and #29 you will see that I owned up to that incorrect assumption and addressed the location problem...

[PhotoMaster]

Our carbon monoxide detector, located over the bed, in our 30DS would single chirp every minute saying the batteries were bad. We bought brand new batteries and within 10 minutes it was chirping again. After buying several new sets of batteries, thinking a better brand might solve the problem, were determined the alarm was defective. The local stores ago wanted $70-80 for co detectors.

[PhotoMaster]

I just bought a CO detector because of the 5 star review it got online, but reading the instruction manual is specifies NOT for RV use. I have seen this with smoke alarms too. How do you know ahead of time if they are RV safe and can you use any of them, like the dealerships say?

[JEGNCJG]

Our CO detector went bad within the first few months of buying the motorhome. The dealer got it replaced under warranty.

[PhotoMaster]

Ours failed about a year and two months after we bought our unit so it wasn't covered under the regular warrantee. It would be under the extended, but the deductible would have been more than the cost of a new detector.

[Pixelbum1]

Mine looks exactly like "liesurelarry's" too and it became so bad that I finally disconnected it. I do have an auxiliary CO (batt-driven...) detector on the wall in the bedroom of my '11 Solera to take care of 1/2 of the original problem and would
think that I could smell any LP gas leaks? Never had an LP detector, etc., on my former '76 Airstream and never a whiff, never a problem.

The former owner of my unit informed me that this was an on-going complaint with these detectors...in fact, he replaced it once before I bought it but to no avail. Maybe Mr. Clemens from FR can weigh in here? Ours first went off after using the furnace(lightly) last October and drove me nutso. Even slapped duct tape over the "mouth" to dampen the incessant chirping. Never a LP smell, nor indicator from the bedroom CO detector. My unit is located to the left of the coach entrance steps and near the disconnect switch.

I WILL SAY THIS THO...after reading all the previous good comments...that when I pulled the detector out from the cavity in the wall I noticed a lot of wood chips and dust within and obviously left during construction of the unit interior from 2011. I plan to go back in and suck that all out with my ShopVac plus gently vacuum the unit itself and\or apply gentle compressed air to it to see if this helps. I might hook it up, one more time, to see if this rights the situation but won't hold my breath?

If I missed anything here please let me know! -PB

[philv]

Used the RV again Friday night. As you would guess at 3:05 a.m. the C.O. detector went off. I had purchased a second back up unit with a digital readout. I checked it and it was not going off and read 000. So I took out the batteries out of the one that came with the RV mounted on the ceiling in the bedroom.
Saturday night I sleep with the windows all open and roof vents open. Turned everything off as I was not taking any chances with my wife, daughter and 11 month old grandson on board. Took it to dealership and asked them to check for a C.O. leak etc.
I would imagine it is a faulty C.O. detector as the new one did not go off. However the batteries in the one going off are good. Plus I had that unit in my house for several nights and it never went off. So if it is faulty why is it not going off when I take it out of the RV bedroom and place it in my house. And on two seperate nights in the RB its alarming ????

[PhotoMaster]

The one I bought, that specifically says not for RV use, has a stand for table top use as well as a mounting bracket for wall use. When no one is using the coach, I'll bring it on the house and when we're using the RV I'll leave it on the stand in the bedroom. No one can give me a good reason why it couldn't be used in an RV.