Smoke Alarms....

[rustell]

I'm a firm believer in smoke alarms, but dang it...I can't even make a piece of toast without that thing going off. The only thing I can think of would be to relocate it to a different location. Right now it is above the door and our kitchen is right across from the doorway. Any ideas..?

[noe-place]

Both my smoke detector and propane detector activated this month while the rv was parked in my garage. I realized they were both about 8 yrs old and ordered new ones and installed them; no more problems. Owners' manuals say these things should be replaced every 5 yrs. Oh and I replaced the carbon monoxide detector so they're all new.

[rockhillmanor]

I'll just add that these smoke detectors are generic i.e. made for residential. Our ceilings are WAY lower than in a house henceforth the pain in the butt of them going off all the time.

The propane detector: situated all the way in the back usually in the bedroom is designed to save you when you are sleeping. Ya all my serious propane leaks that almost killed us happened during the day in the front of the MH where all the propane appliances are......and the darn thing never went off. I guess you have to be sleeping in the middle of the night to be saved by 'that' detector. :R

I ended buying a plug in residential multi purpose alarm like I had in my home that detects natural gas, methane, propane, etc. and it's plugged in the FRONT of my MH.

[pigman1]

Try just pushing the test button after it goes off. On our Bus this silences the tone for 4-6 minutes. I know it won't stop it from going off, but at least I don't have to take it down and put it under a pillow.

[Chuck_Gail]

Buy a smoke alarm made for kitchens. Yes they exist. Their senitivity is set lower. Usually works in cases like yours.

[TucsonJim]

Jim Shoe wrote:
The one near the floor in the kitchen area used to go off when I turned the sweeper on. No way to turn it off, so it howled for several minutes. I'm sure my neighbors in the CG enjoyed the sound as much as I did. It doesn't do that anymore. I removed it.
Any alarm that produces that many false alarms is useless. If it went off in the middle of the night, I'd wonder who turned the sweeper on. Instead, I installed a smoke alarm on the ceiling in the bedroom.

Jim - You do realize that the alarm "near the floor" is your propane detector and not related to your smoke detector. Putting a "smoke alarm" on the bedroom ceiling will do nothing to detect propane. If you spring a propane leak in the middle of the night, you will probably not detect it and the results could be fatal.

[Dusty_R]

Just replace it with one that has a silence button.

Dusty

[Jim_Shoe]

The one near the floor in the kitchen area used to go off when I turned the sweeper on. No way to turn it off, so it howled for several minutes. I'm sure my neighbors in the CG enjoyed the sound as much as I did. It doesn't do that anymore. I removed it.
Any alarm that produces that many false alarms is useless. If it went off in the middle of the night, I'd wonder who turned the sweeper on. Instead, I installed a smoke alarm on the ceiling in the bedroom.

[Dogbone]

Yep, changed my ionization type detector to a photoelectric detector on every RV I have had, works great.

[tenbear]

If you have an ionization type detector you might try using a photoelectric detector. I just replaced my smoke detector with a photo electric type and haven't had it go off yet. We have only used it on one 4 day trip so far and so far so good. It has a mute button on it too. About $13 at Amazon.

I put an SPST switch in series with the battery in the old ionization type it was so bad.

[tatest]

Relocating even a little further from where you do your toasting can make a difference. My detector is over the dinette, about 8 feet diagonally from the toaster on the kitchen counter, and it doesn't go off. But I may not toast as dark as you do.

If I put the toaster on the dinette table, it will set off the smoke alarm, so that's where I plug in the teakettle instead.

Charring bread produces exactly the combustion products an ionization smoke detector needs to catch a house fire in its early stages. You can sometimes fill a room with particle smoke from hot grease without setting one off, but lighting one wooden match in the room should be enough to do it.

[path1]

Just think if it as a dinner bell. When it goes off, time to eat.

[PUCampin]

I have the same issue, but mine only requires boiling water. It is also approaching replacement age, I was wondering if anyone tried an alarm made "for kitchens" that is supposed to be more sensitive to heat rise rather than burnt toast smoke

[Old-Biscuit]

MarshaNichols wrote:
I used a plastic cover that goes over left-overs...looks like a shower cap. Personally, I like the idea of taking the battery out and then doing something to remind you to put it back!

We also use the mini shower cap.....slips right over alarm and is colored. We have a red one so it stands out......"Hey look at me"

To remove battery I have to wrestle with the alarm...twisting and turning. So I'd rather only do that twice a year....more often than that and I know I'm going to bust it.

So it's RED cover on when cooking and then OFF it comes when done.
It has become a normal routine

[pennysmom09]

I put it under my pillow when I cook, and then set it on top of the kitchen cabinet when we go to bed. I am going to try the bowl cover over it next trip!