dpgllg
South West Pennsylvania
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Joined: 10/17/2007
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I winterized and stored my 5th wheel last week, I removed the propane tanks and have a disconnect on the battery, While getting it ready to move there was no issue with the gas detector. I towed the 5th wheel less than 10 miles to the storage lot and when we got there the detector was going off, I reset it opened all the windows and let it air out but it keeps going off.
With no propane tanks or aerosol bottles what could be setting off the detector? Like I said I have a battery disconnect so it won’t drain my battery but this has me baffled.
Can these things go bad? Is there some sort of maintenance that should be done on them? If I need to replace the unit how difficult is it and what is a ballpark cost?
Thanks!
2006 2500HD Chevy 6.0 Gas Ext Cab Short Bed
2004 Flagstaff 8528BHSS 5th Wheel
Dear Wife, One married daughter and one soon to be married daughter plus four dogs
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jhlady
Portland, Oregon / Green Valley, AZ
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dpgllg,
Yes they do go bad. I just replaced mine and haven't a problem since. Could also be related to your disconnecting the battery. If it is more than five years old I would just remove it until you get ready to put your rig back in service next spring and then install the new one. You can get them as most RV supply houses or on-line.
Good luck!
John
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2chiefsRus
USA Somewhere
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Is it really going off or just signaling a low battery? We had one go off when our battery charger was set up wrong on our previous motorhome. Then the batteries were actually boiling. The typical lifespan on detectors is between 5-7 years if I recall correctly. Seems like our last one cost about $40 but prices vary. How hard it is to replace depends upon where it is in your particular set-up. Normally not too tough.
Dave & Kathy
2007 Monaco Knight 40PDQ towing 2003 Odyssey
Fulltime since October 2007
Before you give someone a piece of your mind, make sure you can get by with what will be left.
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Jpony56hd
Fulltimer
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I recently placed a detector in the refrigerator compartment. A week later it went off. It was in the outside accessible compartment. We were defrosting the unit and drain hose emptied into this little pan that had overflowed and dripped into the detector. Dried it out and reset it and it's still working.
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beemerphile1
I'm 57, I'm not a
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What I want to know is how is it sounding with the battery disconnected?
Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.
- Soren Kierkegaard
2006 Weekend Warrior FK1900/1998 Ford E150 4.6L = 8MPG
2009 Aliner Sport/2009 Pontiac Vibe 1.8L = 22MPG
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johnrbd
San Joaquin Valley
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beemerphile1 wrote:What I want to know is how is it sounding with the battery disconnected?
Maybe it stored enough energy just to drive you crazy. Seems to be working - some electronic gadgets have a mind of their own. Couldn't get mine to quit blasting, so I cut the wires. Went silent, then I replaced it with new unit, no problems now. Mine expired 1 mo ahead of schedule.
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sh410
Northwest
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Joined: 08/29/2007
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Maybe the disconnect does not include the propane detector? Take the negative cable off the battery.
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kalynzoo
Los Angeles , California
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I was advised that the detectors have a life of about 5 years. In mine, taking out two screws from the cover plate enabled me to remove the detector which had a single plug connection. Although the company that made my original detector was no longer in business I was told by a parts house the the replacement was plug-and-play. Indeed it was, a perfect fit, same plug, easy replacement. I think it was about $30 including shipping...don't hold me to that, but around there.
Good Luck
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MPD56
Canada
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My detector has a big enough capacitor in it to store energy to make an audio trouble alarm (beep) to let me know that there is a problem with the direct DC power and that the detector will not function. It is also written in my manual that this is a safety feature (beeps every so often for hours). In Canada a detector that uses a 9 volt battery has to have a low battery warning and a detector that is direct wired to a power source has to alarm when the power source is off.
When I disconnected my battery it makes an alarm and the power light is off telling me I have a problem. I your case, when you take it out of storage reconnect the battery, make sure that you test your detector as per the manual. The gas detector in my house is powered by 110 volts and has a 9 volt battery to power it if the power goes off.
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dpgllg
South West Pennsylvania
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beemerphile1 wrote:What I want to know is how is it sounding with the battery disconnected?
Sorry if I was not clear. If I use the battery disconnect the alarm does shut off. If I connect power again the alarm sound goes off within a few minutes. This is not a chirp that I would expect with a low battery but the full loud alarm signaling gas detected.I checked my battery and it is fully charged.
Thanks for all your respones. Since this is a 2004 trailer I will plan on replacing the unit next spring when I pull it out of storage.
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