Carbon Monoxide/Propane Alarm - Propane Leak?

[InTheRockies]

Hi all. My travel trailer has been sitting in my driveway since June and yesterday I heard an alarm going off in the trailer. It was the combo carbon monoxide/propane alarm, which has never gone off before (I bought the trailer new in Jan 2019). I opened the door and left it open for a bit. Alarm kept beeping (three or four beeps in a row, a pause for a few seconds, and then repeating).

No appliances were on. The propane bottles were connected but the valves were turned off and had been for the last three months. I hit the test and mute buttons on the monitor which silenced it temporarily, but then it went off again. As it wouldn't shut off, I disconnected the trailer battery and disconnected the propane tanks. Of course it stopped then.

I let the trailer air out for a while and then closed it back up. I reconnected the trailer battery to see if it was maybe an electrical issue, but it didn't start beeping again. I then reconnected the propane tanks as a test and about 4 hours later, the alarm started beeping again. I've since disconnected the propane bottles. When the alarm stopped beeping the 2nd time after disconnecting the bottles, the green light on it was blinking. I disconnected the trailer battery and reconnected it and the light on the monitor is now solid green.

So, what I'm surmising is that I have two issues - the first is that at least one of the propane bottles is leaking (I'll try the soapy water test tomorrow to see which one). The 2nd issue though is that even if propane is flowing from the bottles, how is it getting into the trailer, unless there is a leak in one of the interior lines or appliances.

Any thoughts on where and how I should check for the interior leak? I live in a very rural area and am not close to a RV service shop. No mobile techs out here either. There is a propane shop about 30 mins from me and I'll call them tomorrow to see if they troubleshoot this kind of thing, but if I can try and pinpoint or at least rule out some locations of the leak, it would likely save me time and money.

A couple of other notes: it's been quite warm here - upper 80s during the day and likely warmer than that in the trailer. I've read that sewer gases from the black tank can sometimes trigger the alarm, but it's not started beeping since I disconnected the propane tanks.

I did recently have an issue with mice in the trailer (within the last couple of weeks). I seem to have gotten rid of them, but could they have damaged something in the propane lines? I also noticed mouse droppings on top of both propane tanks when I took the cover off.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[JimK-NY]

Mine went off due to bug spray. Put on bug spray outdoors, not while in the RV. Caulk set it off and the issue remained for weeks because I had used a lot of caulk and it cured slowly. Mine also went off several times while I was in Yellowstone relatively close to sulfur emitting thermals.

[bobsallyh]

Propane alarms can pick up the odor of batteries outgassing when under a charge.

[jpmyers]

I have a new unit on the way now. The determination was a malfunctioning detector. Snip snip, and now we wait. Honestly, I'd like to find an electric stovetop and oven so I can get these gas appliances out off here. I don't mind the gas furnace but I'm not boondocking so the electric side of the water heater is fine.

Speaking of, does anyone need a stackable washer and dryer? I have a new set, used 3 times. I'm looking for $1,000 for the pair. I paid $2,500.

[JimK-NY]

profdant139 wrote:
Someone recommended doing without a propane alarm. I respectfully disagree. Yes, the alarm may occasionally malfunction. That's annoying. But propane lines can occasionally leak. That's fatal.

In addition it is really not that expensive or difficult to replace a malfunctioning unit.

[profdant139]

Someone recommended doing without a propane alarm. I respectfully disagree. Yes, the alarm may occasionally malfunction. That's annoying. But propane lines can occasionally leak. That's fatal.

[Sjm9911]

https://www.stadealer.com/faq.html
Info on the saftey alert ones. This may be diffrent by manufacturers.

[Sjm9911]

The alarm beeps mean something, check the directions to show what it was saying. And , dont disconect them, you dont need them untill you have a problem. And if you dont have one it could mean you life. They work if maintained and changed as recomended. Look on the back they will have a date to replace them.

[Edd505]

As has been posted check battery voltage. If it's a propane leak, I found mine was bad pig tails from the tank, both had cracked. Once changed, no more alarms.

[RJsfishin]

My propane alarm made my life miserable once to often, and it will never do that again. I went 30 years w/o one, and I don't need one now.

[jpmyers]

Ours is a 3 month old Highland Ridge Silverstar. The combo detector is about 4" above the floor. Recently, this had alarmed, (four one second bursts) at either midnight or 4:AM. I can find no leaks and the battery checks out.

What next folks? We frequently are up part midnight but the 4:AM one is a jolt. At least it's not every night. As much as I want the protection of the detector, I'm about to disconnect the wiring until I get this resolved.

[riven1950]

We had a propane detector go bad in a practically new TT. ( not our current unit )
It was random and no propane was leaking. Detector was replaced under warranty. Problem solved. Sometimes they just don't last long apparently.

[2oldman]

OP.. please edit your post. thank you

[JimK-NY]

It is highly likely that the OP is referring to a combination CO/propane detector. These units are always located near the floor because propane tends to sink to the floor level. CO rapidly disperses throughout the air everywhere in the RV so it can be detected with a floor level detector.

False alarms are a common symptom when these alarms start to fail. The units typically do not last more than a few years and I had one that only lasted two years.

There is another possibility. This is a relatively new RV that has been stored in the heat and probably is not well ventilated. Outgassing can be setting on the alarm. One time I did a lot of caulking in the bath. I had to disconnect the alarm for a couple of months due to outgassing from the caulk.

In any case there is no reason to suspect or waste time looking for a propane leak since the alarm started to go off when the propane tanks were shut off. Instead I would open some windows and check back to see if the alarm is still going off periodically. If so it is time to spend $50 to replace the alarm.

[monkey44]

delwhjr wrote:
I had one go bad after only 18 months, so failure is a possibility. They also can go off when the 12v supply is low.

^^^^ this one - check low battery first.