Smoke alarm going off every time heater kicks on

[kantonburg]

Edit. Title should be furnace not heater.


We're on our last trip. This is the 2nd time we've used the furnace. I turned it on before bed to warm the trailer up and it tripped the alarm. Then in the middle of the night the furnace came on and it caused the alarm to go off again.

Or smoke alarm is extremely sensitive anyway. When we used the furnace a few weeks ago one night it did not trip the alarm. We do have a electric heater we're using but it's still chily in here.

Anything I can do?

[bikendan]

Did you burn off the furnace oils first?
It's a mandatory thing to do before camping in it.
Dealer should have told you.

[kantonburg]

They did not. I'm just surprised it didn't go off the first time.

So what is the procedure? Open all the windows and let it run for a certain amount of time?

[MeepMeep]

Originally Posted by kantonburg

They did not. I'm just surprised it didn't go off the first time.

So what is the procedure? Open all the windows and let it run for a certain amount of time?

That's what we do every year before we need to start using the furnace. Something about burning off all the crap that's made it's way into the heater since last use. Usually, you can smell it and that's what changes the ionization of the surrounding air and ends up tripping the alarm

[kantonburg]

Thanks. I'll do that today when everyone is outside.

[Steveboe]

An overly scencitive alarm may just need to be replaced with a new one.

[kantonburg]

Originally Posted by kantonburg

Thanks. I'll do that today when everyone is outside.

Burning the oils off seemed to work. Been running the furnace tonight with the trailer shut up with no problems.

Thanks everyone.

[MtBiker]

Smoke alarms can be sensitive but sometimes they just need a cleaning. Vacuum out any spiders or little bugs that may have gotten into it. I use compressed air to blow out all the dust and crap at least once a year when I swap batteries.