Most of the motor homes and campers we know here as Barthmobiles have a Liquid Petroleum (LP) or Propane gas system for various reasons. LP furnaces, LP hot water heaters, LP generators, LP refrigerators, and LP stoves, just to name the few I know of.

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In the LP system is a LP leak detector. It will shut of the LP gas and awake you if you are sleeping with an annoying beep. I am posting my experience with my LP safety leak detector to show how well it functions. It also detects other gasses.

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Last year while my second home, The Barth Regency was parked in my garage next to the dump this is what happened.

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I was doing fiberglass work on the Dump truck body. Next morning the LP detector was going off in the Barth. The LP detector would not reset. I opened my overhead door and tried to reset it again. The fresh air enabled me to reset the LP leak detector. Apparently the LP leak detector did not like the fumes from the fiberglass resin setting up. It surprised me that the gas from the fiberglass resin was setting off the LP leak detector.

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Last week I put the summer car in storage and brought the battery home. I put the battery on the charger. The charging battery was near the Barth in the garage. Next morning the LP leak detector was going off in the Barth. Apparently the gas from the battery charging set off the leak LP leak detector.

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The 25+ year old LP leak detector will detect other gas, that may not be good for us to breathe.

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It will work for LP leaks too. The pilot went out on the stove one evening while camping. We were awakened to the annoying beep, shortly after we fell a sleep.

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Great peace of mind, so if your LP leak detector won't, reset, it is not broken, it just senses some other harmful gas.

I guess you leave the detector switch on all the time?
If you do the gas valve is open all the time.

Steve there is a switch for the gas valve also. Sometimes I run the refrigerator on the gas mode. Gas valve leak detector is on all of the time. If the heat in the garage would stop working The Barth furnaces would protect the Barth from freezing. I do not winterize.

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I was surprised to have the leak detector shut the gas off from other fumes. Do you think the older leak detector is more of a lack of oxygen sensor than a leak detector?

Geez!! All this fancy stuff in the Big Barths, I am lucky to have tires!!!

Detectors vary based on the desired gas used.

Many detectors for flammable gas use a catalytic surface and an infrared sensor. In the presence of a catalyst the flammable gas will react with oxygen at room temperature. The resulting low level combustion reaction produces heat which the infrared sensor detects and sets off alarm. Depending on the catalalyst the detector may function with many flammable organic gases, ie paint fumes, solvents. For overall fire and explosion protection a broad band sensor is ideal, ie not just gas leaks but any flammable gas will trigger it.

OTOH sometimes we want a more specific detector. Carbon monoxide for instance. Carbon monoxide is flammable and may trigger some gas sensors. (Carbon monoxide is both flammable AND poisonous.)

Dedicated CO detectors today use more specific detectors based on electrochemical "fuel cell" technology, to avoid the false alarms with the other types.

The ultimate sensors are based on gas chromatography and can detect parts per billion of each gas in some cases. Lab stuff.

Final comment: Our coach gas detectors are catalytic and as such, can be "poisoned" like the catalytic convertors in cars. Normally,lead, heavy metals, etc but also possible with welding fumes from normal metals, and sulfur gases. Exposure can ruin the dectector.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve VW:
Detectors vary based on the desired gas used.


Final comment: Our coach gas detectors are catalytic and as such, can be "poisoned" possible with welding fumes from normal metals, and sulfur gases. Exposure can ruin the dectector.

Lucky for me the coach was closed up while I was welding the frame rails in last year. Good knowledge you have shared here. Thank you Steve VW.

quote:

Originally posted by Duane88:
Geez!! All this fancy stuff in the Big Barths, I am lucky to have tires!!!

I'm lucky you didn't steal my wheels!

I have to disable my gas detector every time I eat spicy food...

I can't use those "stud finders" for construction either... they just keep going off for some reason...

I'm lucky you didn't steal my wheels! [/QUOTE]


I was going too, Emma had peed on them..

I have the propane leak detector BUT it isn't connected to the tank in any way. Just functions as an alarm, will not shut off anything. Found no evidence that it ever was connected, no valves at the tank. Don't know if this is because I have a gas line AND a liquid line coming out of the tank.

I do have a rupture valve in the liquid line but soon I will replace as it is very old and I am unsure it even works.

Would like to replace the generator with a diesel powered unit but so far I haven't found one for a reasonable price.

quote:

Originally posted by MWrench:
I have the propane leak detector BUT it isn't connected to the tank in any way. Just functions as an alarm, will not shut off anything. Found no evidence that it ever was connected, no valves at the tank. Don't know if this is because I have a gas line AND a liquid line coming out of the tank.

I do have a rupture valve in the liquid line but soon I will replace as it is very old and I am unsure it even works.

Would like to replace the generator with a diesel powered unit but so far I haven't found one for a reasonable price.

The detector has a 12V positive wire going to a gas shut off valve on the gas line. Not on the tank.
Its purpose is to shut down the gas flow in case a leak is detected.

Not on mine, as I said, there is no connection from the detector going anywhere! Also doesn't matter if the detector is on or off, my gas appliances and LP generator will operate.

One day I will get to this and install gas valves that can be driven by the detector

The only LP safety valves I have seen were solenoid types in the low pressure line. The sensor holds them open for normal service.

I've never seen such valves in the high pressure liquid systems. I'm sure they exist but they would have pressures of 100-150 psi instead of 1/2 psi. Also issues with freezing, etc.

I guess most of the leaks inside the coach from the accessories would be from the low pressure side any way. Only thing on the liquid would be the genny...