RV heater question

schmalts said:
An electric heater should emit no harmful gas, nor consume O2. When I head to my hunting land on weekends in the winter I put the propane heater on long enough to get the chill out and then turn on 2 electric heaters and the electric fireplace, that is nothing more than an electric heater. It is a 34footer so it takes more than one heater to heat that area. I am a little unclear what alarm is going off but I would not worry about it as long as you are sure the propane tank is shut off. An electric space heated can't kill you with CO, HC, or any other gas for that matter.
Click to expand...
100%, but tell that to the sensor
 
elkantlers said:
I had an O2 sensor that would go off when the battery voltage got low.
Is your heater running off of the trailer battery through an inverter? Maybe it's draining the battery.
You might try plugging the heater into an extension cord rather than an outlet in the trailer.
Click to expand...
Idk but the trailer was plugged in both times.

This is not a safety issue, it's a wake the f up all night and not get any sleep issue. Also, kids won't stay in the trailer, my wife and I will probably head there.
 
Just a guess, but I’d disconnect the propane completely, not just ’turn it off‘. Old seals deteriorate and can leak. Tubes and hoses can do the same and crack.
The heat and circulation from the electric heater could be causing leaked gas to circulate to the sensor which is displacing the oxygen and causing the sensor to trip.
 
Gravel, I think you‘re onto something.

is it possible to put a small fan into the trailer to circulate the air? Maybe that’s an answer?
 
I like the buy a second sensor and experiment with the situation.

My sensor has gone off a couple times in my toyhauler but usually with the heater running. Or if it looses power from shore.
 
Gravelyctry said:
Just a guess, but I’d disconnect the propane completely, not just ’turn it off‘. Old seals deteriorate and can leak. Tubes and hoses can do the same and crack.
The heat and circulation from the electric heater could be causing leaked gas to circulate to the sensor which is displacing the oxygen and causing the sensor to trip.
Click to expand...
Possible, but I highly doubt it.

I assume almost everyone here can smell an electric heater when it's running? Esp if it hasn't ran in a while. I think that is what's being picked up my the sensor, whatever that is.
 
elkantlers said:
I had an O2 sensor that would go off when the battery voltage got low.
Is your heater running off of the trailer battery through an inverter? Maybe it's draining the battery.
You might try plugging the heater into an extension cord rather than an outlet in the trailer.
Click to expand...

This could be it. Amperage pull on the space heater is significant. You could be overloading your converter/inverter.
 
neffa3 said:
Possible, but I highly doubt it.

I assume almost everyone here can smell an electric heater when it's running? Esp if it hasn't ran in a while. I think that is what's being picked up my the sensor, whatever that is.
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That smell is the lint and dust burning off of the elements I mentioned earlier. Try running it outside for a minute before using it in the trailer to test.
 
Ben Lamb said:
This could be it. Amperage pull on the space heater is significant. You could be overloading your converter/inverter.
Click to expand...
heater was on an extension cord 1 of the 2 times it happened, so it wasn't even connected to the system
 
Freakmagnet said:
That smell is the lint and dust burning off of the elements I mentioned earlier. Try running it outside for a minute before using it in the trailer to test.
Click to expand...
I may try this. What is odd, is that it doesn't alarm right away, but hours later when you deep asleep, then it won't shut the hell up.
 
Is there anything up close against the sensor? The alarm on our trailer will go off randomly if there is something pushed up against it. The trash can is usually the culprit for us.
 
Newish member here, been lurking a while.
I belong to a travel trailer forum, and have for about 5 years. These things are notorious for going off for no readily apparent reason. The components in trailers are rarely top of the line, and are basically the cheapest thing the manufacturer can use to comply with federal regulations. Plus, the trailer is pulled down the road in dirty environments, electrical connections rattle loose, plumbing connections rattle loose. Spend some time with a travel trailer and you know you will have to do some type of repairs. Another item that is horrible is thermostats. Its just the nature of the travel trailer world.

Most that have tried to troubleshoot the problem with gas sniffers, multimeters, and any other diagnostic tool have ended up either replacing the unit and it was fixed, or cutting the power cable to them, which is what I did. I sleep like a baby.
 
earl84 said:
...
or cutting the power cable to them, which is what I did. I sleep like a baby.
Click to expand...
That's fine until someone nudges a knob on the range in the middle of the night that starts propane filling the camper, and you don't wake up.
 
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