Propane Detector vs Alternative Detection Tool

[Ron in BC]

With regard to carrying the 1lb propane cylinders, I highly encourage you to purchase some of these brass screw on caps that will prevent leakage from the valve. (


Charles

I agree, those caps are a good way to make sure those 1 lb. tanks aren't slowly leaking. I emptied a 100 lb. tank that I was disposing of and later discovered that quite a few of the 1 lb. tanks that I'd filled had very slowly leaked.

Those seals aren't absolute. I remember my father running through the basement with a flame thower. As he removed the torch the tank went pop and flames started shooting out. He made it to the door and chucked it into the backyard. Ever since I've been very careful about removing a tank in use.

Ron

 

[Perry Butler]

With regard to carrying the 1lb propane cylinders, I highly encourage you to purchase some of these brass screw on caps that will prevent leakage from the valve. (no, it won't stop leakage from the overpressure valve) My experience has been that the cylinders are quite prone to leakage after you have used them and then disconnected them from the regulator or equipment you were using (stove, grill, lantern, etc). Someone on the Winnebago View/Navion discussion group had a bad experience with this when they stored a cylinder in an outside storage compartment, I affectionally called "the fish tank" as it was a pull out drawer of molded plastic with a drain plug in the bottom and a hinged lid. Something set off the leaking gas and severely damaged the side of the motor home.

Propane tank caps

Charles

For a number of years we were using a Martin catalytic heater. We had 6 Flame King refillable 1 lb tanks. I used these caps to protect the top, but after a while two of the Flame Kings developed very slow leaks. The caps totally sealed off the tanks.

Last week I installed a Wave III catalytic heater hooked directly to the gas line, so I gave the heater, refill kit, and 4 of the tanks to my son.

I hope he remembers to crack a couple of windows when using the heater.

Enjoy,

Perry

 

[LeonW]

Strange that I have an E21 and have never ever had a false alarm. The batteries are more than 5' away from the propane detector inside a sealed box inside a locker and vented via a short hose. For the life of me I can't see how venting from the batteries would be a problem unless the charging profile was almost cooking them.

As they say, your experience may differ....and it has.

Ron

I think that sometime after 2015 Reace changed the design and moved the propane detector across the aisle. On my 2014 (and I assume Paul's) the propane detector is right next to the battery box, which, in turn, is right next to the solar controller. I was getting false alarms fairly frequently until I switched to AGM batteries. I only mention the solar controller because it is very tight to work on when replacing it.

 

[CharlesinGA]

This is a correction to my post #18, as after looking at the Amazon listing again, they do state...... and listed with UL1484＆UL2034 safety standard which is at the end of a sentence about voltage limits. Hmmmm......

Charles

 

[C&G in FL]

My experience with our 2015 5.0 is similar to Leon’s. Propane detector in same location, too close to battery box resulting in frequent false alarm. Reduced but not completely stopped by going to AGMs. False alarms stopped when I constructed a sealed enclosure around the back of the detector within the storage area under the dinette seat. Now totally eliminated with switch to lithium house batteries. Failed Dometic RMD 8555 replaced by Norcold 12 vdc compressor refrigerator reduced the need for propane use and since we rarely use the cooktop, preferring to cook outside. One of the two propane cylinders was removed from the 5.0’s propane storage compartment for additional storage. The remaining cylinder is there for the furnace, which has only been used two times since taking delivery, one time all night and another time quickly heat the trailer before letting the small ceramic heater take over. Reace made a wise decision when he changed the detector location.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

Oddly, while typing the above posts, my upstairs smoke alarm in the house went off. After finally figuring out what was making the noise, I silenced it (it is about 10 or 11 feet off the floor, so I had to grab the step ladder I keep up there to access it.) The batteries were replaced 18Nov23 (9v) and the detectors were made in July 2020 and installed in Nov 2020. I'm thinking I may just replace them with the much more expensive models with the 10 year lithium batteries.

There was no smoke. The detector sits directly above a dehumidifier I keep running up there, so I suspect the battery.

This time of the year, they are on the front aisle at Home Depot for a decent price.

Charles

A few years ago I installed smoke/co detectors all over my house that self-establsh a 'mesh' network such that if any is triggered, they all scream. These are X-Sense XP-01W. Amazon.com

no false alarms, and several years later, they all still trigger on a self test of any one unit. no cloud, no phone, no Alexis or whatever, they just alarm. Considering how spread out our house is, if an alarm was triggered at one end of the house, we probably wouldn't hear it at the other end, with these they all scream.

 

[CharlesinGA]

My house is a two story log house. There is nothing between the floors except the tongue and groove 2x6 floor boards of the upstairs. When that alarm went off I thought it was right next to me. Took a while to realize it was upstairs. In this house you can hear a cat fart upstairs. Its totally electric so no need for carbon monoxide detection.

I bought a two pack of the 10 year battery photoelectric model, supposedly better, for about $35.

Charles

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

My house is a circa 1950 california 'ranch house' all single floor in a straight line, about 120 feet end to end, with very solid interior walls and doors, all on a cement slab. its very quiet here, and you absolutely could not hear a rock and roll party at the far end of the house if the intervening doors were closed. the radio linked smoke detectors seemed like a very good idea at the time. They are indeed 10 year lithium battery units. I think we have 8 or 9 of them all radio linked.

 

[kernwig]

My 2017 trailer's propane gas detector started screaming about a 1.5 years after I bought it, used. So in Spring 2021 I replaced the original with the forum recommended Safe T Alert 20-441-P-BL.

In my trip early this month, it started screaming the moment the gas furnace started up. I silenced it, waiting a bit, and it screamed again. My wife's sensitive nose detected nothing, so I disconnected it.

Just got a portable leak finder, as was suggested in this thread. Ran all the gas appliances and waved it all around them, inside the trailer and outside. Nothing, until I blew out the range's flame - then the portable sensor dutifully screamed.

So.. now what? Original sensor lasted about 3.5 years. Replacement lasted another 3.5 years. Is that just the lifespan of these $45 devices?

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

I think extreme heat or cold shortens the life of these detectors. In the big picture, $45 every 3-5 years is cheap enough.

 

[kernwig]

Thanks John. I don't think the current one ever experienced any extreme temperatures; 35F to 100F, maybe.

They all fit different, so each one is butchering the hole a little different. :-(

Biggest problem is the false alarms means we either panic over nothing, or become complacent and just disconnect it. This time, we were pretty complacent. At least I have a second (portable) device to check with now... assuming it is still accurate in a few years. :-/

I'm happy to pay double if it's something I can trust.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

They all fit different, so each one is butchering the hole a little different. :-(

thats why I've stuck with the original, Amazon.com... I think next time I change mine, I'm going to put bullet connectors on the wires, instead of solder/shrinkwrap... the current one I have was new in June 2023., and was, I think, the 3rd one in 10 years.

 

[iamunique127]

thats why I've stuck with the original, Amazon.com... I think next time I change mine, I'm going to put bullet connectors on the wires, instead of solder/shrinkwrap... the current one I have was new in June 2023., and was, I think, the 3rd one in 10 years.

Same for me on all points.

 

[alanmalk]

Odd. The opposite thing has happened to me. Mine never made a peep. After end-of-life at 7 years I bought a new one - same exact model. One day I bumped the oven gas knob and turned on the gas. I smelled it and quickly took action but the (new) detector never peeped. Anyone want to trade?