Methods to Avoid Dreaded False Carbon Monoxide / Propane Gas Detector Alarms

Small travel trailers are usually outfitted with combination Carbon Monoxide / Propane Gas Detector alarms.  The one in our 2020 Scamp 13’ is located near the front door under one of the dinette seats.  It’s essential that every small travel trailer have one of these alarms because smoke and carbon monoxide exposure can be lethal.  Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that cannot be seen or smelled and is produced by liquid propane.  CO gas can potentially enter the travel trailer via a gas stove or gas powered water heater (or gas powered heaters and generators).  Carbon monoxide is especially toxic when built up in a small enclosed space like a small travel trailer.  So, it’s really important that the Carbon Monoxide / Propane Gas Detector is functioning properly and is replaced by the marked replace date.  It’s also imperative that an alarm be taken very seriously as it could make the difference between life and death.  If you have a Carbon Monoxide / Propane Gas Detector alarm, the recommended procedure is to quickly exit your trailer and turn off your propane tanks outside (leaving the trailer door open to ventilate).

False alarms from Carbon Monoxide / Propane Gas Detector alarms in small travel trailers are very common, but also sometimes frightening when first experienced (which often is around 2 a.m.).  I had my first one after walking out of a steamy shower and opening the bathroom door compartment into the main cabin.  The alarm immediately went off.  We also experienced one in the middle of the night when sleeping with closed windows and no fan running.  In both cases, we cleared the alarms quickly by opening up a window and running the fan on high for several minutes.  We learned that the most common cause for these types of false alarms is heavy moisture in the air (which can be caused by both a steamy shower and keeping all windows closed and allowing condensation inside the trailer).

Ever since our first Carbon Monoxide / Propane Gas Detector false alarms and learning that air moisture is usually their cause, we have avoided these dreaded alerts by keeping air flowing in our Scamp 13’.  We always turn on the bathroom fan and the main cabin fan (with one window slightly open) when taking a shower.  This ensures that air is blowing through the trailer.  The interior of our Scamp 13’ can also get condensation during the night if sleeping with all windows completely shut and no fans running.  In turn, when we go to sleep, we usually have a window slightly open and the main cabin fan running on low (and running the furnace if it is cold out).  Note:  it’s also a good idea to open your stove window and run your fan when cooking with your gas stove (we run our fan with the air blowing OUT) to vent out all gas fumes.

So, when showering and sleeping in your small travel trailer, always try to keep at least the bathroom fan on when showering, and the roof fan on (OUT setting) and a window slightly open throughout the night.  They don’t have to be open very much, just enough to keep air flowing.  Even if it’s really cold out, you can keep these open and run your furnace.  The furnace will keep you warm.  If you follow these recommendations and keep your small travel trailer properly ventilated, you are unlikely to be awakened in the middle of the night by a false Carbon Monoxide / Propane Gas Detector alarm or have issues with condensation.  And, your small travel trailer will likely be filled with cleaner fresher air by bringing fresh air in and flushing out indoor air pollution.

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly.