Chalkie Posted December 12, 2020 Report Share Posted December 12, 2020 A couple of days ago we started smelling a propane smell in the RV. As it was a nice day, all the windows were open and the Maxx-Air was running along with the ceiling fan. I went outside and checked all the tank connections and pipes. The smell was strongest in the kitchen and I finally noticed that one of us had apparently bumped a burner knob on the stove and the gas was on. Now the stove was covered as we never use it, the cover is the platform for the induction cooker. Anyhow, once the burner knob was turned off the smell eventually cleared. What worries me is that we could smell it but the detector did not and it is just on the other side of the sink cabinet, maybe 4 feet away. Time to change out the detector do you all think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl&Rita Posted December 12, 2020 Report Share Posted December 12, 2020 Cheap enough to replace. The air movement may have been enough to confuse the detector, as it may not have been receiving a consistent strong "sniff". Quote I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication 2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet 2007 32.5' Fleetwood QuantumPlease e-mail us here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Posted December 12, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2020 2 minutes ago, Darryl&Rita said: Cheap enough to replace. The air movement may have been enough to confuse the detector, as it may not have been receiving a consistent strong "sniff". Kind of what I was thinking. The one in here now now is an Atwood brand which is actually half again as much as one from MTI. Interestingly enough the MTI one says that it should be replaced every 60 months and has an End Of Life warning which I can find no information like that on the Atwood unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orca Posted December 12, 2020 Report Share Posted December 12, 2020 I don't know about your stove but on mine there is linkage that closes the propane valve when the lid is closed. You might want to look into whether your stove has that safety feature. By the way the same thing happened to me (lid was open) and i thought it was sewer gas until the propane detector went off! Quote 2004 Freightliner m2 106 2015 DRV lx450 Fullhouse 2019 Indian Springfield 2014 Yamaha 950 V-Star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted December 12, 2020 Report Share Posted December 12, 2020 (edited) It is actually quite easy to test one of those detectors. They look for hydrocarbons so you can just use a butane lighter without the flame to blow into the opening and it should alarm within about 15 to 30 seconds. If you need to replace yours, Amazon has quite a range of propane detectors and probably one just like the one you have now. Edited December 12, 2020 by Kirk W Quote Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray,IN Posted December 12, 2020 Report Share Posted December 12, 2020 (edited) 8 minutes ago, Ray,IN said: If I remember my LP fire training classes correctly, the human nose is 30X more sensitive than the best LP detector, the odorant in LP is mixed accordingly. The human nose can detect Ethyl Mercaptan at 0.001 PPM. The propane LEL =lower explosive limit is 2,100 PPM/2.1% I suspect the LP detector did not sound because the open windows allowed adequate breeze to disburse the LP before it could reach the detector. LP detectors are date-stamped and I think have a 5 year useful life. Edited December 12, 2020 by Ray,IN Quote 2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA ." And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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