Propane gas alarm

[Bobfirst]

The propane alarm under the dinette set is beeping & blinking red lights to alert propane inside the Oliver. No gas was being used inside. Turning off the gas at the cylinder stopped the alarm. 
 

Any guesses where there could be a gas leak  inside the Oliver ? How can you shut off power to the alarm monitor ? Where would you go to locate & fix a gas leak? 

Edited December 22, 2020 by Bobfirst

[mjrendon]

I had this alarm go off once recently when I was using a spray hand sanitizer (alcohol).  Is it possible there was alternative source?

Edited December 22, 2020 by mjrendon

[Bobfirst]

28 minutes ago, mjrendon said:

I had this alarm go off once recently when I was using a spray hand sanitizer (alcohol).  Is it possible there was alternative source?

The LP alsrm only goes on when the gas is turned on at the outside tank. 

[mjrendon]

Make sure the stove is turned off. If that is not it, then you can start checking the other connections.

 

 

[topgun2]

Bobfirst - 

About the only way to shut off the alarm is to remove its fuse.  This fuse can usually be found near the back side of the alarm under the dinette seat.  However, remember that this alarm is there for your safety and given the symptoms you describe, it would seem imperative that you find the source of the leak.

Bill

[Bobfirst]

Any suggestions on how to access the gas lines to the Truma, furnace, stove , refrigerator?

[mjrendon]

The refrigerator should be accessible from the outside lower vent.  The propane inlet and manual shut off valve are shown below.

[mjrendon]

The Truma gas line is also accessible from outside.  See image below.

 

[Bobfirst]

2 hours ago, topgun2 said:

Bobfirst - 

About the only way to shut off the alarm is to remove its fuse.  This fuse can usually be found near the back side of the alarm under the dinette seat.  However, remember that this alarm is there for your safety and given the symptoms you describe, it would seem imperative that you find the source of the leak.

Bill

Bill the fuse is directed behind the detector? Do you pry the cover off to access the fuse & change the detector if this is the problem? I agree that I think we have a real leak inside & do not want to disable 

[mjrendon]

I have not accessed the stove top and the documentation from Dometic is not helpful.  There is an 8mm compression fitting on the bottom of the unit. 
 

 

[topgun2]

Bobfirst -

Prying off the cover is un-necessary.  Simply lift the dinette seat and you should be able to see the rear of the propane alarm.  Follow the wires from the back of the unit about a foot or so and you should see a black cylinder that holds the fuse.  Push the two ends of this fuse holder together and twist them in opposite directions about a 1/4 turn and they should separate.  The fuse will simply fall out of the holder at that point.

 

Bill

inline fuse holder - cylinder style

inline fuse holder - blade fuse style

 

[Bobfirst]

To replace the LP detector do you pry it away from the outside or remove it from inside under the dinette seat?

[SeaDawg]

Bobfirst, if your detector ONLY alarms when the propane is turned on at the bottle,  it's really important to determine if you have a leak.

Propane is heavier than air. It can sink into the interstitial space between the hulls.

Do you own, or have access to a propane sniffer? 

[Bobfirst]

2 hours ago, SeaDawg said:

Bobfirst, if your detector ONLY alarms when the propane is turned on at the bottle,  it's really important to determine if you have a leak.

Propane is heavier than air. It can sink into the interstitial space between the hulls.

Do you own, or have access to a propane sniffer? 

 

2 hours ago, SeaDawg said:

Bobfirst, if your detector ONLY alarms when the propane is turned on at the bottle,  it's really important to determine if you have a leak.

Propane is heavier than air. It can sink into the interstitial space between the hulls.

Do you own, or have access to a propane sniffer? 

 

[Bobfirst]

Yes the alarm stopped once the gas was shut off at the tank. Someone suggested to switch to the second tank. And no alarm!

several hours later we switched back to the tank during the alarm. And still no alarm. 
 

so for now the potential leak seems to have disappeared. 
 
Could a faulty regulator be the reason for the initial leak ?

[Bobfirst]

11 hours ago, Bobfirst said:

If propane gets between the 2 hulls will it escape over time ?

 

 

11 hours ago, Bobfirst said:

Yes the alarm stopped once the gas was shut off at the tank. Someone suggested to switch to the second tank. And no alarm!

several hours later we switched back to the tank during the alarm. And still no alarm. 
 

so for now the potential leak seems to have disappeared. 
 
Could a faulty regulator be the reason for the initial leak ?

 

11 hours ago, Bobfirst said:

Yes the alarm stopped once the gas was shut off at the tank. Someone suggested to switch to the second tank. And no alarm!

several hours later we switched back to the tank during the alarm. And still no alarm. 
 

so for now the potential leak seems to have disappeared. 
 
Could a faulty regulator be the reason for the initial leak ?

 

[topgun2]

14 hours ago, Bobfirst said:

To replace the LP detector do you pry it away from the outside or remove it from inside under the dinette seat?

First - using either a flat blade screw driver or (more preferable) a plastic/nylon trim removal tool, gentle pry off the outside trim piece of the alarm.  This will expose 4 screws that hold the alarm in place.  Remove these screws and the alarm will easily come out the front .

Second - When switching from propane tank to propane tank a small amount of propane can be expelled from the regulator due to the regulator trying to compensate for the different pressures in each tank.  While this could have been the source of the leak and subsequent propane alarm, it is doubtful.  I would certainly take SeaDawg's advice and make absolutely sure that there is no leak because the consequences are simply too harsh to do otherwise.  Virtually all hardware stores sell spray on leak detecting solutions or a propane sniffer like SeaDawg mentions can be used or if you do not feel qualified, simply take the Oliver to an RV place and they will have a qualified tech completely test your system.

Bill

[Boudicca908]

On 12/21/2020 at 11:51 PM, mjrendon said:

Make sure the stove is turned off. If that is not it, then you can start checking the other connections.

 

Where do people find these diagrams? I looked in my manual and didn't find anything... thank you for posting them.