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briankstan · 08-11-2014, 06:49 AM

When I was leaving for work this morning I hear the carbon monoxide alarms sounding. they stated that that the level of CO was 74ppm. Now my question is where did this come from? With the upcoming trip it’s very worrisome as I’ll have my family in there.

I know that CO is produced from running the engine and generator, however neither has been run for several days. Yesterday I was out there the entire day, of course I had windows open and the exhaust fan on to help keep the inside cooler.

I have close everything up every night and haven't had the alarms go off before.

the only thing that was done yesterday was fix fog lights and sanitize the water system.

so I'm a bit baffled as to where the Carbon Monoxide was coming from. I’m hoping you guys can give me some help.

MN_Traveler · 08-11-2014, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by briankstan

When I was leaving for work this morning I hear the carbon monoxide alarms sounding. they stated that that the level of CO was 74ppm. Now my question is where did this come from? With the upcoming trip it’s very worrisome as I’ll have my family in there. I know that CO is produced from running the engine and generator, however neither has been run for several days. Yesterday I was out there the entire day, of course I had windows open and the exhaust fan on to help keep the inside cooler. I have close everything up every night and haven't had the alarms go off before. the only thing that was done yesterday was fix fog lights and sanitize the water system. so I'm a bit baffled as to where the Carbon Monoxide was coming from. I’m hoping you guys can give me some help.

Do you have LPG in your rig? Was this perhaps a GAS warning and not a CO warning? Otherwise is there a pilot light running that might put out CO? Or is there a potential source outside of the rig?

briankstan · 08-11-2014, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MN_Traveler

Do you have LPG in your rig? Was this perhaps a GAS warning and not a CO warning? Otherwise is there a pilot light running that might put out CO? Or is there a potential source outside of the rig?

I do have LP Gas, I did have the water heater lit yesterday, It was one of the last things I turned off before I went in last night.

would that set off the CO monitors both the floor mount factory installed one as well as the 2 ceiling mounted units?

There was not a noticeable propane smell in the Coach this morning. Before leaving I did open a window and turn on the exhaust fan. the monitors were stating a lower and lower PPM over the few minutes I was in there until they stopped sounding before I left.

JC2 · 08-11-2014, 07:33 AM

Carbon Monoxide alarms are generally mounted 5-6 ft above the floor and LP gas detectors 8-12 inches above the floor. I've always had serious concerns about the so called combo units as their recommended mounting heights are opposite. It is recommended that each of these detectors be replaced every 5-7 yrs as their sensors lose effectiveness; most smoke alarms mount on the ceiling and usually replaced every 10 yrs. Have you checked the water level in all of your rv batteries? Overcharging can cause excessive gassing and set some alarms off.

TurtleKent · 08-11-2014, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JC2

Carbon Monoxide alarms are generally mounted 5-6 ft above the floor and LP gas detectors 8-12 inches above the floor. I've always had serious concerns about the so called combo units as their recommended mounting heights are opposite. It is recommended that each of these detectors be replaced every 5-7 yrs as their sensors lose effectiveness; most smoke alarms mount on the ceiling and usually replaced every 10 yrs. Have you checked the water level in all of your rv batteries? Overcharging can cause excessive gassing and set some alarms off.

When they wear out they start alarming randomly, thus are ineffective at warning you of danger. Probably time to replace it.

briankstan · 08-11-2014, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TurtleKent

When they wear out they start alarming randomly, thus are ineffective at warning you of danger. Probably time to replace it.

I'll see if they have expired, they should all have dates on them I believe. I can't be a coincidence that they all were sounding at the same time though unless there was really something in there to trigger them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JC2

Have you checked the water level in all of your rv batteries? Overcharging can cause excessive gassing and set some alarms off.

the batteries are brand new and were installed the day before I picked it up from the previous owner.

I have had the shore power plugged in for the last week or so. Would that cause an issue with venting gases?

kustomizer · 08-12-2014, 09:16 PM

If your toilet won't hold water in the bowl it will set off your alarm.

Scooter · 08-12-2014, 09:40 PM

It was unclear to me if you have a combination CO and LP detector, all-in-one. Do you? As stated the CO should be mounted about eye level.

You might be better off switching to separate LP and CO detectors. BTW, the usual CO detectors furnished by mfrs and store bought are not that good. They will not sound off at the lower range and you will be breathing CO for minutes to hours, until the higher range finally sets off the alarm. Do a search on this.

BFlinn181 · 08-12-2014, 09:51 PM

A CO detector would only be tripped by exhaust gases. It could be a pilot light on the stove, refrigerator on LP, water heater, or furnace. The rooftop exhaust fan being on could pull fumes in from the water heater or the refrigerator. The LP detector can be set off by cleaning fluids, and other fumes. Check the flames in the water heater and refrigerator to be sure they are adjusted properly and vents aren't blocked. The flame should be mostly blue with only a little yellow.

briankstan · 08-12-2014, 10:05 PM

Thanks for the additional things to check into. That is one of the things that I thought was strange as I didn't run the engine or the generator so I don't know where any CO could come from. I'll look again at the monitors but I believe that they're fire and CO detectors They are mounted on the ceiling. There is also an lp detector that is mounted on the wall about 8" off the floor below the fridge.

I did have the fridge turned off and the only appliance that was used was the water heater.

I did run some bleach in the system to sanitize but I don't think that the bleach fumes would set off the alarms.

BFlinn181 · 08-12-2014, 10:16 PM

The chlorine bleach might set off the LP alarm. As I said, cleaning fluids can set them off.

The specific gravity of air is 1.000. The SG of CO is 0.9667. It's slightly lighter than air, so a CO detector should be mounted high on the wall or on the ceiling. Propane's SG is 1.52, so an LP detector is properly mounted near the floor.