CO Alarm issue - battery charger?

[mtnears]

We have a 2011 Lance 850 TC, pretty much factory stock, we just purchased it has had one owner previously. As a CO / LP detector.

Had the CO detector go off when we had it in our driveway plugged into shore power. Propane was turned off at the source, power cutoff was not disabled so it was charging the battery at the time. TC was closed up (all vents and windows closed and in direct sun, but nothing was on (fridge, stove, etc). The battery compartment on this is not on a slide out tray, it is under the step to the sleeper area and has a tube vent to the outside. There is currently just one battery and it seems to be in OK shape.

I was confused as to why the alarm went off, if it was a false alarm or not. Battery charging should not put out CO directly, but it was suspicious to me since it is right next to where the sensor is.

I purchased a home CO detector with an LED display on it and placed it right next to the one that came with the unit. Had it plugged in over the weekend, same sort of scenario as described above. Both CO detectors went off. When I aired it out I could see the levels on the home detector, showed 388 which is pretty dang high.

I'm not clear if because it was all closed up and hot that the O2 levels just dropped to a point where CO was high in relation, or if there is something generating CO. Not sure how to sort this out but it sure makes me nervous if we are out camping and plugged into shore power that we are putting ourselves at risk.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to step through figuring this out?

[Farmerjon]

Could the fumes from the black tank possibly set off the alarm? even if you haven't used it maybe there is residue left in it. and maybe the vent pipe is plugged or loose.If you open the toilet valve do you get any odors coming out? Put the house sensor in the bathroom and see if it goes off.

[fla-gypsy]

The detector is reading some other contaminant most likely from battery charging. Still not good if it is entering the living area.

[RoyB]

I like the idea of having two SENSORs installed. If both go OFF then you are pretty sure it is a real alarm...

Roy Ken

[mtnears]

The TC was in two different locations the two times it happened. One up on our driveway, no cars running, no BBQ's or other issues. The other on the lower part of our property by the barn, about 200 yards away down hill. Nothing running in that area either. Bot times it was off the truck, so nothing was blocking the vent hole for the battery cover. I am going to double check the battery cover and tube, make sure it is fully open and flows air, then I'll plug it in again during the day and see if I can get it to go again. If I can, then I'll put a fan outside the TC by the vent hole to try and draw air out of the battery compartment and see if I can get it to do it again. The only thing I can think of is that some other gas is getting generated taking the place of oxygen and making it seem like the CO levels are going up. And even if that is the case, it's not a livable situation so I need to sort it out.

smkettner wrote:
Give it another test before you use it. But you need to find the source. 388 is deadly.

Move the TC 50 yards down the street for the next test.

[time2roll]

Give it another test before you use it. But you need to find the source. 388 is deadly.

Move the TC 50 yards down the street for the next test.

[westend]

A reading of 388 PPM is more than a casual trip (from your post I'm sure you know this). You have something inside that is reacting with the CO sensor and I'd bet it isn't CO.

[SaltiDawg]

I'm a Retired Submariner - no RV knowledge.

An increase in either CO or CO2 was not associated with any battery charge I conducted. H2 increases were observed, but we compensated for that.

[BFL13]

I agree that to see if it is battery gassing, just yank the battery. Modern converters don't need a battery to make clean 12v, so run on shore power, no battery, and see if your alarm still goes off.

Our LP alarm, no CO alarm to it, is 12 years old. Works great. Only time it acts up is when there is a true low 12v voltage issue. Never had an actual gas alarm issue.

The LP alarm is right in front of a floor furnace register and next to the cold air return. Also we have dogs (often blamed for gassing! 🙂 ). It is below the propane stove too. Never had a gas alarm.

[ScottG]

donn0128 wrote:
Dying unit! These things have a finite life, usually 3 years.

You mean both the unit in his TC and the one he brought out from the house? :R

[mtnears]

I was thinking it was a unit that was failing, which is why I bought the home Kiddie unit which has a 10 year battery that essentially self destructs when it is no longer good. The second time the factory unit went off, the brand new Kiddie unit went off and gave me that reading. I am a volunteer at the local Fire Department too, fairly familiar with these things. If I can reproduce it easy enough I was going to borrow our gas meter for a 3rd unit to test with. But having this new unit right next to the SafeTAlert one that came with it and both of them going off makes me think the threat is real.

[donn0128]

Dying unit! These things have a finite life, usually 3 years.

[mtnears]

Appreciate you thinking about a running vehicle. In both instances, no. It was off the truck on it's jack stands away from other vehicles or any combustion. I'm thinking about seeing if I can reproduce it pretty easily. If I can, then what I may do is try to hook up an exhaust fan in the battery compartment to see if I can force that area clean. If it still happens then at least maybe I can rule out the battery and start trying to figure out if there is something else that is outgassing....

[DWeikert]

mtnears wrote:
Had the CO detector go off when we had it in our driveway plugged into shore power.

Just going to throw this out there. Was there perhaps a vehicle idling in the driveway, however briefly, some time before the alarm sounded?

[ken_white]

Was the refrigerator on on running on propane?

You may have a blockage in the exhaust...

Oops. just saw everything was off.

Sorry...