lhowemt Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 Bought a replacement MTI propane detector/alarm for our motorhome. MH is 1998 with original detector/alarm so I figured this was wise to do. I ordered this off Amazon, and am wondering about the date on the back. Is it the mfg date, or expiration date? I am a bit leery from reading reviews on Amazon (of course after the fact) that talked about receiving a unit that was already 5 years old (end of official lifespan. This didn't come in any "factory" packaging and didn't have a upc. MTI is closed. Since it was cheaper than MTI lists it at, I am wondering if someone on Amazon is selling old expired units. Ideas?????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhowemt Posted March 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 Another question - I believe that when I do this replacement from the old CCI, that I need to have the solenoid valve removed, correct? I understand that the old unit/solenoid needed power to be open, so if I just remove the CCI I will not have propane (no signal/power from CCI). It sounds like newer MH's don't have this shutoff, so I should be fine doing so. Yes? I suppose jumpering it would be another solution, but I would rather avoid cobbling things together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skp51443 Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 No idea about the rules on removing the electric gas shutoff as far as legal or insurance issues so I'll leave that to others. As to jumpering it that will be less fun that you expect if it is similar to one we had. Ours (a long time ago) needed a good shot of 12 volts to open the valve but then needed much less to keep it open and would overheat if you just fed it from a 12 volt line. We had to dig around a bit to find a direct replacement for the old propane detector but we decided that would be a far safer (from a legal standpoint) solution than bypassing of making up a jumper that would work. If it is legal to remove the shutoff I'd do it as the stupid thing uses a lot of power 24x7 when you are boondocking and watching your power draw. With the new OPD and flow restriction on tanks I don't think it is actually unsafe to be without it. First rule of computer consulting: Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day. Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugsly Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 Bought a replacement MTI propane detector/alarm for our motorhome. MH is 1998 with original detector/alarm so I figured this was wise to do. I ordered this off Amazon, and am wondering about the date on the back. Is it the mfg date, or expiration date? I am a bit leery from reading reviews on Amazon (of course after the fact) that talked about receiving a unit that was already 5 years old (end of official lifespan. This didn't come in any "factory" packaging and didn't have a upc. MTI is closed. Since it was cheaper than MTI lists it at, I am wondering if someone on Amazon is selling old expired units. Ideas?????? I'm pretty sure that the MTI units (and maybe others as well) are dated with the manufacturing date. I also was under the impression that they were good for 5 years from date of installation, not manufacture. They give a positive indication when they are at end of life (they beep and blink and you can't shut them up). I had to replace our 2006 vintage one last year, so we got pretty good use out of ours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimalberta Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 No idea about the rules on removing the electric gas shutoff as far as legal or insurance issues so I'll leave that to others. As to jumpering it that will be less fun that you expect if it is similar to one we had. Ours (a long time ago) needed a good shot of 12 volts to open the valve but then needed much less to keep it open and would overheat if you just fed it from a 12 volt line. We had to dig around a bit to find a direct replacement for the old propane detector but we decided that would be a far safer (from a legal standpoint) solution than bypassing of making up a jumper that would work. If it is legal to remove the shutoff I'd do it as the stupid thing uses a lot of power 24x7 when you are boondocking and watching your power draw. With the new OPD and flow restriction on tanks I don't think it is actually unsafe to be without it. My MH doesnt have a shut off so I doubt if there is any regulations about having them or not. <p>....JIM and LINDA......2001 American Eagle 40 '.towing a GMC Sierra 1500 4X4 with RZR in the rear. 1999 JEEP Cherokee that we tow as well. IT IS A CONTENTED MAN WHO CAN APPRECIATE THE SCENERY ALONG A DETOUR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skp51443 Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 I think it may have been required for a small number of years and dropped when the OPD came along, might also have been a CA rule that didn't impact others. I don't have enough information in hand or time to research it to be sure. On this type of thing you have to decide for yourselves, for us it was less worrying to pay a few bucks more for the right replacement detector and move on rather than worrying about stuff that would likely never happen anyway. First rule of computer consulting: Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day. Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhowemt Posted March 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 This MH was born in California, so that makes sense. I prefer not worrying about a malfunctioning device (not uncommon) locking out our heat and cooking. If NFPA doesn't think it adds safety, then neither do I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimalberta Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 This reminds me of last winter in El Cajon...our nieghbor who was a single guy in a MH mentioned that he had been living for a couple of weeks without heat, hot water and couldnt cook any more because his propane didnt work. I offered to have a look and found that solenoid and there was no power to it. I asked him to reset his detector and viola...propane! He had a big grin when his hot water tank fired up.....lol. Had to fix his powered step too but thats another story. <p>....JIM and LINDA......2001 American Eagle 40 '.towing a GMC Sierra 1500 4X4 with RZR in the rear. 1999 JEEP Cherokee that we tow as well. IT IS A CONTENTED MAN WHO CAN APPRECIATE THE SCENERY ALONG A DETOUR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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