Forum Discussion

Asylumental's avatar
Asylumental
Explorer
May 05, 2019

Hooked up to shore Power, but LP detector isnt working..

Hello, I just bought an older 80's vanguard motorhome..I'm a first time motorhome owner..

When I got the motorhome I was being shown around and although we didnt light the stove, the LP detector was illuminated when he turned on the fridge..

The next day I come back to the motorhome and the LP detector is red and making an alarm.. the red seems to mean it was a low battery..I checked to make sure the propane was off and that was that. I didnt do anything else other than move the motorhome and I connected it to shore power.

Now the next day I come back again, and the fridge isnt working.
The LP detector won't turn on.
And I dont have propane to my stove top...

I'm here asking if anyone knows what is wrong because I have tried Google searching..
My results make me believe that if my propane regulator wasn't working, my LP detector should at least be working and telling me there is no gas..
And if my LP detector isnt working, shouldn't I at least be able to light my stove top?

Since I'm hooked up to shore power, shouldnt the LP Detector be working, even if there is a low battery?

I'm not sure what exactly the do, the OP detector is less than 4 years old.

I've read that maybe it's my converter since my shore power is running the rest of the motorhome but is not running the lo detector.
Or I'm thinking maybe it's a loose connection from when I moved the motorhome?
Any ideas?
Class A
  • kaydeejay's avatar
    kaydeejay
    Explorer
    May 05, 2019
    Hi, I see you are new here. Welcome to the Forum.
    Just remember, there are no stupid questions in here. Stupid answers sometimes, but that is a different discussion!

    Your CO detector will run off the 12 volt system. Whether that is battery or converter should make no difference as long as the house battery is good. You need to check to be sure there is full 12V power to the detector.
  • Old-Biscuit's avatar
    Old-Biscuit
    Explorer III
    May 05, 2019
    That old of a MH there maybe a shutoff solenoid on LP tank...LP Detector keeps 12V DC on solenoid unless there is a propane leak OR LP Detector faults
    LP Detector DC power comes directly from battery

    1980s LP Detector unless replaced in past 5 yrs has Expired.....they only have a shelf life of 5-7 yrs

    So you need to check that LP Tank Service valve is Open...and if there is a shutoff solenoid on the main propane line
    If there is a solenoid it needs 12V DC to open it in order for propane to flow
  • Ivylog's avatar
    Ivylog
    Explorer III
    May 05, 2019
    You have a 12V power problem...house batteries dead or bad connections or a cutoff switch turned off by the door. There is a 12V cutoff solenoid on your propane line...no 12V, no propane.
  • blknomad's avatar
    blknomad
    Explorer
    May 05, 2019
    Your LP detector is toast. They have a 5 year life span. Take it out and look on the back for a date and see if its out of date. If so go to amazon and order one they are not that much. Do not go to camping world or gander who ever as the ones they have are probably a couple years old already. Been there done that.
  • dougrainer's avatar
    dougrainer
    Nomad
    May 05, 2019
    You have an OLDER LP detector system. Back in the old days, the LP detector did 2 things.
    1. Detected LP and sounded an alarm AND shut the LP OFF at the tank
    2. The LP detector has 2 wires for power in. One from the Chassis Battery and one from the coach battery. Then you have a ground and then 1 wire goes out to the LP tank shut off solenoid. When the LP detector loses power or malfunctions, it shuts off ALL LP to the RV.
    3. NOBODY has really used your system for almost 20 years, because of the problems with shutting down the LP. What you do and others with your system, you install a new style LP detector in place of your original and then you REMOVE the Electric solenoid from the LP line at the tank. There is NO CODE or law/rule that states you must have your type system. Doug
  • Asylumental's avatar
    Asylumental
    Explorer
    May 05, 2019
    Thank you so much for the quick replies...
    I wish I could take pictures to make this easier to explain..

    But to clarify a few things...

    I am hooked up to 30 amp power.

    It has a newer LP detector installed already, it is a Safe-T-Alert LP detector.
    It is dated for August 31, 2015

    When I got the motorhome and it was not plugged in yet, the LP alarm was going off..but the gas was off and it was displaying a red light which says it means either low power or end of life..

    I have a battery I can maybe hookup to test today...

    Where is the shutoff solenoid? Somewhere past the 2 stage regulator on the low pressure side?
  • dougrainer's avatar
    dougrainer
    Nomad
    May 05, 2019
    Asylumental wrote:
    Thank you so much for the quick replies...
    I wish I could take pictures to make this easier to explain..

    But to clarify a few things...

    I am hooked up to 30 amp power.

    It has a newer LP detector installed already, it is a Safe-T-Alert LP detector.
    It is dated for August 31, 2015

    When I got the motorhome and it was not plugged in yet, the LP alarm was going off..but the gas was off and it was displaying a red light which says it means either low power or end of life..

    I have a battery I can maybe hookup to test today...

    Where is the shutoff solenoid? Somewhere past the 2 stage regulator on the low pressure side?


    OK, IF the solenoid was not removed, that is the problem. connected to shore Power means nothing as almost 80 percent of systems in an RV are 12 volt powered. The solenoid is usually connected to the OUTPUT(low pressure) side of the LP regulator and will be very noticeable as it will have a few wires on it. LP alarms will sound if the 12 volts is BELOW 11.5 volts. Doug

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