Trident propane false alarms

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

There should I believe be only four sets of wires going away from the panel
1. power
2. ground
3. wires for the solenoid
4. wires for the sensor

I'm betting on a bad sensor

I'd guess the sensor wires are a smaller gauge? MHO

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by freshalaska

My propane gas detector will sometimes alarm when the wet cell batteries are gassing a lot. Could that be what your experiencing?

+1. Many sensors will alarm on various gases, not just propane. The alarm may indeed be smarter than you think...look for other sources.

Years ago, we had one alarm in the wee hours of the morning. After being rudely awakened and ripping things apart to confirm not a propane leak, we tracked it down...a paper towel with finger nail polish remover in it...which my wife had depsoited in the galley trash bin.

[Mike Banks]

Diesel fumes will send off mine. Any spilled flammable liquid seems to set them off.

[deblen]

[QUOTE=OrangeCrush;2369656]I heard from my boat's previous owner and got some clarity (he was actually following along here on the forum and got in touch). The spray can thing was just the float for the bilge pump and the only sensor is in the galley behind the stove, nothing in the bilge now. It seems they don't make detectors for my old panel anymore but the tech guy at Trident told me I can remove the Figaro TGS 813 screen and clean it or replace it and it might solve my false alarms. He also recommended not putting any sensors in the bilge because there are too many other fumes in there. Also you can test a sensor with the gas from a bic lighter, which did not set mine off so I might need a new one anyway.

So I'll clean the sensor and if that doesn't work I'll need a new panel. Thanks for the help, all.

Hi
Most of the various brands of marine "gas" sensors that I worked with used the Figaro TGS 813 sensor. Some mfgrs soldered the sensor pins & some used an old vacuum tube socket to allow you to plug the sensor in.
Either method,it's the same sensor used .

go to ebay & "fill yer boots"

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...ensor&_sacat=0

Cheers/ Len

[DanDerrick]

I have gone through two of these in about 6 months. Has anyone had any luck cleaning them? I'm not in the US so it's hard to get replacements from Trident, but I'm going to reach out to them today if I can find a contact.

Originally Posted by ColdEh Marine

Should look like this

Regards John.

[OrangeCrush]

Originally Posted by DanDerrick

I have gone through two of these in about 6 months. Has anyone had any luck cleaning them? I'm not in the US so it's hard to get replacements from Trident, but I'm going to reach out to them today if I can find a contact.

The trident tech was very helpful when I called. I think his name was Dan. Cleaning the screen element with soap and water did nothing for me, but I bought a new part for $15 on eBay and it did the trick... for a minute. I guess i misaligned the circuit board inside the detector because a minute after I tested it, it started sparking and shorting out and smoking. I ended up getting a whole new panel on eBay for about a hundred bucks and I'm glad to have the more modern unit for something this important.

[MarkSF]

Why did a leaking valve at the tank set off the leak detector? The tanks should be in a sealed locker that vents overboard. Leaks in the locker should not be detectable above the stove, IMHO.

[OrangeCrush]

Not sure if that question is for me (OP) but I didn't have any leaks, just false alarms with the older detector. Since I installed the new panel and detector it has worked great. No false alarms, and one legit alarm when a crew member tried to light the oven the wrong way.

[rwidman]

Since this is a safety system and your life could depend on it, I would steer away from eBay unless you can be sure that you are buying brand new OEM parts.

Cleaning the sensor may or may not stop it from alarming but are you sure it still works as designed? You might have just killed it.

The safest thing to do is replace it. The same brand would be the easiest but another brand would work if it's easier to find.

And if you're not sure you can do this correctly, pay someone who can. You don't want to wake up dead one morning.

[MarkSF]

With the current Trident sensors, I've found they really hate moisture. I got through a couple of sensors before I figured out that the location in the bilge allowed them to get wet when heeled. I had to compromise and put the sensor high up in the bilge.

That's why I'm a little doubtful about cleaning them.

[deblen]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

With the current Trident sensors, I've found they really hate moisture. I got through a couple of sensors before I figured out that the location in the bilge allowed them to get wet when heeled. I had to compromise and put the sensor high up in the bilge.

That's why I'm a little doubtful about cleaning them.

Mark
The original equipment sensor used by most LPG alarms is a Figaro TGS 813.

I never had any satisfaction from cleaning them,using a variety of methods & chemicals over many years. There is a heating element inside the sensor & I assume it burns out. It certainly will not stand dampness,let alone water.

The recommended location for the sensor is not the bilge. The recommended position is behind the appliance(stove,etc),under the propane connection & close to floor. See attd article for reasoning.

Safe Boat Propane System Installation
See pgh 9-Fume sensor

"If propane gets to your bilge spaces,it may be too late"

Hope this helps / Len

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Dan.

[SollaSollew]

I've been having the same problem lately, with somewhat increasing frequency. I pulled apart the sensor unit and examined the circuit board. There was some mild corrosion around a few of the solder points where the wires came in.
I scrubbed with a wire brush, vacuumed everything to get all the dust out, and re-installed. Fingers crossed.

[CarlF]

Propane sensors do lose sensitivity and have to be replaced eventually.

My sensor is this BEP unit which claims to have some smarts in the control circuit to deal with changing sensor sensitivity. I don't know if it's true but it has never had a false alarm (I occasionally test with a propane torch) and at five years is doing fine. New OEM sensors are readily available from BEP.

Gas Detector with Control | Marinco

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, SollaSollew.