Carbon Monoxide & Emergency Escape Plans

Carbon Monoxide Gas is invisible, odorless, and deadly! Carbon Monoxide is produced when any fuel is burned; this includes gasoline, propane, natural gas, wood, & coal. It is extremely serious when combustion by-products are not vented outside. Carbon Monoxide is the number one cause of poisoning deaths in the United States each year. Let's look at what we can do to prevent the danger of carbon monoxide in our RV.

In RV's Carbon Monoxide Gas usually results from:

* Exhaust leaks from either a vehicle engine or a generator.
* Improper use of portable gas powered heaters.
* Someone else's vehicle or generator when camping in close quarters.


If your RV doesn't have a carbon monoxide detector you need to purchase a battery operated carbon monoxide detector designed for use in RV's. Test the carbon monoxide detector every time you use the RV. Replace the carbon monoxide detector batteries when you change clocks for daylight savings time.


Now we want to discuss a topic many RVers don't think about, an emergency escape plan. What do you do in the event of an emergency and everybody has to get out of the RV quickly and in an orderly fashion. The National Fire Protection agency requires that RV's have emergency escape windows. Make sure everybody knows where the escape window is located and how to use it.

It's a good idea to practice using it so you are familiar with how to get out of the RV in case of an emergency. You should have an emergency escape plan for the front of the RV and the rear of the RV.

Read the full story with important life saving tips!

RV Winter Tips

Tip #1- To assist you with heating your RV during cold weather camping, and to save a significant amount of LP gas that your RV furnace uses, purchase a portable electric ceramic heater. They work extremely well and many models available on the market come equipped with thermostats.

Tip #2- If your RV is equipped with a generator, at a minimum, it should be exercised for 30 minutes to an hour on a monthly basis with at least a half rated load. Consult your generator owner’s manual for load ratings. If your generator has a carburetor and it is not exercised on a regular basis the fuel will begin to gel around the jets. If this happens and you manage to get it started it will have that all too familiar surging sound. It can damage electrical appliances and equipment not to mention the cost of having the carburetor removed and cleaned. If the generator will be in long term storage you can add a fuel preservative to the fuel tank and run the generator long enough for the preserver to get through the fuel system. This will protect it until you are ready to use it again. More RV storage tips are available on our Winterizing and Storage video available at www.rveducation101.com

Tip #3- Never use your range burners or oven as a source of heat! This is the only non-vented LP gas appliance on modern day RVs. Cooking appliances need fresh air for combustion and because of the limited supply of oxygen in RVs, due to the size, oxygen is depleted and there is a greater danger of asphyxiation.