CO Issues

[mattisonhome]

Scenario:
2018 Isata 3
Complete CO Replacement done 2 weeks ago because it was expired (hardwired)
AC ceiling Fan was on
Propane tank turned to on
Furnace off
On Full Hook ups
Generator off
No other devices on

CO monitor would not stop beeping! Is it possible to have faulty wiring? There were previous issues with the last monitor but they were intermittent.

My gut says it had something to do with the AC fan but I read a previous post about generator fumes from outside but our generator was not on and it’s a huge stretch that a neighbors generator fumes would set off our CO alarm.

Any ideas or experience with CO monitor issues?

[Reverse_snowbird]

You're talking about the propane alarm?

Check to make certain that your house battery is charged. A low battery is frequently the cause of that alarm going off. (Happened to us in both our tt and our mh.)

That alarm can be set off with certain cleaning products, leaking sewer gas, even a pet passing gas.

[Pipeman]

If you're talking about a dual CO(carbon monoxide) and smoke alarm, like what I have, I found mine to be very sensitive to smoke coming from someone else's campfire when our bedroom windows are open. There wasn't any smoke that I could see, just the smell of the campfire. Mine is battery operated. CO2 is carbon dioxide. If you're talking about a propane alarm then what Reverse-snowbird said.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by Pipeman

If you're talking about a dual CO(carbon monoxide) and smoke alarm, like what I have, I found mine to be very sensitive to smoke coming from someone else's campfire when our bedroom windows are open. There wasn't any smoke that I could see, just the smell of the campfire. Mine is battery operated. CO2 is carbon dioxide. If you're talking about a propane alarm then what Reverse-snowbird said.

For this reason, the site team has changed all “C02” references to “CO”.

[RV Randy]

Originally Posted by mattisonhome

Scenario:
2018 Isata 3
Complete CO Replacement done 2 weeks ago because it was expired (hardwired)
AC ceiling Fan was on
Propane tank turned to on
Furnace off
On Full Hook ups
Generator off
No other devices on

CO monitor would not stop beeping! Is it possible to have faulty wiring? There were previous issues with the last monitor but they were intermittent.

My gut says it had something to do with the AC fan but I read a previous post about generator fumes from outside but our generator was not on and it’s a huge stretch that a neighbors generator fumes would set off our CO alarm.

Any ideas or experience with CO monitor issues?

I'm assuming you have a dual purpose monitor/detector that monitors CO and propane? If so, to trouble shoot your issue, it depends on why the unit was beeping?

In my RV Dynamax installed the Atwood hardwired brand detector. It has a green LED for the front showing power and "normal" condition. There are separate red LED's that will illuminate if the unit detects either CO or propane above the safe limits. Each type of alarm condition triggers a different beeping sequence. On my Atwood there was a simple (small print) explanation on the face of the unit.

My unit had a red LED on for CO and was beeping once every 40 seconds. The test/reset button had no effect. According to the Atwood instructions this indicated the unit had detected an internal fault with the device (not an alarm detecting high levels of CO or propane). I removed the unit and it had a date tag on the back showing it was built June of 2016. The manual says the unit is good for a maximum of 7 years and then must be replaced.

This was just 2 weeks ago so obviously it was within the 7 year life expectancy, but since these are critical life safety devices I just ordered an exact replacement ($58), which only takes 5 minutes to install.

Once you apply power to the new device the LED's will flash for 3 minutes then sound an alarm. At that point you press the test/reset button. If the alarm silences and you just have a green LED, all is good. The test/reset button will not work if you press it prior to the 3 minute period.

If you followed this process and you are still getting an alarm, there may be a legitimate issue. You say that the propane was turned on but all appliances were off. You can still get a propane alarm if propane is leaking somewhere, whether or not appliances are turned on or actively burning the propane. If this is the case the LED for propane should be illuminated. If the CO LED is lit then you are getting CO from some ignition source. It could be from an appliance in your rig (furnace, stove top, refrigerator), typically from an improperly vented exhaust for those devices. Sometimes if its really windy, exhaust can be forced back inside creating an alarm. There may be something legitimate going on like this since you had intermittent alarms with the other unit.

