When you install a carbon monoxide detector in your RV, its location is most important for your safety and effective performance.
Where to Place Carbon Monoxide Detector in RV? You can install a carbon monoxide detector in your RV in different suitable locations. These places can be on the ceilings, away from walls, above floors, and far from children. You should not place the CO detector in the moist area and dirty area of your RV.
When you purchase a carbon monoxide detector, it is essential to buy the appropriate one for your RV.
For instance, if four or more people can sleep in your RV, you must purchase a carbon monoxide detector of 12-volt. There are also smaller RVs with sleeping capacity for 2-3 people; a 9-volt carbon monoxide detector is sufficient.
Where to Place Carbon Monoxide Detector in RV?
Here are the suitable places to install a carbon monoxide detector in your RV.
Near Sleeping Area
You should install your Carbon monoxide detector in the central location for its efficient performance and safety if you want to install it in your RV.
In RV, it is essential to install CO detectors where people sleep at night for better safety.
Its louder siren can awake people and prevent them from any dangerous situation. You can place them 5-6 feet above the floor.
Away from the reach of Children
For the safety of your children, it is essential to place your CO detectors in RV at a place away from the children so that they should not grasp them.
When it is placed on the table or chair or near the floor, your children may reach them, and it causes harm to your children, so place it on the wall.
Placement on wall
Wall is a suitable place for its placement. Try to install this detector 1-2 feet below the ceiling.
Near to ventilation
You should not place these detectors in any corner lacking the proper air ventilation in your RV.
You must always set a detector near the area with proper airflow because it works better in air ventilation.
Placement on ceiling
Your RV has lights, fans, and other accessories. It is essential for you that you should not place CO detectors near them.
If you plan to place it on the ceiling, put it approximately 1 foot away from the wall.
A step-by-step guide for installing a CO detector in your RV
I am describing step by step guide to install a CO detector. You can easily install it on your own without the help of any professional.
Using drill machine
First, when you purchase your Carbon monoxide detector, you must carefully read all the manual book instructions.
Check all suitable places to place this detector and when you finally select one place, take a measuring tape and measure the exact distance from the floor.
It must be some feet away from the floor and must be away from your children’s reach.
For placing a detector, your wall or ceiling must be free from dirt and moisture. Use a drill machine and make two holes in the selected place.
Using Mounting Brackets
When you make holes on your selected wall to insert the detector, place wall anchors in the holes and attach screws to secure it properly.
When you are attaching screws on wall anchors, you are securing them to the wall.
Take mounting bracket and insert it into the screwed wall anchors. Tighten it to prevent loosening. If you don’t tighten, it may loosen and fall to the ground.
Attaching detector to the slots
A new detector does not contain a battery in it, so you have to put it in the sensor.
You will see a small portion to insert the battery on the backside of the detector. Open the lid and insert the battery so that it can work.
When you are finished inserting the battery into the detector, take it, put it on mounting brackets, and fix it.
Connect its wires
You will see some wires on your carbon monoxide detector, and you have to connect them with the diode.
There are two types of wires: red wire and black wire, connect red wire with red diode and black wire with black diode.
Carefully connect them, and you will see the blinking of red light after some seconds, now your detector is ready to work.
How to test RV carbon monoxide detectors?
It is essential for your safety to check your detectors daily either they are working correctly or not.
There is a red light in your detector; you can check it by this red light; if its red light blinks after an interval of every 25-30 seconds, your detector is working accurately; you do not need to worry about it.
But if you see that red light in your detector, do not blink or gets off, then take it to a hardware shop, check it by them or change its batteries.
If you want to check that the sensor of your CO detector is working correctly or not, then make a fire near your detector; if it detects the sound and creates a siren, then it’s working is ok.
Don’t Install your RV Carbon Monoxide detectors in these places
You should not install your CO detectors in any area near the fire and fuel smoking area because, in this area, CO is usually present.
You should not place it near the moist area like bathrooms, washrooms, or kitchens; these are the areas where humidity is more.
When you place it near the sun, the sunlight directly coming from the sun may cause overheating, so keep them away from direct sunlight.
Don’t place it near areas where the wind is coming very fast; It may interact with its efficiency and affects its performance.
Do not place it behind your beds, windows, and doors; the detector can’t detect CO leakage near such places.
Do I really need a Carbon monoxide detector in my RV?
It alerts us when there is any CO leakage anywhere in our RV.
Fire and smoke alarms are older devices to detect CO leakage, but now the advanced devices are present in the market; you can purchase them and install them in your RV.
A sound system is present in it that makes you alert by siren when they sense any CO near them.
The most important precautionary measure is that When gas leakage occurs in your RV, you may go out from your camper and rush toward areas having fresh air.
It is essential to install it at different places in your camper for your safety, So everyone in RV can listen to the siren during any emergency that occurs due to CO leakage.
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