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oldcoach's avatar
oldcoach
Explorer
Aug 24, 2015

Propane alarm

I have a 2013 Class C Jayco Redhawk. We have had no issues with it until this summer. When not in use we keep it in a fully enclosed shed.

No issues until this summer when from time to time we go out to the shed and the LP alarm is beeping. We shut it off and open the garage doors. It stays off with ventilation. The propane is shut off so its not a leak.

Someone told me that new motor homes give off fumes for a while from the "new" smell. That make sense but why did it take 18 months to start.

It has never alarmed when we have it out camping.

Any ideas or suggestions?
  • Assuming you don't have a sealed battery, have you checked the water level in the battery ?
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    Did you "DISCONNECT" the battery? (Use/Store switch is a disconnect) that can cause it to loose charge as some loads may be connected Pre-Disconnect (Some are on mine, but they are after market far as I know, not sure of .. yes I am propane detector is post-cut off, but some it's pre)

    How dead are they? And are they GC-2 (Six volt) or group xx (12 volt) IF six volt connect them verify converter operation (lights work) and see what happens.
  • Thanks for the great info. I just checked the house battery and it is dead. I keep the RV plugged in when not in use. I thought that would keep the battery charged.

    I guess I am buying a battery before our next outing.

    Thanks for the input.
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    They have several alarm states, Most are a chirp. long delay, Chirp

    ALARM (GAS) Is much more annoying.

    ONE of the alarm states is "Old Age"
  • kalynzoo wrote:
    Propane monitor alarms do go bad. It is not uncommon, and replacements are not very expensive, replacement is plug-and-play. Low voltage, mentioned above, will also give you an alarm fault. However, please consider that you may have a propane leak or a burner valve is open. At very least, turn off the propane at the tank, ventilate the coach, and see if the alarm continues.


    From the original post:
    "The propane is shut off so its not a leak..."
    No further comment necessary.
  • why did it take 18 months to start
    That's about how long it took for your house battery to lose capacity. It may be doing that if you leave the battery connected when in storage.
  • Propane monitor alarms do go bad. It is not uncommon, and replacements are not very expensive, replacement is plug-and-play. Low voltage, mentioned above, will also give you an alarm fault. However, please consider that you may have a propane leak or a burner valve is open. At very least, turn off the propane at the tank, ventilate the coach, and see if the alarm continues.
  • If it's just "chirping" instead of going off like a shrill siren, that would be an indication of low voltage.
    (Is your battery charged/charging properly?)

    If it's actually alerting (shrill siren sound) and airing it out quiets it, that would indicate you have a leak somewhere. You can use a battery operated/free standing detector to get a "second opinion".

    If your original detector still goes off and the second one doesn't, you might want to call the alarm's manufacturer to see if there's a recall or if your unit can be replaced under warranty.
  • Are you keeping house battery charged.....Low DC Voltage will cause LP Detector to beep.
    Dirty sensor will cause them to beep
    Out gassing from materials can cause it to beep

    Did you have any Indicating lights also
    Green, Yellow, Red?

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