interesting issue with Propane / CO detector
I have a new, 2017 TT with a combo Propane/CO detector. We have been camping with it since the last week in Dec. One week ago, at 3AM of course, the propane alarm went off. I reset it and it would...
Forum Discussion
There are a couple details here folks should be aware of. The first is that you should never rely on your sense of smell with regard to the possibility of a propane leak setting off a gas detector. The reason is that the chemicals injected into the propane to make it smell, besides stinking, also anesthetize your sense of smell. In the short term, the smell is a tip-off and all is good. But if the gas builds up slowly enough, you won't be able to smell it at all. So when that detector goes off, you need to take it seriously, even if you can't smell gas.
Secondly, there are indeed things other than propane that will set the alarm off. Dog farts are one. We've an 80 lb black lab who camps with us, and every once in a while we get awakened by the propane alarm only to discover the dog is sleeping with her butt next to the detector. When that happens, the alarm sounds for 30 seconds to a minute, then shuts off. Then we get a whiff . . . .
Other things that will set it off, for instance, are aerosol sprays, many of which actually use propane as the propellant. And of course, it is possible to kill a gas detector if the solids being propelled get into the detector. Hairspray and deodorants are common offenders on both scores.
My daughter and son-in-law gave me a potato canon for Christmas: the explosive used to shoot the potato is Aqua Net hairspray, due to the propane. Easily throws a potato over 100 yards. (Pro Tip: never use hairspray with a lit cigarette in your mouth lest you make an ash of yourself.)
Secondly, there are indeed things other than propane that will set the alarm off. Dog farts are one. We've an 80 lb black lab who camps with us, and every once in a while we get awakened by the propane alarm only to discover the dog is sleeping with her butt next to the detector. When that happens, the alarm sounds for 30 seconds to a minute, then shuts off. Then we get a whiff . . . .
Other things that will set it off, for instance, are aerosol sprays, many of which actually use propane as the propellant. And of course, it is possible to kill a gas detector if the solids being propelled get into the detector. Hairspray and deodorants are common offenders on both scores.
My daughter and son-in-law gave me a potato canon for Christmas: the explosive used to shoot the potato is Aqua Net hairspray, due to the propane. Easily throws a potato over 100 yards. (Pro Tip: never use hairspray with a lit cigarette in your mouth lest you make an ash of yourself.)
