CO2 sensor question?

[EMrider]

Originally Posted by EMrider

On my last two camping trips with the kids, the weather has been cold enough that I need to run the suburban propane heater intermittently throughout the night.

This past weekend, we were up at Rock Creek near Mammoth and overnite temps got below 32deg.

At bedtime (9pm ish) I set the thermostat on a low temp setting and that usually causes the heater to cycle on 4-5 times for 30-45min each cycle during the night.

While this routine leaves the inside of the van warm and comfy, on both recent overnighters the CO2 sensor alarm has gone off early in the morning (between 5am and 6am). Obviously, I want the sensor to function properly for safety reasons. But I'm curious what I can do so that it does not go off at all?

Should I open one of the windows for ventilation (in the penthouse or down below)? On cold nights I normally have all upper and lower windows shut to retain heat. But with 3-4 people alseep inside, lack of ventilation could obviously be a factor. The suburban vents to the outside of the van so I assume that is not a factor..........

I know many others here camp in cold weather and use the suburban heaters. Any tips to avoid setting off the CO2 alarm would be appreciated. And FWIW, the CO2 alarm is loud and does its job well.

Thanks

Rob


And totally off-topic, it was a quasi SMB convention up in Mammoth last weekend. On Saturday we spotted 8 different rigs around town.

Quick update here......


I've run the heater for two nights in a row. Top down, all windows closed and pretty much zero ventilation. The CO sensor I put inside the van has read 0ppm CO max each morning.

That is comforting, but it still leaves me in the dark about what set off the CO sensor in the van?

I'll test the unit a few more times just to be safe and will now always have a backup CO sensor with an actual digital readout on COppm with me when camping.

I'm thinking that maybe the 'problem' is the ignition process when the furnace kicks on. Running continuously seems to be fine. The two times I've had a CO alarm sound followed a 6-8 hour time period where the furnace cycled on and off at least 10-15 times. Given how slowly this thing sips propane, I'll just set the temp higher so it cycles on and off less often.

R

[Ford_6L_E350]

The combustion side of the furnace should be completely separate from the heat side. That is, no combustion products should get into the van. A couple of possibilities come to mind:

- The wind was blowing against the furnace side of the van and pushing the furnace exhaust through some crack or opening in the van. Door seal? Penthouse?

- The furnace has a leak from the combustion side to the heat side. You could test this with a vacuum cleaner output blowing in the air intake of the furnace while checking inside around the (cover off) furnace with a small piece of paper or a flame looking for small drafts.

Off hand I would think the first alternative is more likely, the 2nd more deadly. Since your latest test had no CO, the 2nd is unlikely.

Mike

[billwilson]

Per: Tom at Ricks Trailer Supply
no affiliation
Great service, the only real RV repair facility i have found in my area

"low batteries will set off the alarms"
"suburban eats up batteries"

just my dos centavos

[washpark]

Nothing to do with the CO question, but the cycle times are adjustable on the thermostat. Our furnace would run for a long time making the van quite warm, then shut down and not come back on until I was cold. Reduced the cycle setting inside the thermostat to .3 and the furnace runs more frequently, for shorter time spans and the temperature fluctuates much less.

[rypett]

I know this is an old thread but I have a question that's related so I figured I would revive it...

I just bought a used SMB (woohoo! ) and plugged it into shore power for the first time. Within a minute or two the CO sensor started beeping (the 4 beeps in a row and a flashing red light). I understand that if the battery is low it will beep, but why would it start beeping as soon as I plug into shore power?

Thanks!
Ryan

[jage]

Because the battery is low? Did you check the house voltage (cig lighter outlets in wall/counter)? If this is the case it should beep when you drive, as the isolater/separator connects over and hits the house system with voltage.

If the batts have good voltage, and it happens again I'd say watch the same volt meter while plugging in- maybe a connection somewhere making it drop voltage and beep even if it comes back. If all that fails it should pull right out with a few screws and you can check the voltage getting to it- come to think of it, replace the fuse just because. It's one of the 3A ones, but I can't say which.