Smoke Detectors

[Busdriver]

Have wired smoke detectors in my RV thinking about changing them to battery only detectors only . My ? Is do I just fasten the wire to gather to complete the circuit.
The reason want to change my are eating batteries. Batteries only last about a month

[wa8yxm]

You said wired ? 12 volt use the house battery. 120 volt shore power.

I'd go with the 10 year self contained.. On the wires that provide the power.. Do not tie them together.. Tape them off. and cap them. You don't want to short them

[JimK-NY]

Many manufacturers make smoke detectors specifically for use in kitchen areas. They are less prone to false alarms when cooking and they are also a good choice for confined RV spaces which include cooking. I have not seen them advertised for RV use, but they are advertised for kitchen use.

[dougrainer]

9 volt battery Smoke detectors are the same for House and RV's. They do not make a special Smoke detector for 9 volt battery operated. That said, I have rarely seen a 12 volt wired smoke detector. COMBO CO and LP 12 volt I have seen. Doug

[Bumpyroad]

craig7h wrote:
I could be totally wrong on this, but for some reason I remember reading that there are special detectors for RV's. Not saying house ones would not work but for some reason I remember that there was a difference. Might want to check that out.

that sort of rings a bell, don't remember why however.

bumpy

[3_tons]

I got a First Alert smoke detector at Lowes with a built-in non-accessible lithium battery good for 10 years (less than $30) which most likely well outlast me - lol

3 tons

[vermilye]

Just be sure you are replacing smoke detectors, not the propane detector. Detectors that test for gas tend to draw enough current that built in battery versions are rare, which is why they are usually powered by the RV's 12V system.

[craig7h]

I could be totally wrong on this, but for some reason I remember reading that there are special detectors for RV's. Not saying house ones would not work but for some reason I remember that there was a difference. Might want to check that out.

[Bumpyroad]

my last two smoke detectors in my S & B came with a ten year lithium, no replaceable battery. seems simpler to me.
bumpy

[Busdriver]

Thanks

[nickthehunter]

If you have two white and two black coming in (total of 4) and the smoke detectors is wired to those two sets of wires, then yes, take the smoke detector wires off, keep the pairs of black and white together by color and cap them off. If the smoke detector is just wired to one set of black and white wires, just remove the smoke detector and cap the ends of the two wires. In other words keep the black(s) and white(s) separate from each other but together by color. If the black and whites touch each other, sparks fly and the breaker pops (hopefully) - that’s a dead short.