|
|
09-08-2018, 08:06 PM
|
#1
|
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Flowery Branch, Georgia
Trailer: 2018 Escape 21'
Posts: 27
|
propane sensor?
The propane sensor alarm on our new 21 has activated 2 times since July.
1st time was in a RV park on the drive home, and the 2nd time was today after being closed up for a few days in our back yard, the propane tanks were turned off. Could this be due to fiberglass fumes from the new construction?
Both times I turned on the AC and reset the propane sensor, and everything was OK. Thanks for your comments.
|
|
|
09-08-2018, 08:24 PM
|
#2
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Southwick, Massachusetts
Trailer: None, sold my 2014 5.0TA
Posts: 7,124
|
Do you have a U dinette and inside batteries? Where is the alarm located on new trailers?
The solar charging my batteries occasionally sets off the alarm. I've also heard of dogs setting them off, no idea if they have to be wet dogs. Vacuuming the sensor can help.
Some of us have added a switch to kill the alarm, obviously you are not alone.
__________________
Happy Motoring
Bob
|
|
|
09-08-2018, 08:58 PM
|
#3
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Janesville, WI, Wisconsin
Trailer: Escape 19 (sold) Escape 21 2014
Posts: 1,882
|
Welcome to the club, failing propane sensors seem to be the norm. As Bob mentioned our number one cause is solar charging, but we have had it go off while plugged into shore power as well. I installed a kill switch this last spring and what a relief, we can now leave home and not have to worry about the campground host tracking us down at the beach because the propane alarm is sounding. No dogs, lots of effort at sealing the battery box it now appears AGM batteries are on the horizon. Also replaced the sensor of course.
__________________
Paul and Janet Braun
2003 Toyota 4Runner V8 now 2012 Toyota Sequoia V8
Escape 19' 2010 now 2014 Escape 21'
|
|
|
09-08-2018, 10:33 PM
|
#4
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Olathe, Kansas
Trailer: 2015 21ft Escape "Spirit of the Plains", 2014 GMC Sierra with max tow package
Posts: 1,100
|
My propane sensor failed this spring and I had to disconnect it to shut it up. The one thing I will admit is that it will sure wake you up. Loren
|
|
|
09-09-2018, 12:19 AM
|
#5
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: White Bird, Idaho
Trailer: 2018 Escape 19, "Zen Purple", 2017 4X4 Chevy Colorado/Duramax
Posts: 405
|
We just picked up our 19 last week and went through orientation. During the explanation about the propane sensor, they asked if we had a dog. Why yes, we happen to have 3. Do any of them pass gas during the night? Umm, sometimes. It was then explained if a dog is lying near the sensor and has an expulsion, that's enough to set the thing off! I thought they were trying to be funny, but perhaps not??
|
|
|
09-09-2018, 12:33 AM
|
#6
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by salmo7000
... It was then explained if a dog is lying near the sensor and has an expulsion, that's enough to set the thing off! I thought they were trying to be funny, but perhaps not??
|
Not kidding. The problematic component of intestinal gas (for this purpose) is methane (the primary component of natural gas), which is close enough to propane that the propane detector's sensor responds to it; methane and propane are the 1-carbon and 3-carbon molecules of the simple saturated hydrocarbons (CH 4 and C 3H 8)
|
|
|
09-09-2018, 06:45 AM
|
#7
|
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Flowery Branch, Georgia
Trailer: 2018 Escape 21'
Posts: 27
|
We do have the u shaped dinette, and we do not have a dog. The sensor is near the floor between the dinette and the refrigerator. Where did you attach the cut-off switch?
|
|
|
09-09-2018, 08:55 AM
|
#8
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Felton, California
Trailer: 2018 21' ; 2014 19' (Sold)
Posts: 1,309
|
We pick up our trailer on Monday so we will definitely be asking about this as one of our dogs is terrified of beeping noises (e g. smoke detectors, answering machine, etc). A kill switch would be a necessity if we don't want a doggie heart attack. BTW, why would AGM batteries be better? We're unfamiliar with that brand.
__________________
Jan
We do not remember days, we remember moments.
- Cesare Pavese
|
|
|
09-09-2018, 09:06 AM
|
#9
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Felton, California
Trailer: 2018 21' ; 2014 19' (Sold)
Posts: 1,309
|
Just found this which explains their use: https://www.solar-electric.com/agm-b...echnology.html. Sounds like they may be a good fit for the 21' if they're not too heavy.
__________________
Jan
We do not remember days, we remember moments.
- Cesare Pavese
|
|
|
09-09-2018, 09:17 AM
|
#10
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Janesville, WI, Wisconsin
Trailer: Escape 19 (sold) Escape 21 2014
Posts: 1,882
|
The cutoff switch is easiest next to the propane sensor. The best installation would be a lighted model that showed green when on and red when off. That required more digging for the proper model and some additional wiring. Not what I wanted to do. I choose to live with orange LED when on and nothing when off.
AGM batteries are a different battery type, not a different brand. The manufacturing process makes for a different amount of off gassing, a common cause of propane alarms. The use of these expensive batteries does not solve all false alarms, it just addresses a frequent source. There are a number of other advantages to AGM beside the elimination of off gassing.