If you spill water on these devices or you use furniture polish or other cleaning solutions near them, this can trigger false alarms or even permanently damage them.

Don't assume there is no issue and its just a wonky detector, the stakes are too high. Note-The detector I replaced sat in my shop for a few days, then I powered it up from a battery and it went through its self test sequence just fine and gave me a green LED. I threw it away anyways because I don't want to trust my life to a potentially intermittent detector.

Hope this helps.

[TitanMike]

I had a similar issue with my combination CO/LPG detector. Didn't beep constantly but had a bad habit of going off in the middle of the night.

Replaced with an LPG (only) detector and a combination CO/Smoke detector (better quality than the OE smoke detector) on the ceiling.

No more middle of the night false alarms.

[mark1615]

Hey everyone need a little help. I have a 2017 river forest wildwood. I was in bed and the CO alarm went off for about 5 beeps the. **** off on its own. Then did it again for about 3 beeps and haven’t beeped for over an hr now. I shut off the propane to be safe and have a window open. I smell nothing at all and I’m hooked up to shore power.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by mark1615

Hey everyone need a little help. I have a 2017 river forest wildwood. I was in bed and the CO alarm went off for about 5 beeps the. **** off on its own. Then did it again for about 3 beeps and haven’t beeped for over an hr now. I shut off the propane to be safe and have a window open. I smell nothing at all and I’m hooked up to shore power.

You're going to have to do a little investigating on your own.
First, the propane alarm can go off when you're on shore power if the rig battery is low.
Second, many things can set off that alarm in addition to propane. Sewer gas and fumes from many sources, including cleaning products and people can set it off.
When you're up and about, try closing the window, turning on the propane and see if the alarm goes off (after checking the battery charge.) If it does, then shut off the propane and get the system checked out. If it doesn't and your battery is fully charged, you might chalk it up to a passing critter.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by mark1615

Hey everyone need a little help. I have a 2017 river forest wildwood. I was in bed and the CO alarm went off for about 5 beeps the. **** off on its own. Then did it again for about 3 beeps and haven’t beeped for over an hr now. I shut off the propane to be safe and have a window open. I smell nothing at all and I’m hooked up to shore power.

In my experience as well as many others across the internet, these combination CO/LPG alarms are prone to false alarms.

Once I separated them, putting in a separate LPG and Co alarm (incorporated in the smoke detector), NO MORE false alarms.

FWIW, your 2017 RV was probably built in 2016 and the detector could have been up to two years old before it was installed. Pull it out of it's mounting location and check the date on the back. They're only good for 5 years according to the factory and that's primarily because of the CO detector element.

That's another reason I decided to go with two detectors. If one fails I don't have to replace both.

[NXR]

Buy a CO detector with a digital readout. I use a Kidde from Walmart. While they’re not super accurate they definitely are good enough.

A natural gas stove can produce 50 ppm of CO when working normally so I would I imagine a propane one is similar. Anything much over 50 ppm is where I get concerned. We had a problem with the venting of the fridge in a slide and it would put 70 ppm inside the coach if the wind came the right way while running on propane. The Kidde detector is how we caught it and proved it. The factory one the ceiling never detected it.

When I worked on a fire department we hated it when people had dumb detectors (no readout) because they would open windows and call us so we had no idea if it was a false alarm or not. The peace of mind alone from the readout is worth the cost to me.

Ray

[D W]

Originally Posted by mark1615

Hey everyone need a little help. I have a 2017 river forest wildwood. I was in bed and the CO alarm went off for about 5 beeps the. **** off on its own. Then did it again for about 3 beeps and haven’t beeped for over an hr now. I shut off the propane to be safe and have a window open. I smell nothing at all and I’m hooked up to shore power.

You can not smell CO. It is an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas. That is why they call it the "SILENT KILLER".

