The level of comfort in an RV is important, but what is much more important than that is safety. Dealing with essentially a home with wheels, you are also dealing with the risk of smoke & CO accidents.
And if you happen to be looking for ways to improve the safety in your RV, our material featuring what we think are the best RV smoke detectors and more may interest you.
BEST RV SMOKE DETECTORS
- Pros
- The built-in digital display shows CO levels.
- Long 10-year life cycle.
- Can be either wall-mounted or set on a table.
- Pros
- Great at detecting smoke from flaming fires.
- UL-certified.
- The tamper-resistant locking pin prevents battery removal.
- Cons
- Won’t detect smoldering smoke too well.
- Pros
- Not too expensive.
- Intuitive and easy to use.
- Pros
- Can detect smoke from both flaming and smoldering fires.
- Tamper-resistant.
- Meets the requirements of the UL 217 standard.
- Cons
- A bit pricey.
- Pros
- Detects propane and CO.
- Hardwired design.
- UL-listed.
- Cons
- Cannot operate autonomously.
THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN RV SMOKE AND CO DETECTORS
Now, we do know what each of the reviewed detectors has to offer, but how to pick the best RV smoke detector or CO detector? Well, let’s have a look at the things that matter the most in them.
TYPES OF RV SMOKE & CO DETECTORS
SMOKE DETECTORS
Smoke detectors, as suggested by their name, are designed specifically to detect smoke in the air. Since fires can burn differently and produce varying smoke, there are two types of smoke detectors on the market – ionization and photoelectric. There also are dual-sensor smoke detectors that combine the features of the two.
Ionization smoke detectors are the most effective with fast, flaming fires that produce smaller smoke particles. On the other hand, these smoke detectors don’t react well to smoldering and smoky fires. In addition, they tend to false-alarm from steam and burnt food, so place them away from the RV kitchen and bathroom.
In contrast with ionization smoke detectors, photoelectric smoke detectors are effective at detecting large smoke particles that are typical of smoldering & smoky fires. Pretty much, photoelectric smoke detectors mirror the pros and cons of ionization detectors. Thus, they may be used in kitchen and bathroom areas.
Lastly, dual-sensor smoke detectors, as the name implies, combine the technologies of the two other detector types. As a result, these detectors detect particles of either fast or smoldering fires. Dual-sensor smoke detectors cost more but in exchange allow you to avoid the hassle of installing two separate smoke detectors.
CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS
Carbon monoxide detectors are specifically designed to detect carbon monoxide in the air. The technology used in these detectors is completely different, which means that they can’t detect smoke (as well as explosive gases like propane or natural gas). Likewise, smoke detectors cannot detect carbon monoxide.
Carbon monoxide detectors also have different kinds of sensors, but the majority of CO detectors nowadays are relying on electrochemical sensors. Electrochemical sensors rely on electrodes and chemical solutions to detect high CO levels and alert you about it. These sensors have proven to be the most effective among all the CO detector sensor types, so you don’t need to look for other CO sensor types unless specifically needed.
TWO-IN-ONE SMOKE AND CO DETECTORS
Some detectors available out there combine the capabilities of smoke and CO sensors, allowing you to keep track of the level of smoke and CO at safe levels with just one device. Needless to say, you are probably going to pay more for a combo smoke & CO detector
IMPORTANT FEATURES IN SMOKE & CO DETECTORS
SMART CAPABILITY
Smart CO & smoke detectors are available on the market, offering more convenience and perhaps more safety to RVers.
For example, smart detectors occasionally do diagnostics and alert you via their companion mobile device apps if anything is wrong. Among the other conveniences that smart detectors offer is the ability to hush alarms from your mobile device, check their battery level, and overall control and monitor all the functions of the detector remotely.
BUILT-IN SCREEN
Smoke detectors usually don’t come with built-in displays, but CO detectors do. What the built-in screens do is display the carbon monoxide concentrations in parts per million. In fact, they display the CO concentration even if it is well below the dangerous level that triggers the alarm.
A built-in display could alert you of the CO levels inching up, possibly higher than usual. In addition, some units show the peak CO levels after their last reset, which would allow you, for example, to see if there have been any spikes while you were away.
POWER SOURCE
Considering the power source of your smoke/CO detector is very important. If your detector isn’t powered properly, then it won’t work when it is needed.
Detectors can either operate on a battery or be hardwired to your RV’s electrical system in order to run without batteries. Units that are intended to be hardwired usually have backup battery sources though for cases when your RV battery discharges.
The main advantage of battery-operating units is that they don’t require any complex hardwiring procedures from you: you just need to mount them in a proper spot. However, with such detectors, battery charge and health become a concern – you will need to not only keep track of the battery charge but also occasionally check the battery health.
Hardwired detectors don’t rely on an built-in battery to operate, but they do rely on an external power source like an RV battery. Hardwired detectors work as long as your RV battery is charged. And even if the detector loses power, its backup batteries will keep it up and running for some time.
With hardwired detectors, the RV battery isn’t as big of an issue since you have to keep it in good shape with or without the detector installed. On the other hand, with a battery-operated detector, you will have one more battery to worry about. Hardwired detectors do require more effort for setup though.
SAFETY LIGHTS
Safety lights can truly be lifesavers in smoke or CO detectors. In an emergency at night, safety lights would allow you to quickly orient yourself in the RV and escape if the situation requires it. So it is a good idea to have safety or strobe lights in your smoke or CO detector.
DATE OF MANUFACTURE
Detectors lose their sensitivity with time, so the newer a smoke/CO detector is, the better. Usually, it is recommended to replace CO detectors every 5 years and smoke detectors every 10 years. While you don’t need to get a brand-new detector, make sure that it at least falls within these time frames.
UL CERTIFICATION
You may also want your RV safety detector to have an Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certification. If you didn’t know, UL is a global safety certification company operating for around 125 years, and it has rather rigorous requirements that safety devices need to satisfy in order to be UL-certified. So if a smoke/CO detector is UL-certified, you can be sure that it has good performance.
CONCLUSION
Safety systems are no joke, and you should approach choosing a smoke or CO detector very carefully.
We’ve provided you with general guidelines on choosing a proper detector, which should be enough for you. But do keep in mind that there may be some specifics unique to you and your RV. Make sure to understand what you need and only then decide which detector to go for.
