Will any smoke detector do?

Q1. Yes
Q2. No

Any will do, as long as it has internal battery.

About getting a combo with CO detector - yeah, maybe... Might be cheaper than 2 separate, but you will have to replace it in 5-6 years because this is how long CO sensor lasts, while standalone smoke detector is usually good for 10 years. Also, it's better to have them in different location - smoke detector near kitchen and CO detector near your bed.

Yes! :)

I'd also add that I'd never be dependent on only 1 CO detector, that's why I have one of these by the head of the bed:

Kidde CO Detector

And also the link above to the Kidde smoke detector is also another good unit!

Question: Will any smoke detector do:
Answer: COnditional YES
Conditions: You want one that works off internal batteries.

Fact: When I got my motor home the Smoke Detector was a Atwood. Specal for RV use.. But half of the pages in the owner's manual said Kidde. When it signaled tinme to replace I replaced it with a Kidde.. I found just TWO (Well 3) Differences between the two units.
1: Color, very slight difference, may have been due to aging
2: Original said Atwood, New one says Kidde
3: Old one, the battery compartment cover, had a sticker on it that described the alarm states.. New one did not..

HOWEVER: the covers were interchangable, so I did.

The wall bracket it fits on... IDENTICAL, no difference save slight color which may be due to age.

Oh, sorry that was the CO detector.. Smoke detector is also a Kidde re-labeled

No difference at all.. Nothing special about RV detectors.

Get a CO detector at the same time.

Because an rv will contain items that can burn releasing a dense smoke. I would recommend a two in one detector (both ionizing detection and photoelectric).

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.

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

Like This

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

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 7 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.

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.

While it is important to know all of your emergency exits it is also
important to be warned early,especially if you are older or have mobility issues or have small children.

I hope that this helps,It is better to be safe than sorry and it is a small price to pay for security and peace of mind

Hi,

Hardware store will work fine.

There are smoke detectors called "Photo" that will look for a thicker smoke, and are handy when the kitchen is so close to them, and less likely to trip with some burn toast. Photoelectric smoke detector.

The others are ion detectors, and sort of sniff the air for any by-product of cooking - so the toaster is likely to set it off if the threshold is not right.

So for less false alarms, look for the photoelectric kind.

Fred.

Lowe's or Home Depot. I'm not familiar with OSH.
I just replaced the smoke detectors in our 96 Southwind with regular units from Lowe's.