c02

[Cwies68]

For those of you who have upgraded the C02 alarm in you FWC with the propane heat setup can you direct or elaborate on the upgrade?

 

[Starbrightsteve]

I have never known any camper or house for that matter to have a CO2 alarm.
Most all newer campers have CO alarms. CO stands for carbon monoxide. Campers also have combustible gas alarms. The most concerning combustible gas in campers is propane.

 

[Glenn]

Lots of homes have CO alarms, at least here in the East….as a lot of us burn firewood to heat the house and for protection from CO while burning propane (which I do both!)

CO is lighter than air, Propane is heavier than air. We check our machine pits and confined spaces before entering them for work.

CO monitors should be placed high on the wall and in an upper level if there is no barrier (door, etc. closing off the level) I have one on both floors at home. A blocked flu (furnace, water heater) can cause CO to enter the house as well as not having enough air coming into the building for the wood stove or other big alliance causing a downdraft of a smaller flu.

I am putting a CO monitor in my truck camper since I intend to add a diesel heater in the future.

At work we work daily with and around propane, hydrogen, natural gas, all perfectly safe as long as safety measures are followed.

 

[BlueSky]

I think the OP meant CO. The hard-wired one that came with my camper starting going off randomly even without anything running so I now use a battery powered one.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

For those of you who have upgraded the C02 alarm in you FWC with the propane heat setup can you direct or elaborate on the upgrade?

The CO monitors that are hard wired, usually just two wires, and very easy to replace when they signal they are past their lifetime. CO and propane detectors are much the same to replace or upgrade. There are a number of threads with information. If you have trouble finding them, reach out to the Site Team with a private message.

 

[Vic Harder]

these monitors typically have a 5 year lifespan, and are intended to be replaced when the alarms start going off for "no reason".

 

[Wallowa]

Or you can simply pull the fuse.... Mine would always seem to go off at 0400 hrs....the alarm in our 2016 Hawk started that just after we bought it new...Old monitor? Doubtful, but the problem has been solved....

Only combustion inside the Hawk is our stove and we leave the window above stove partially down and the roof vent partially open when stove in use....no catalytic heater and space heater vents outside...CO not an issue for us.

 

[Vic Harder]

Phil, the alarms are there for when we forget to do the smart things.... you are doing smart things. I hope you never forget.

 

[Wallowa]

Phil, the alarms are there for when we forget to do the smart things.... you are doing smart things. I hope you never forget.

Agree Vic....but having the FWC alarm incessantly blaring at least @ 85dB like clock work at 0400hrs was not something to endure...assuming vulnerable time is PM when sleeping, we always partially leave vents and windows open...beyond that not really sure of endangering source of a CO or CO2 or propane in our Hawk...true only propane has odor...I turn off propane unless heater in use at night, while traveling and after cooking...assumption of risk...

All this further raises the question of catalytic heater use in a closed space...they always produce byproducts of combustion and not just water vapor; no idea of oxygen consumption with them....if we have 110v will use a small electric cube heater with thermostat and auto off if tipped over...

But hey, I could be wrong!

Phil