Two found dead in rv

Each night I make sure my stove knobs are fully off. I then take the knobs off and put them in the silverware drawer until needed. I too have `bumped` the knobs clutzing around at night from time to time. Fortunately my propane sensor was very sensitive.

1n

Interesting info that the smell additive can be different from one station to the next. Usually propane smells somewhere between dead animal, dead eggs, or sewer smell. I know some propane smells are much weaker than others. The place where I used to fill mine was really strong. Seems there is a place where there needs to be some sort of standardization. Mistaking the smell for something else is a bad deal.

I've often wondered that about the stoves...why they are just a bump/turn. I wonder if their unit was air tight? And if it would have made a difference. Scary stuff. :(

Seems a better route to prevent this from happening is to design the interior propane stoves like the exterior ones. To turn them on you have to depress the knob while turning it to the on position. Would prevent the accidental bump turning on the propane.

Propane itself is odorless and some companies to save money may go a bit shy I suspect on the aroma therapy.. (CIS:Miami episode featured this but that of course is fiction).

A working gas detector (it detects many explosive gasses) and a working CO detector might just have saved them the cost of a pair of funerals.

I check mine from time to time to insure they are workign, The Co detector needed replacment I think last year.

rgatijnet1 wrote:
I know my Monaco coach has both a CO and a Propane detector but I don't know how long they have been required on RV's.

Both have a 'shelf life' (sensor) of 5-7 yrs. and should be replaced.

Expiration date on back.

I know my Monaco coach has both a CO and a Propane detector but I don't know how long they have been required on RV's.

rockhillmanor wrote:

Daveinet wrote:
Hmm, one of the burners were left on. Seems they

should have smelled

it before they fell asleep. Could be the difference between when you smell something but don't think its bad enough to do something about.

That is right around the area I filled up my propane tank and a couple of days later smelled a bad smell from my MH. EVERYONE in the CG was sure it was coming from my gray tank because it was more concentrated by the sink.

Turned out it WAS propane from a bumped stove knob.

I was to find out that there is no law in place that requires ALL propane companies to use the 'same' 'odor' additive. Every state can put whatever odor they want just as long as one is added.

I KNOW what propane smell likes in Wisconsin. The smell they put in when I filled my propane tank in Tennessee did NOT smell anything like it. So if you were like me being my first time out RV'ing away from my home state you wouldn't know that.

Live and learn....and I almost didn't and almost blew up the whole MH waiting for mobile repair to come out and replace gray water tank vent while the real culprit propane gas continued to come in. :R

Just got home. For the last day have been smelling what I thought was negative air flow up through grey system out through kitchen pipe. It stank exactly like a grey tank. Coincidentally all day driving today, we have heard chirping sound. I'm guess now the propane detector was randomly chirping on limited propane detection. Wife and I have hearing issues and never could identify where it was coming from. The sound was random, and never happened when parked. When we got home tonight, RV was finally quiet. I heard hissing sound from stove. I'll be darned if one burner wasn't turned on low. We just picked up our 4 yr old granddaughter. Not sure if she hit it or I did. Told the wife we are lucky to be alive. Luckily we had the dash heat on all day so we were infusing the RV with gobs of fresh air. We never use the stove. Just didn't sync that the odor was propane. I think I will look for a shutoff valve for the stove if one isn't installed. This is not the first time this has happened.

Sad to hear of such a tragedy.

I'm confused from the news report....CO was suspected as cause of deaths but gas burner was found on (no flame). CO is a product of combustion ?

Sounds more like suffocation and faulty LP Detector.

Daveinet wrote:
Hmm, one of the burners were left on. Seems they

should have smelled

it before they fell asleep. Could be the difference between when you smell something but don't think its bad enough to do something about.

That is right around the area I filled up my propane tank and a couple of days later smelled a bad smell from my MH. EVERYONE in the CG was sure it was coming from my gray tank because it was more concentrated by the sink.

Turned out it WAS propane from a bumped stove knob.

I was to find out that there is no law in place that requires ALL propane companies to use the 'same' 'odor' additive. Every state can put whatever odor they want just as long as one is added.

I KNOW what propane smell likes in Wisconsin. The smell they put in when I filled my propane tank in Tennessee did NOT smell anything like it. So if you were like me being my first time out RV'ing away from my home state you wouldn't know that.

Live and learn....and I almost didn't and almost blew up the whole MH waiting for mobile repair to come out and replace gray water tank vent while the real culprit propane gas continued to come in. :R