Propane Detector Chirping

[Clay L]

I have been told - but have not verified that holding a hair dryer on the LP detector so the air hits the sensor will clean or reactivate it. The person that told me said they got the info from a customer service rep with one of the LP detector companies.
Maybe the outside side does the same thing?

[WilleyB]

am waiting to get the answer to the "self-cleaning" part, which seems very mysterious, eh?

Me too, but we went through the same thing. Somewhere I read that the chirp (every X number of seconds indicated a sensor failure).We were done with the RV for the year and considering that it was now only a nuisance value I disconnected it. (I leave the Propane turned on)
Dec. past, while doing some mods inside I reconnected it and It hasn't chirped on it's own since. The test works fine so all appears OK. I believe it has to do more with voltage as mine got a blast from a battery minder that went amuck (15.5 volts instead of 13.2) If there is a filter I would believe it woul be electronic and has more to do frequency detection (infrared light measurement for example) and not a dust, this would be similar to the method the gaseous analyzers used in industry to detect the quantity of a specific material in a product.
Thankfully I hadn't taken it apart so now maybe I won't have to get another. The last monoxide detector, I threw away after a year in service and put the original back in So they're all pushing the 10 year mark if they're not already there.
Self cleaning filter = accumulated Charge bleeding off a capacitor, that's my guess

Cheers
Willey

[Rick Long]

Hair spray, cooking oil spray, cleaning agents... many things can set them off.. I carry a can of compressed air... couple of shots and it works fine.

[WilleyB]

Originally Posted by Rick Long

Hair spray, cooking oil spray, cleaning agents... many things can set them off.. I carry a can of compressed air... couple of shots and it works fine.

Hmmm ours was chirping and the RV was winterized, nothing going on and no one inside, no moth balls and no reason for the chirping was discovered. It's OK now after it's had a rest (so far)

and you can add the smell from a black tank to that list especially if the front windows are open when you drive away from a week of being parked.

Cheers
Willey

[justimagination]

Kenyonman, glad to see your post as it clears up some unanswered questions like your situation as well. Last spring I had the same problem with my system making the chirping sound you had. When I tried to use the test button, I got nothing as well as no green light when pushing the test button as required. I took it out to stop the noise, called the RV dealer to ask about the operation. His reply was to through it away and replace with a newer model. I just didn't agree with his diagnosis, so I just put in in the cabinet above and left it for probably 2-3 months. I finally decided to try it once again, WALLA, all is well for almost a year, everything is normal. For whatever the reason for setting it outside and letting the filter self clean it'self, it must work because mine is fine. Keep up the good work and thanks for the post, it has answered my question. Happy trails to you and yours, and travel safe.
David G.

[kenyonman]

Another update...It started chirping in January as per my original post. After doing the "self cleaning" it has not chirped since (over 2 months). The green light is blinking as it should, so I know it is connected properly. There must really be something to the "self cleaning" thing. Kenyonman

[steelheadbluesman]

Well, I used to tell my wife that sometimes things can repair themselves, but of course she never bought into that one. But now I have a little proof!