Is your RV propane detector beeping and annoying? At first, you must evacuate the RV, shutting off power and propane and opening doors and windows as you go. If you smell propane, get out of there fast! You can investigate the cause of the alarm when the propane is off and the RV has a chance to air out.

I find many RVs have the propane detector disconnected from the power. Often, the detector is pulled away from the wall and left with a cut 12 volt wire. Always keep your propane alarm operating.

There are times when your propane detector is sounding a short beep every few minutes. If this is not the evacuation alarm, check two other possible conditions.

1. Check your 12 volt power supply at your battery terminals. The alarm may be indicating low 12 volt power. Try the RV’s ceiling lights, in this condition, the lights will either be dim or not work at all. These alarms are programmed to operate 24/7. Some are even direct wired to the battery with a fuse in the line and this means that the propane alarm is operating even if you operate the RV’s disconnect switch. This is for safety, but if you store your RV, the propane detector will draw 12 volt power from your house battery.
2. Check the time expiration: Remove the alarm from the wall and check the date on the back. The date instructions vary, and usually, a manufacture date is stamped on the back. Sometimes the fine print there will mention the time of life for the propane detector. The manufacturer declares how long a detector will be in service. Sometimes this is 5 years from the first moment the detector is connected to 12 volts. If you use your RV every day, or if it is stored with the battery removed, the expiration date will always occur at the same moment, and this is when the expiration warning will sound.

The above image of a CCI Controls propane detector shows a manufacture date of July 2004. The instructions here do not mention an expiration period but suggests to refer to the the manual where a time of expiration period may allow up to five years of use.

Tip: If you buy a propane detector, the age of the manufacture date is not relevant provided this detector has not been energized. If a propane detector is connected to 12 volts at any moment, the time period begins then. To get the full benefit, make sure you purchase a new one.

RV Propane Dectors are not all the same! 

RV propane detectors vary in design and style, and they also can be combined to detect both propane and carbon monoxide. Propane is dangerous because it can ignite, causing fire or even explosion. Carbon monoxide (C0) is dangerousbecause it is toxic and has been known to kill. It is a deadly gas that is odorless, so you do not know when C0 is present.

I will use my generator at times to keep the power topped up when I’m freecamping or boondocking. If the wind is calm and my running generator is close by, I have found the detector in my RV will alarm with a red light showing for C0. This has probably saved my life because when this situation occurred, there is no smell of fumes or exhaust. A C0 detector built-in to the propane detector can save your life too!

A little about propane: Propane in its original form is odorless. If propane leaked you would never know. This would be dangerous because the chance of it leaking and being undetected would easily cause a fire or explosion. That stinky rotten-egg smell of propane is the additive you smell when it does leak. This gas is called methyl mercaptan and it is mixed with propane to make it smell. So it stinks, and it stinks for good reason.

If you ever smell this in your RV, you need to evacuate immediately, leave the door open behind you and shut off the propane at the tanks only if it is safe to be near the RV at all.

New RV propane detectors and combined C0 alarms are available from RV parts suppliers and you can usually find the one to match your existing detector. Some are flush mounted, meaning it is fitted inside a larger hole in the wall, and others are wall mounted, where just a wire runs to the back of the unit with the unit mounted directly on the wall.

If you need assistance with a new propane detector, I can assist with the location and installation of a new RV propane detector. I also strongly recommend the combined detector that has C0 detection installed.

Motorhomes will have a detector that automatically closes a valve and instantly shuts down propane supply. These sometimes have complicated wiring and I am happy to help with the diagnosis and installation of these systems.

Phone or text to 805 610 9394 today for a propane detector inspection for your RV.