__________________
Paul and Janet Braun
2003 Toyota 4Runner V8 now 2012 Toyota Sequoia V8
Escape 19' 2010 now 2014 Escape 21'
|
|
|
09-09-2018, 09:24 AM
|
#11
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,543
|
Escape would not, and could not by law, install a cutoff switch to the propane sensor. If you did not want this safety feature you could just disable it after you take possession. Personally, I would not do this. Ours has only gone off when bumped accidentally.
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
|
|
|
09-09-2018, 09:35 AM
|
#12
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
|
Is there not an indicator light already on the alarm, green when powered and blank when off? Seems to me just a simple "on/off" switch would work.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
|
|
|
09-09-2018, 10:01 AM
|
#13
|
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: ..., New Mexico
Trailer: 2013 Esc19/'14 Silvrado
Posts: 4,193
|
If your dog seems to be excessively flatulent add some canned pumpkin to it's dinner dish. It regulates the bad juices.
__________________
Myron
"A billion here, a billion there...add it all up and before you know it you're talking real money." Everett Dirkson
|
|
|
09-09-2018, 01:32 PM
|
#14
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,543
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by MyronL
If your dog seems to be excessively flatulent add some canned pumpkin to it's dinner dish. It regulates the bad juices.
|
[emoji38][emoji23][emoji38]
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
|
|
|
09-09-2018, 02:21 PM
|
#15
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
Is there not an indicator light already on the alarm, green when powered and blank when off? Seems to me just a simple "on/off" switch would work.
|
Yes, but the absence of a small green light isn't very noticeable. I assume that the idea of a red light when off would be to provide a very noticeable indication that it needs to be turned on before using the propane system.
|
|
|
09-09-2018, 06:25 PM
|
#16
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Port Townsend, Washington
Trailer: 2010 17B “MATT”, then 2017 19 “Lilly”
Posts: 1,584
|
So just being curious here, but for those of you who have installed an Off switch for the propane detector, when do you use it? It seems like the time you most need a detector is when the trailer is occupied, but the most likely time to switch it off is also when the trailer is occupied. Seems like a bit of a conundrum.
__________________
💩-p+☕️+n
|
|
|
09-09-2018, 06:42 PM
|
#17
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Southwick, Massachusetts
Trailer: None, sold my 2014 5.0TA
Posts: 7,124
|
I use the switch when it goes off, air it out and try it again till I've figured out what caused it. I don't leave it off. if it's the batteries I leave it off till the off gassing is done, as in finished charging.
__________________
Happy Motoring
Bob
|
|
|
08-13-2019, 08:24 AM
|
#18
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 -- The Skylark. Towed by a 2014 Highlander
Posts: 1,159
|
My propane detector seems to be going off more often. It is only 2 years old and was manufactured in August 2016. I thought about getting new AGM batteries, but the battery hydrometer says the current batteries (5 years old) are still good, and I hate to replace them prematurely. I put new weatherstripping in the roof of the battery box, but that doesn't seem to have made a difference.
I could put a switch on the propane detector as Fudge Brownie did. I suppose I could also put another propane detector on the opposite side of the dinette -- it seems to me like just moving it should help a great deal. I have also thought about putting a small computer fan at the end of the hose that vents the battery box which might pull the gasses outside of the trailer. Or I could just bite the bullet and get the AGM batteries. Any other solutions that I am missing?
__________________
Camping: Where you spend a small fortune to live like a homeless person.
|
|
|
08-13-2019, 09:39 AM
|
#19
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Baytown, Texas
Trailer: 2017 21' Escape - upgraded version
Posts: 2,697
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by LeonW
My propane detector seems to be going off more often. It is only 2 years old and was manufactured in August 2016. I thought about getting new AGM batteries, but the battery hydrometer says the current batteries (5 years old) are still good, and I hate to replace them prematurely. I put new weatherstripping in the roof of the battery box, but that doesn't seem to have made a difference.
I could put a switch on the propane detector as Fudge Brownie did. I suppose I could also put another propane detector on the opposite side of the dinette -- it seems to me like just moving it should help a great deal. I have also thought about putting a small computer fan at the end of the hose that vents the battery box which might pull the gasses outside of the trailer. Or I could just bite the bullet and get the AGM batteries. Any other solutions that I am missing?
|
The propane detector in our trailer seemed to be going off more often after I had done some carpentry work in the trailer. I was told to vacuum the ports of the propane detector to get the dust out of it and it quit going off.
You might want to give it a try.
__________________
Normal people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Engineers believe in fixing it so that it never breaks.
|
|
|
08-13-2019, 09:44 AM
|
#20
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Kent, Ohio
Trailer: 2017 21c Sold, 2023 Bigfoot 25RQ
Posts: 1,391
|
Sensor
Make sure you vacuum any dust from it. And check if your battery compartment is well sealed. We had some ants and the ant traps close to the sensor set it off. I’d rather have it over sensitive than under. That said I bought a spare to keep in the trailer. Everything fails after a while.
It’s a common issue.
|
|
|
|
|
Thread Tools |
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Discussions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|