Following this thread, there seems to be much confusion over LP Gas Detectors and CO detectors. LP Gas and CO are two distinctly different gases with different molecular properties. The respective "detectors" are two different animals when it comes to placement. LP Gas is heavier than breathing air. Those gases accumulate at floor level. Those detectors are placed at low levels. CO is slightly lighter than breathing air and tend to rise due to heat caused during combustion and deplete oxygen during the process. Those detectors are placed higher up on walls and ceilings. They are not placed at floor level.

Here's a smart tip: If you have any of these alarms going off and you can't resolve the alarm then REPLACE the alarm!

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by D W

You can not smell CO. It is an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas. That is why they call it the "SILENT KILLER".

Following this thread, there seems to be much confusion over LP Gas Detectors and CO detectors. LP Gas and CO are two distinctly different gases with different molecular properties. The respective "detectors" are two different animals when it comes to placement. LP Gas is heavier than breathing air. Those gases accumulate at floor level. Those detectors are placed at low levels. CO is slightly lighter than breathing air and tend to rise due to heat caused during combustion and deplete oxygen during the process. Those detectors are placed higher up on walls and ceilings. They are not placed at floor level.

Here's a smart tip: If you have any of these alarms going off and you can't resolve the alarm then REPLACE the alarm!

Unless your RV manufacturer doesn't know what you just wrote and insists on using combination LPG / CO detectors mounted a couple inches off the floor.

[D W]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Unless your RV manufacturer doesn't know what you just wrote and insists on using combination LPG / CO detectors mounted a couple inches off the floor.

If an RV manufacturer doesn't know these gas properties then a buyer should probably look elsewhere. I mean, we're talking 8th grade science here.

[dward51]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Unless your RV manufacturer doesn't know what you just wrote and insists on using combination LPG / CO detectors mounted a couple inches off the floor.

Which seems to be the norm in a travel trailer at least.

[babock]

Originally Posted by NXR

A natural gas stove can produce 50 ppm of CO when working normally so I would I imagine a propane one is similar.

yep...which is why we always have the vent fan on and the window near the stove open whenever the oven/stove top is being used. Yet...there are people that think it's a good idea to use them to heat their camper!

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by D W

If an RV manufacturer doesn't know these gas properties then a buyer should probably look elsewhere. I mean, we're talking 8th grade science here.

Apparently they don't And good luck on 'elsewhere'.

How many here have combination LPG/CO detectors in their RV' (except forthose who changed).

The attitude apparently is "eventually CO will reach floor level".

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by mattisonhome

Scenario:
2018 Isata 3
Complete CO Replacement done 2 weeks ago because it was expired (hardwired)
AC ceiling Fan was on
Propane tank turned to on
Furnace off
On Full Hook ups
Generator off
No other devices on

CO monitor would not stop beeping! Is it possible to have faulty wiring? There were previous issues with the last monitor but they were intermittent.

My gut says it had something to do with the AC fan but I read a previous post about generator fumes from outside but our generator was not on and it’s a huge stretch that a neighbors generator fumes would set off our CO alarm.

Any ideas or experience with CO monitor issues?

X2 on the low voltage. intermittent beeping is indicative of low voltage. Just like a dying battery in the older style battery operated alarms. Is your coach battery up to snuff and have you had it tested?

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by rracer5

X2 on the low voltage. intermittent beeping is indicative of low voltage. Just like a dying battery in the older style battery operated alarms. Is your coach battery up to snuff and have you had it tested?

What do you say about these detectors when the go off in the middle of the night when plugged into shore power?

Low battery is not in issue then.

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

What do you say about these detectors when the go off in the middle of the night when plugged into shore power?

Low battery is not in issue then.

That's another point I forgot.....is your battery disconnect off?

If you have the battery disconnected because you're hooked to shore power then your converter isn't charging your battery(s)

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by rracer5

That's another point I forgot.....is your battery disconnect off?

If you have the battery disconnected because you're hooked to shore power then your converter isn't charging your battery(s)

But everything that is running off 12 V is running off the converter--------including the detector(s).

FWIW, I never disconnect my battery merely because I'm hooked to shore power. Not unless I am putting the TT into hibernation for a long period of time.

WHY would anyone disconnect a battery just because they're hooked to shore power?