Gas alarm triggering causes other than gas leak

Gas alarm triggering causes other than gas leak

Posted on April 29, 2021

You have certainly already heard a high pitch steady sound coming from your RV at some point. This is the sound coming from the LPG gas/CO2 alarm installed in your RV warning you about a potential gas leak. Not saying that these situations are to be taken lightly but 95% of the time, the alarm is triggered by other causes than a real gas leak. To help understand how this works, here are the most common reasons a LPG gas/CO2 alarm would be triggered;
 
1.Low battery voltage : You are not connected with the RV power cable but the battery is 12V battery is connected and has a low tension(showing a reading of under 12V). A gas/CO alarm drains about 108ma but continuously so depending on the size/quality of the battery, it could take a week before it shows low voltage. You then need to put the battery on a charger as soon as possible.
 
2.Cleaning products; This might seem odd but LPG/CO alarms are very sensitives and can be triggered by a cleaning product or any other spray products that would be used nearby the alarm. This might be the cause if you do not smell gas and if the RV is connected with the power cord. Solution : Unplug and bring the alarm outside for a minimum of 1h.
 
3.If you checked the 2 first causes, the last one is a matter of defective or end of life product. In that scenario, you need to replace the alarm. The majority of LPG/CO alarm are good for 5 years from the stamped date behind the product.