Alarm Battery

The extra wire was probably for linking several detectors together so that, when one goes off, they all do. This is fairly common in residential smoke detectors.

I replaced the CO detector that came in our 2004 rig a few years ago. The company that made the original was out of business. The replacement was smaller so I had to glue in some wood pieces to mount it. It had an extra wire which I wrapped in electrical tape.

While it's hard to find solid science behind the recommendations, home smoke alarms are suggested to be replaces at least every 10 years. That recommendation assumes the detector is ionization or photocell based.

CO dectectors are different.

That said - I still recall vividly hearing the news of a family of four dying in an Aspen luxury home because of CO poisoning.

When we got the RV, I not only replaced the batteries in the existing alarm, I spent $15 for an extra CO alarm. Simple to mount. Two screws.

While the old adage might be "Man with two watches never knows what time it is" I prefer the "Man with lots of alarms and detectors sleeps better." :)

The smoke detector in our RV didn't work when we got it. I picked up a replacement at a local home center (like Home Desperate, but locally owned, and with better staff). The new battery-only detectors seem to come with lithium batteries that last a decade, after which you recycle the entire detector. A staff member there said that this change was in response to research showing people didn't change their smoke detector batteries.

I don't know if the same is true of CO detectors.

Most only have a 5 year life.
What is needed is a dual chamber detector that will detect CO and smoke from a slow smoldering fire such as may start in a R/V because of electrical fires and fast burning smokeless fires.

After a lot of research and talking to Kidde, they assured me that this one would work in a home and also A RV,there is no difference.

This is what I found.
A Kidde KN-COSM-XTR-B Nighthawk
That seemed to be best suited for this kind of application.

Like This

They now can be bought at Home Depot, also At Amazon.

Home Depot

Amazon

I suggest you read all the info and make your decision on this but I replaced the ones in my Class C with this one.They are rated for 10 years
and most are only rated for 5,If your RV is older than 5 years old and they haven't been changed they are most likely no good. Mine needed to be replaced so this was a good deal for me, I had a hard wired one and I chucked it for the battery powered ones, they can be checked before each trip by pushing the test button in the center of the unit.

Just a reminder,a first line of defense is always the best. Check those smoke detectors and replace them if needed,all have a date on them and how long they are good for. If they don't, toss them.

I hope that this helps

Problem is probably not the battery. Replace the CO detector. If battery is bad, it will just beep occasionally. If it is going off with full alarm, (AND THERE IS NO CO PRESENT). it has gone bad and needs to be replaced. For your safety, just replace it. Ours did the same thing. Replacement has't gone off since.

pick one
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