Geewizard
Alaska, USA
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Joined: 08/25/2004
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How many of you have disconnected your LP and CO alarms in your TCs because:
1) They suck your batteries down when not connected to shore power.
2) They go off at random times, usually at 0-Dark-Thirty, for no reason.
My nose works well for LP leaks and I've got enough ventilation all the time to thwart CO.
I know, probably not a safe thing to do. But...it's usually not safe to get out of bed. 
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crickeydog
Marietta, Ga.
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Joined: 01/29/2004
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Geewizard wrote:How many of you have disconnected your LP and CO alarms
Well, the University of Alaska Medical School can alway's use an extra cadaver for practice.
Happy camping!!! See ya'll down the road!!!
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rhochnadel
Colorado
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Why not just replace tricky CO and LP detectors with new ones, then sleep at night?
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HoodCanalNorth
Brinnon,Wa.
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Joined: 02/08/2004
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The detectors have a life span printed on them. After that they have a mind of their own.
* This post was
edited 07/03/09 02:06pm by HoodCanalNorth *
TCing since 1970. 1997 Ford F150 SC 4x4. 2004 Lance 815. E range tires,Rancho 9000 shocks,Timbren overloads.
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seldomseensmith
Flagstaff, AZ
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Joined: 09/18/2006
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I disconnected my detectors after several incidents where the alarm sounded for no other reason than the Earth orbits the Sun.
I used to have a hard sided camper for years that never had either, and I survived that experience intact. As I never sleep with any gas appliances on or have any motors running in proximity to my camper I'm not too concerned about CO gas. I am very familiar with the smell of propane and I know that LP gas is heavier than air and will collect in the low spots, so I regularly check my fittings with a soapy water solution, otherwise I just use common sense when cooking or heating the camper.
I do have a 9V battery powered smoke detector in the camper, and I think having a CO detector and LPG detector is fine, as long they work as designed and don't draw too much current from your battery. My .02 worth......
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AnEv942
CA
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Joined: 10/10/2003
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The CO detector, in our camper is battery AAApowered, not tied into camper battery. The LP detector is hard wired-but Ive not noticed any drain. It is dissconnected when in storage and camper batteries are turned off and dont add to any drain. Ill note on our old MH (91)this wasnt the case, it was wired directly, the LP detector would kill the batts, I finally put a toggle switch in the LP detector to stop it from killing the batts when parked.
My opinion the new LP ones dont draw that much power-the CO id switch to AAAbatt powered. Though Ill admit I hate these life saving devices wakeing me at 'dark 0-thirty" because of gremlins... I dont need em , but I wouldnt dissconnect them, not to save my life but possibly save those who my life revolves around. MHO
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eddie3260
Florence, al
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You'll only smell the gas for a few minutes and then your nasal cells will fatigue afterwhich the odor will not be noticable. If you don't wake up during those few minutes of smell, it could be lights out forever.
A guy I work with had a camper explode from a gas leak while he and his father were inside. All four walls were blown off the frame. It was an older camper and they didn't have a working LP monitor. Luckily, they both survived.
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Sportsman Matt
Blackstone, MA
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Joined: 10/16/2007
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I don't have a LP detector in my camper, never came with one. I added a battery powered CO2 Detector to go along with the existing Smoke Detector that the factory installed. The LP detectors I've seen have a way of draining the batteries down over time, I've seen trailers and motorhomes sitting and you'll hear the beep, then an hour later another beep, then over a few days it gets shorter in time between beeps, then finally does the flatline thing, by then your battery has been drained past the point of recharging. And at over $50 to get one, I'll just routinely check the pilots and safety valves, and the stove top knobs to make sure they are working properly. Lost too many customers batteries over the years due to LP Detectors in storage, so I'll opt for my own system. Too bad they don't make a LP detector that runs off AA or 9V Batteries.
Good Luck
Life is short, Play harder.
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bobndot
NY
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Joined: 08/21/2007
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AAA battery powered propane detector
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Chuck and Di
Ontario, Canada
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My propane detector will flatten the house battery in a weekend with nothing else turned on, so I replaced it with an energy efficient model - my nose. I'll reconnect it if I ever sell the unit in case the person buying does not have a nose, or is unsure how to use one. The smoke detector might be next - I am sleeping near the ceiling in a tiny box on wheels, surely the nose would work there too. The smoke detector's redeeming quality is it take a 9V battery so it's no concern to have it - I put fresh batteries in it every year. The CO detector... why do I need this? I know you can't smell CO, but I don't use a cat heater, don't cook while I'm asleep and generally have a window cracked in winter to help with condensation. Seems like just another load to flatten the battery. By the way, these things make sense on a stick house and mine is equiped with all 3 - propane, CO, and multiple smoke detectors. But it's also equipped with more than one room. And yes, I'm O.K. with having "his battery was full" on my tombstone if removing these power leaches ever gets me killed :-) If having the detectors makes you more comfortable, by all means make sure they're functional, but in my opinion, the only value they provide in a truck camper is to the person that sells them.
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