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Old 08-30-2009, 11:04 AM   #1
David Bott
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Hilton
Posts: 382
Default Learned something new...Propane Alarm and Coach Batteries

Ok, so we were at the New York State fair and dry camped for 2 days. It was nothing new, dry camping, except we got to learn something.

It was 3:45AM and we heard an ALARM go off. We jumped out of bed, which is no small matter for me who takes a sleeping pill, and quickly took a visual account of the coach. No fire. No Smoke. The CO detector was not going off. Ah! The sound is from floor level. The PROPANE ALARM! Quick, check the oven and the burners...All well.

Well, ok, turn it off! Can't hardwired and no on/off switch. Put finger over the speaker to quite it down so we do not wake the people next to us for no reason. Ok, now what? What was going on?

I somehow noticed the ceiling fan and the vent fans were running slower. I am somehow as I still was 1/2 sleep. Check the 12v coach battery level. Yup, drained. Well it seems Propane Alarm will go off when your coach 12v batteries are low. (Thus learned something.)

While holding finger over the speaker, I used a small screw gun to remove the propane alarm and then cut one of the 12v wires to shut it up.

Now...Why were my batteries drained? Something learned #2...If you are dry camping and turn on the cargo bay storage lights, remember to turn them off. It seems I forgot too after turning them on to get something out that night.

So, the generator stopped at 9:15PM, and between the ceiling fan, the vent fan, and the 12 cargo lights, it drained the batteries in about 6.5 hours. ouch! (I can not think of anything thing else that was on.)

There you have it...Something to know. (I would have never guessed the Propane alarm would sound on low coach batteries. The ones that run the 12v system.)
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David
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'08 Tour Master T40B
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08' Saturn Outlook Toad
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