Tips on RV Propane Leak Detector Safety
Dave SolbergDescription
There are many steps that need to be taken to ensure your safety when travelling in your RV. For example, it is very important to make sure that your RV is protected from propane gas leaks, as propane gas is very flammable. Because propane is heavier than air, it will settle toward the bottom if there is a leak inside of your RV. This is why the RV propane leak detectors are located on the interior flooring level, toward the bottom of the RV. In the past, RV propane leak detectors were very sensitive and could be set off by almost anything. Although RV propane leak detectors are much less sensitive today, they can still possibly be set off by other chemicals, odors, etc. They can also be set off if you have low house batteries. However, even if you suspect that the detector alarm was set off by something other than propane, it is important to exit the camper as soon as possible to ensure safety. If at any time your RV propane leak detector goes off, make sure to shut off the LP system at the valve on the tank, and all of the appliances. Lastly, make sure to have the unit tested before resuming with your usual travelling and activity.
Propane or LP gas is heavier than air. So if you have a leak inside your RV, it's naturally gonna settle to the bottom. That's why RV manufacturers put the LP leak detectors down towards the bottom of the cabinetry, around the flooring level. Back in the eighties, RVIA mandated that everybody have a leak detector. The problem with those is that they were very sensitive. So not only would they go off when you had an LP leak, but cleaning solutions, perfumes would set them off. Some owners even said their dog passed gas when they were walking by and set the leak detector off, true or false, it would shut the system off. And therefore you would not be able to use any of your LP appliances inside as well as the chirp. Today's LP leak detectors have a better sensor inside. So it's not affected by cleaning solutions as much. It will go off and chirp, if you have below 10.5 volts in your battery. Kind of a warning that it needs battery power to activate. So if you do have a leak detector that goes off, make sure you shut all your appliances off, all your flames, your LP, and have the unit tested.
It should be mentioned that these LP Detectors are still very sensitive. They also have an END OF LIFE built into the units that are usually good for 5 - 7 years. When these units go bad and start going off for NO REASON, they need to be replaced! When purchasing a replacement be sure the date STAMPED on the back of the unit is within the 5 year time frame as I described above. The PROPANE DETECTORS are manufactured for the end of life cycle. So, if the unit is marked 2015, this unit will probably fail soon. You need to insure for instance it's 2021, that the replacement unit is NOT OLDER than 5 years. The Vendors of these products are supposed to check that they have current and up to date units in stock and NOT OLDER units. Case in Point: I purchased a replacement not too long ago and had to return it, since the Manufacture date was already 3 years old. REMEMBER the END OF LIFE IS FROM THE DATE OF MANUFACTURE, NOT from the DATE YOU PURCHASE ! And please don't just disconnect the unit from your RV! If the unit is constantly going off, you need to check for a potential Gas Leak and if NONE are found, the UNIT is probably defective or at it's end of life! I tell people all the time: PROPANE Needs to be taken seriously, if you smell Propane GET OUT OF YOUR RV and turn off the PROPANE! I hope this information helps.
My husband just had to take all batteries out to fix corrosion problem on shelves. He took the batteries out 4 days ago. The LP detector started to go off yesterday. He was using a truck bed coating to protect the shelves. Today we replaced the batteries as everything was dry. The LP detector is still going off. The coach is a 2001 Momaco Dynasty.