31 replies to this topic

[Beach]

I thought I was getting a false alarm this past summer while on the road. Soaped the entire system in the camper and found nothing, still the alarm persisted. Turned out to be a slow leak on a 1lb cylinder in the couch storage area. Moral here is don't fixate on the camper system, check it all before replacing the detector. FYI, I got home and tested all the 1lb cylinders I had(got several from someone who was moving). I found on average 1 out of 5 leaked at the check valve. So much for thinking the check valves work after removing a stove or lantern attachment.

[Wallowa]

I found my Atwood sensor started having more false alarms as it aged. At 3 yrs it finally gave me the beep of death. Also at 3am...
I'm researching a different sensor but the Atwood is under $10...maybe the short life is expected? Year 1 absolutely no false alarms. Year 2 only 1 false alarm.
Year 3, at least 4-5 false alarms in the first few months...followed by beep of death. So really it only lasted 2.5yrs...

 

 

OK...I will bite [probably should know this]....but what is the "Beep of Death"?  Never noted different sequences or tones when it beeped..

 

Thanks...

Edited by Wallowa, 04 October 2018 - 09:17 PM.

[Wallowa]

I thought I was getting a false alarm this past summer while on the road. Soaped the entire system in the camper and found nothing, still the alarm persisted. Turned out to be a slow leak on a 1lb cylinder in the couch storage area. Moral here is don't fixate on the camper system, check it all before replacing the detector. FYI, I got home and tested all the 1lb cylinders I had(got several from someone who was moving). I found on average 1 out of 5 leaked at the check valve. So much for thinking the check valves work after removing a stove or lantern attachment.

 

 

Thanks good info....in my case all our small stove canisters are in the truck cab...but your experience does point to a hypersensitive detector; as does our 'Clorox alarm' on our last trip...unfortunately this still doesn't lead me to a solution to prevent extraneous and unneeded alarms...it would seem that the detectors will activate on damn near any carbon based gas....do wonder why cooking in the camper does not start the alarm, even with the window and roof vent [not on] above the stove opened to vent out combustion and cooking gases and odors.

 

Phil

[Old Crow]

     I don't have an Atwood combination LP/CO detector so I don't have direct experience with it.  However....

 

    Maybe I missed it but I don't recall discussions in any of the false-alarm threads of what the LEDs and audible alerts and alarms do when these problems occur.   Offhand, I'd think those indications would be helpful in troubleshooting the problem.

 

     So here's the manual for Atwood's LPCO (combination LP and CO) detector.  (It's a March 2015 version so may not apply to yours.  If you have the paper one that came with the unit, refer to that one)

 

Page 17 has this table:

 

(Click to enlarge)

 

 

      I'd be surprised if anyone as memorized the beep-timing or LED indications so I guess all we can do is take notice of these things the next time an alarm happens so we can look for a clue.

 

    The other things I notice in the manual are:

 

1- The warnings (on page 11):

 

 Never use detergents or solvents to clean the alarm (as) chemicals can permanently damage or temporarily contaminate the sensor.

 Avoid spraying air freshener, hair spray, paint or other aerosols near the alarm.

 The following is a list of substances that at high levels can affect the sensor and cause an alarm. (Methane, propane, iso-butane, ethylene, ethanol, alcohol, carbon monoxide, iso-propylene, benzene, toluene, ethyl acetate, hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxides.)

 

This brings to mind the fact that many aerosols use propane, butane, or isobutane as a propellant. ( This article on ExplainThatStuff probably tells you more than really want to know on that subject.).  Note also that the propane used as an aerosol propellent doesn't have an odor. The point?  If I were having a false-alarms problem, I'd remove aerosols -- just to eliminate the possibility.

 

2- The specs (on page 7).  The voltage range and operating temperature range look like there's plenty of room for the variations we'd expect.  I did see, though, there's a warning on page 5 telling us the alarm can show a Fault status if it's subjected to 'abnormally low temperatures'.  Unfortunately, there's no detail.  It's also not clear if that just gives a fault light or an audible alarm. 

 

.

[Wallowa]

Old Crow,

 

Many thanks; dummy me never thought of looking for a Pdf!

 

Will try to unravel the chirps and LEDs to determine what is activating our detector's sensor...if anything.

 

Did see that Atwood says the detector sensor is good for "7 years +/- 128 days" while powered up.....Hmmmm, awfully definitive that "128 days"...

 

Thanks again and if I find out what is up with our detector I will post that information here...

 

Phil

Edited by Wallowa, 04 October 2018 - 10:32 PM.

[longhorn1]

I replaced both of mine, a new smoke/CO2 and propane/CO2. The smoke alarm is a talking one. Mine kept going off. Not a problem since replacing both.

[Wallowa]

I replaced both of mine, a new smoke/CO2 and propane/CO2. The smoke alarm is a talking one. Mine kept going off. Not a problem since replacing both.

 

 

Small point...but the Atwood gas detector is for Propane ["LP"] and CO [Carbon Monoxide]...not CO2...

[knoxswift]

There you go...in the PDF the beep of death is the one labeled end of life and error fault. That's the 2 that led me to replace my unit.
It no where near lasted 7 years.
Unless it was old on the shelf when originally installed...I never looked for a date. I got the beep of death so just replace it. But as mentioned it did give progressive false alarms before it finally gave me the fault beeps and LEDs.

Edited by knoxswift, 05 October 2018 - 02:46 AM.

[Wallowa]

There you go...in the PDF the beep of death is the one labeled end of life and error fault. That's the 2 that led me to replace my unit.
It no where near lasted 7 years.
Unless it was old on the shelf when originally installed...I never looked for a date. I got the beep of death so just replace it.

 

 

Yes, thanks, the Pdf answered a lot of questions for me.....& shelf life evidently does not factor into the sensor life-span...only powered up hours [Pg 9]...

[longhorn1]

Small point...but the Atwood gas detector is for Propane ["LP"] and CO [Carbon Monoxide]...not CO2...

That's what I ment. Dumb and Summer.[emoji41]

Edited by longhorn1, 17 October 2018 - 10:10 PM.