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Old 09-08-2018, 08:06 PM   #1
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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.
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Old 09-08-2018, 08:24 PM   #2
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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.
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Old 09-08-2018, 08:58 PM   #3
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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.
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Old 09-08-2018, 10:33 PM   #4
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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
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Old 09-09-2018, 12:19 AM   #5
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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??
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Old 09-09-2018, 12:33 AM   #6
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... 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 (CH4 and C3H8)
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Old 09-09-2018, 06:45 AM   #7
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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?
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Old 09-09-2018, 08:55 AM   #8
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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.
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Old 09-09-2018, 09:06 AM   #9
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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.
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Old 09-09-2018, 09:17 AM   #10
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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.
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Old 09-09-2018, 09:24 AM   #11
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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.
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Old 09-09-2018, 09:35 AM   #12
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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.
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Old 09-09-2018, 10:01 AM   #13
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If your dog seems to be excessively flatulent add some canned pumpkin to it's dinner dish. It regulates the bad juices.
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Old 09-09-2018, 01:32 PM   #14
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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]
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Old 09-09-2018, 02:21 PM   #15
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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.
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Old 09-09-2018, 06:25 PM   #16
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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.
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Old 09-09-2018, 06:42 PM   #17
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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.
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Old 08-13-2019, 08:24 AM   #18
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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?
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Old 08-13-2019, 09:39 AM   #19
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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.
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Old 08-13-2019, 09:44 AM   #20
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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.
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