Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 12, 2025 ...

smoke and gas detectors

September 09, 2016, 03:24:36 pm

With cold weather approaching maybe it's the right time of year to start talking about this. If your smoke detector gives you a false alarm every time you cook something you should consider a photoelectric smoke detector instead of an ionization smoke detector, which is probably what you have now. I just got rid of the ionization smoke detector my coach came with and replaced it with a photoelectric smoke detector. I initially intended to move the new smoke detector as far as possible from the kitchen, but when I saw the mark left on the ceiling by the old smoke detector I decided to try mounting it on the same spot for now. I've grilled greasy smoked sausage (yum!) without setting it off. The old ionization smoke detector would have gone off for sure, causing me to take the battery out, and maybe forgetting to put the battery back in again, which is dangerous of course.

If your gas detector gives false alarms be encouraged that the new models check multiple times before they sound the alarm. I think the old ones set off the alarm without rechecking to see if gas was detected again. Older coaches have the ability to turn off the gas to the entire coach if a leak is detected. Newer coaches use a much cheaper gas detector. The older gas detectors that turn off the gas were over $200 until recently. Now you can find them for well under that if you search the internet for your model number. Be aware that the model has probably changed and won't be an easy, exact replacement. I just replaced mine and had to enlarge the hole where the gas detector mounts in the cabinet, change the wiring, and I was supposed to change the solenoid valve according to the instructions. It specifically says not to use the existing CCI valve with the new gas detector. I hate being too safe, so I used my old valve. The old valve was 3/8" and the new valve supplied with the kit was 1/4" and I didn't want a restriction in my gas supply, plus I didn't want to make a 150 mile trip to the hardware store to get fittings to adapt it. So far I'm still alive but if you never hear from me again at least you'll know not to use your old CCI valve.

The new gas detectors also detect carbon monoxide and will give a different alarm when carbon monoxide is detected. The instructions don't say that the gas detector will shut off the gas if carbon monoxide is detected. The new gas detectors also detect several other flammable gas vapors including gasoline and possibly hydrogen gas from the batteries if gets down to floor level. The unit is only UL rated for propane, natural gas, and butane I think, but it detects many other gasses and will shut off the gas if any of them are detected.

Now I know what you're thinking, if you're like me, but hopefully you're not. You're thinking I've lived (fill in the blank) number of years in a house with no detectors and I'm still alive, so why would I need these annoying things in my RV? Well in my case I work for the national park service and it's illegal for me not to have them when my coach is in the park. Here's a little practical example with the names removed to protect the ignorant. Earlier this summer here at Grand Canyon a certain technician hooked up an RV to a propane tank and failed to use the appropriate gas regulator, causing the gas system to go over pressure inside the coach. The owner of the coach came home, smelled gas but didn't hear any gas alarm, so he proceeded to intentionally cause a source of ignition. If you've seen Saturday morning cartoons you know what happens to Yosemite Sam next. The guy actually survived the fireball but his coach didn't. He may be out of the hospital by now. It sorta surprises me that this statement still needs to be made in today's world but if you smell gas, don't cause ANY source of ignition, just get out immediately and call the fire department. Even if the gas detector isn't going off, just get out... any questions? ...did any of you not know that? ...good! ...sure hope this saves someone's bacon someday

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Re: smoke and gas detectors

Reply #1 – September 09, 2016, 04:47:38 pm

Adding to what Scott says, the lifespan of CO and LP detectors is generally 7 years; smoke detectors 7-10 depending on model. 

If your coach is older than a 2010 and/or you've owned your coach since 2009 and have NOT replaced the detectors or have records of such, now is a good time.

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Re: smoke and gas detectors

Reply #2 – September 09, 2016, 05:00:43 pm

Thanks Scott for your detector recommendations.

We also think that one can't have too many detectors, since they are our first line of defense.

We don't want to trust not waking up, so we have two battery digital CO detectors in our bedroom on opposite walls.  Also have a few CO detectors in other places.

We are now only buying combined ionization / photoelectric battery detectors and have then on kitchen & bedroom ceilings.  We also place them with confined electronics like under couch by subwoofer, above dash Directv SWM & receivers and Amazon Fire TV, under bed transfer switches, in bay next to 12-volt panel.

We do have an occasional false alarm with our First Alert ionization/photoelectric kitchen detector.

And years ago when our above dash electronics area Tripp-Lite Isobar surge protector burned, we were pleased to have that alarm, but the black smoke was its own giveaway of a problem.

We found that the 12-volt RV propane-gas detectors reset better when their 12-volt power source is turned off, so I installed a small switch next to both that removes power, and on an alarm, we flip switch off and back on to reset.  We occasionally get false alarms when our water heater is on propane.

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Re: smoke and gas detectors

Reply #3 – September 09, 2016, 06:08:14 pm

I forgot to mention the new gas detectors give a warning a month before they expire. They expire after five years. You can press the silence button when the expiration warning sounds but after another month the unit will permanently turn itself off, probably turning off the gas to your coach, but it doesn't actually say that in the instructions so I'm just speculating.

When I wired in the new gas detector I used connectors instead of hard wiring it, because I know for sure I'll have to do this again in five years, and I could unplug it to power it off and reset it as mentioned in the previous reply. The original gas detector was hard wired.

The wiring modifications I had to make for the new gas detector included running a new ground wire from the light under the kitchen sink cabinet, because the new gas detector doesn't ground itself through the solenoid like the old gas detector did. I also had to power the new gas detector from only one set of batteries, so I chose the coach instead of the chassis. I capped off the other red wire from the chassis. The reason I chose the coach is because the solenoid uses a small amount of energy constantly and I didn't want to drain my cranking batteries and get stranded somewhere. I suppose I could have used an isolator or diodes or something if I wanted to continue the dual powered gas detector but it didn't seem like it would be a problem in my case. I'm a full timer and my battery voltages get checked multiple times every day. I was supposed to install a 5 amp fuse in the power line from the coach to the new gas detector but according to my coach's wiring diagram there's already a 10 amp breaker on that line, probably behind the panel near the batteries. I didn't make any changes to the solenoid valve or its wiring... but this defies the manufacturer's strict instructions not to use the existing CCI valve, so do as I say and not as I do

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