Is there a difference between RV and residential CO detectors?

I received a few comments from RVtravel.com readers on the recent post on CO detectors that I wanted to share.

Question

Dave, have you ever researched the difference between CO detectors rated for home use and those rated for RV use? Be curious as to what is actually different. —Dave

My response

Most home CO detectors operate on 120-volt power with a battery backup. CO detectors used in RVs are wired to the 12-volt house batteries, as many RVers boondock or dry camp without being plugged in. Some models like the First Alert and Kidde brands are powered by a replaceable 9-volt battery.

Also, according to my “Go To” source at Thor, they must pass UL 2034 and have “For RV Use” stamped on the detector. This code has testing for the following conditions which an RV would be subject to:

Alarms must pass tests for performance in extreme heat, cold, and high humidity, as well as resisting false alarms from low-level, temporary CO exposure.

This is the back label of the RV Safe model showing the red positive 12-volt wire and small print in the lower right indicating it is for RV use.

Question

Where should carbon monoxide and LP detectors be installed? In our 2017 and in most RVs the CO detector is installed near the floor. Wouldn’t you agree?

Excerpts from AI:

Yes, a CO detector mounted near the floor is generally effective because carbon monoxide (CO) has nearly the same density as air and distributes evenly throughout a room.

Plug-in Units: Plug-in CO detectors near the floor are effective and often include, or can be, combo propane/natural gas detectors. Propane is heavier than air and must be detected low.

I don’t recall if ours detects LP, but if LP was detected at 5′ you’d really be in trouble, in my opinion. —Jeff

My response

According to what I found on the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) and several of the CO detector manufacturers’ sites, they should be mounted at 5′ or higher.

However, most of these codes or recommendations pertain to a residential setting with cold air returns, ceiling fans, and other methods of having a good airflow in the house.

In an RV, it’s a very confined space with typically only one cold air return and several areas that I call HVAC “pockets”, where air is not circulated and just sits. Since most RV heaters have the vents on the floor, it seems wise to have the CO detector mounted lower, in my opinion.

Even with some of the LP-burning appliances such as a stovetop or oven that might emit CO, those are typically only used for a short period of time, unlike a furnace/heater. They should never be used during the night for a heat source. In my opinion, it would be good to install a second one near a sleeping area.

Question

When in your RV, especially with the slide in, be careful walking past your gas stove. You can brush against the gas turn-on knobs and turn the gas on without lighting the stove. Luckily, I caught it twice when the gas alarm went off. —mrpavet

My response

I have witnessed this at shows, as well! Someone leans back and pushes the stovetop knob in and all of a sudden there is a horrible smell of propane. That is even though there is not supposed to be any propane in a tank or cylinder inside a show!

Most fire marshals don’t allow the DOT cylinders on the tongue of travel trailers, so I typically have only seen it on a few motorhomes. The tanks are supposed to be empty. However, removing one wire makes the monitor panel not light up so they think it is empty.

 You might also enjoy these posts from Dave 

• Carbon monoxide testers are in every RV, but are they adequate?
• Your smoke alarm: Meet new code? Maintained properly? Critical info
• Does flame from RV stovetop create carbon monoxide inside the rig?
• Don’t be a carbon monoxide victim

DAVE HAS ANSWERED MORE THAN 1,000 readers’ maintenance and repair questions. Read a directory here. There is so much to learn!

Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”

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