LPG Sensor

[Bob Camarena]

I have two LPG sensors in my boat, one just below the stove and a second in the bilge. The alarm is wired directly to the battery. If I leave the power connected to the LPG alarm/control panel and leave the boat for a few days, the alarm is always on when I return. I know that it isn't LPG that's tripping it, the valve is firmly shut off at the tank, there are no leaks and this will happen even if there has been no recent LPG use. The alarm stops if the reset button is pressed. It never seems to happen when we're using the boat (even for 3-4 days), only when it's been closed up for a few days. Could it be voltage fluctuation from my multi-stage charger or some other fume build-up in the bilge? Any ideas? If I can't solve the problem, I'm going to have to install a cut-off switch to the whole LPG control/alarm panel.

 

[Peter18012]

Bad ground?

Bob, I don't have propane stove on my 27, and therefore know only enough to be dangerous (a bad thing when you're talking about propane!), but in my experience wierd effects with any instument that has any electrical connection to it is frequently caused by a bad ground, or corrosion somewhere leading to intermittent connections. The fact that is OK when you're aboard or push reset might indicate this, as both of those would cause you to cycle the whole system, which frequently reduces or eliminates (for a short time) corrosion issues. Might bear thought. See you this weekend!Peter