My motorhome is around 16yrs old now. I have an LPG detector that started sounding off intermittently and switching of the gas flow via a solenoid.
I checked all the piping/solenoid with the old soapy water and all good.
Last week the Fault light came on and of course the alarm sounds and switches off the gas.
No cooking for me.
I tried researching to get an identical model(Flush Mounted).
Originally Sourced from Canada, but no record now of that company online or any other info at all.
I have since found an Aussie replacement by a company called Peel.
If I was a competent electronics person I could buy a new sensor at twenty bucks and fit it to the Circuit Board.
Not my Forte so a whole new unit at $220.
My main point is if you have an LPG leak detector, the sensor's die at around ten years old according to all the companies I have spoken to. Different brands seem to use the same sensor.(Figaro)
So if your detector is around that age it may be worth taking that into account.
Mike Harding said
06:59 PM Apr 2, 2018
Very good tip - carbon monoxide (CO) sensors are also only good for about 10 years.
>If I was a competent electronics person I could buy a new sensor at twenty bucks and fit it to the Circuit Board.
I am and I wouldn't :)
In order to be sure the alarm is going to work one would need to fully understand the design of the circuit and the characteristics of the new sensor and be sure the two would happily mate. This is not a detector one needs to work *most* of the time.
$220 is expensive I agree (nothing cheaper?) but it only needs to pay its way once.
Yuglamron said
07:40 PM Apr 2, 2018
In reply yes.
There are systems much cheaper both 12 Volt and 240 Volt versions.
Around the $60 mark
However these are alarms only and my system has a solenoid to switch off the gas if it goes into alarm mode.
Mike Harding said
10:24 AM Apr 3, 2018
>However these are alarms only and my system has a solenoid to switch off the gas if it goes into alarm mode.
Fair enough, however an additional output in parallel with the sounder only costs an extra few cents, a dollar or two at the outside so someone is making a bundle at $220.
It will be well worth checking the output which drives the solenoid is sourced from a semiconductor device (probably a transistor of some type) and *MOST DEFINITELY NOT* a relay. As the alarm will only trigger when it senses the caravan has an unacceptable LPG count the last thing you then want is a spark caused by the bouncing contacts of a relay driving a highly inductive coil! I'm, almost, sure they won't have used a relay but I'd still check.
Bagmaker said
07:28 PM Apr 3, 2018
Yuglamron wrote:
In reply yes.
There are systems much cheaper both 12 Volt and 240 Volt versions.
Around the $60 mark
However these are alarms only and my system has a solenoid to switch off the gas if it goes into alarm mode.
could you give us a few pointers towards them Yuglamron?
Yuglamron said
08:00 PM Apr 3, 2018
Both of these were found on E Bay the first one the Peel version is top of the range at $389 and the other is one available through Green RV at around $68. The Peel company have their own Australian website
Just a piece for information.
My motorhome is around 16yrs old now. I have an LPG detector that started sounding off intermittently and switching of the gas flow via a solenoid.
I checked all the piping/solenoid with the old soapy water and all good.
Last week the Fault light came on and of course the alarm sounds and switches off the gas.
No cooking for me.
I tried researching to get an identical model(Flush Mounted).
Originally Sourced from Canada, but no record now of that company online or any other info at all.
I have since found an Aussie replacement by a company called Peel.
If I was a competent electronics person I could buy a new sensor at twenty bucks and fit it to the Circuit Board.
Not my Forte so a whole new unit at $220.
My main point is if you have an LPG leak detector, the sensor's die at around ten years old according to all the companies I have spoken to. Different brands seem to use the same sensor.(Figaro)
So if your detector is around that age it may be worth taking that into account.
Very good tip - carbon monoxide (CO) sensors are also only good for about 10 years.
>If I was a competent electronics person I could buy a new sensor at twenty bucks and fit it to the Circuit Board.
I am and I wouldn't :)
In order to be sure the alarm is going to work one would need to fully understand the design of the circuit and the characteristics of the new sensor and be sure the two would happily mate. This is not a detector one needs to work *most* of the time.
$220 is expensive I agree (nothing cheaper?) but it only needs to pay its way once.
In reply yes.
There are systems much cheaper both 12 Volt and 240 Volt versions.
Around the $60 mark
However these are alarms only and my system has a solenoid to switch off the gas if it goes into alarm mode.
>However these are alarms only and my system has a solenoid to switch off the gas if it goes into alarm mode.
Fair enough, however an additional output in parallel with the sounder only costs an extra few cents, a dollar or two at the outside so someone is making a bundle at $220.
It will be well worth checking the output which drives the solenoid is sourced from a semiconductor device (probably a transistor of some type) and *MOST DEFINITELY NOT* a relay. As the alarm will only trigger when it senses the caravan has an unacceptable LPG count the last thing you then want is a spark caused by the bouncing contacts of a relay driving a highly inductive coil! I'm, almost, sure they won't have used a relay but I'd still check.
could you give us a few pointers towards them Yuglamron?
Both of these were found on E Bay the first one the Peel version is top of the range at $389 and the other is one available through Green RV at around $68. The Peel company have their own Australian website
and there are a few models.
https://www.mtiindustries.com/products.asp?cf=1&ti=0&ci=1&si=1&pi=50
https://www.rvpartsexpress.com.au/gas-equipment/gas-detectors/12v-gas-detector-gk-601.html
Three different links to websites
-- Edited by Yuglamron on Tuesday 3rd of April 2018 08:22:30 PM