My husband and I have owned our 13' Scamp for a year now and are taking it out for our first cold weather campout this weekend. However, we were never given an owner's manual for our 2021 (50th anniversary edition) and I've been scouring the web to figure out if and where there would be a CO2/LP detector inside since we have a 16,000 btu propane fueled furnace. The owner's manual from 2022 says there is one but my husband can't find any in ours. I'm a little freaked out about using the heater while sleeping. Any recommendations or information is appreciated.
Thu, 11/10/2022 - 22:08
#1
Camping Friday: CO2/LP detector?
You could always buy a detcetor at Walmart.
On our2019 it was near the floor between the dinette benches It is battery fed and did not have a replaceable battery. Looked like a white vent .
The furnaces used in the scamps draw air for the burner from outside and exhaust it the same outside area. they are very safe in general. the stove is a much higher chance of Co2-LP problem . Do take the time to open the camper up and let the furnace run for a long time to burn off any dust or oils or it will stink you out the first few times. also get bug screens for the furnace grate at the outside to keep bugs out.
FYI
I could be wrong but you may get a CO detector but maybe not include an LP detector. wich is somewhat RV specific item
2019 Scamp 13 standard
I think a CO detector is required by law in all Scamps. At least the ones with a stove. On our 2015 13 it is down low by the passenger side of the bed. As Salukispeed says it's the stove that is the issue not the furnace.
It's unfortunate that the Scamp manual doesn't mention the location of the CO2/LP detector or what it looks like, but as has been said above, for Scamp 13's, it's on the inside lower passenger side bench area of the rear dinette. It's a combo CO2 and propane gas detector. On newer Scamps, it's a Safe-T-Alert RV-25 series unit.
The Suburban furnaces are well-designed and do not pump fumes into the cabin of the Scamp. They have sealed forced-draft combustion which isolates the burning process away from the exchanged heated air.
A CO detector is a important safety device for gas furnaces at home or in a Scamp. I bought a CO/gas detector for our old Scamp. Unfortunately, our cat sets off the gas detector every time he uses the litter box! I am going to replace the CO/gas detector with a CO detector from our house. A person's nose is a good gas detector.
I just realized after reading this thread, that the detector is only for carbon monoxide and propane gas. I didn't know that Scamp did not furnish a smoke detector. I will put one in before I use my camper next spring.
Maybe the detectors that Scamp uses are based upon the small size of their campers. CO2 and LP fumes can collect in small confined spaces and are always lethal. They are insidious and hard to detect. However smoke from a fire or electrical source would wake you. While this is (can be) lethal at home, i.e in a large structure, you might awaken but the smoke or the fire grows to become incapacitating before you can escape the larger structure. It may block your escape too causing death.
I don't see this in a camper of almost any size. The smoke or fire would be discovered long before reaching a lethal or incapacitating size. I believe egress would always be possible even if you got a brief exposure...
CO2, LP detectors? Yes... smoke detectors? Your choice.. probably not a big deal.
Carl
i bought a CO2 and Smoke detector and it would go off all the time, but our camper was fine. i have an older model, maybe the furnace is the issue? we've camped in it and never had issues so i just tossed the detector out.
1987 Scamp 16