why does raw butane set off an ionising smoke detector ?

On Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at 12:39:51 PM UTC, Jim GM4DHJ ... wrote:
why does raw butane set off an ionising smoke detector ?

How about cooked butane?

Tim

On 18/02/2020 12:39, Jim GM4DHJ ... wrote:
why does raw butane set off an ionising smoke detector ?

I'd be surprised (and worried) if it got near to one. Butane is denser
than air and tends to 'settle' near the floor. If there is enough in the
room that it reaches the smoke detector (which is normally mounted high
up), there is a LOT of Butane around.

I assume this is in your caravan? You should have 'vents' in the floor,
especially where there is Butane equipment (ie possible leaks). The idea
is, any Butane which has leaked 'sinks' out of the vents. That is why
LPG and Boats can be a problem- you can't have vents! Boats should have
LPG detectors but I'm not sure how they work.

On 18/02/2020 13:08, Brian Reay wrote:
On 18/02/2020 12:39, Jim GM4DHJ ... wrote:
why does raw butane set off an ionising smoke detector ?

I'd be surprised (and worried) if it got near to one. Butane is denser
than air and tends to 'settle' near the floor. If there is enough in the
room that it reaches the smoke detector (which is normally mounted high
up), there is a LOT of Butane around.

I assume this is in your caravan? You should have 'vents' in the floor,
especially where there is Butane equipment (ie possible leaks). The idea
is, any Butane which has leaked 'sinks' out of the vents.Â* That is why
LPG and Boats can be a problem- you can't have vents! Boats should have
LPG detectors but I'm not sure how they work.


Yes it was last year at the van and the smoke alarms kept going off when
the cabinet heater was not on...never had any trouble before or
since.....I blamed a faulty outlet valve on the bottle.....didn't smell
any gas so I just assumed that a very small amount can set of an
ionising detector...was wondering if others had expeienced this...and as
you say butane and propane sinks to the ground and that is why they are
banned in high flats for obvious reasons......anyway a good few weeks
ago I bought a small 15kg flogas bottle and left it out the back door
when I went to use it the bottle felt very light and in the shack
cabinet heater it has only lasted a quarter of the time I would have
expected....so I am assuming another faulty valve on the bottle?..twenty
quids worth of gas wasted....so....I am now manually triggering the
valve on any bottles now and again that I buy and was thinking about
sticking a baloon over the bottle outlet to act as a tell tale for leaks
while in storage outside ......

On 18/02/2020 17:18, Jim GM4DHJ ... wrote:
On 18/02/2020 13:08, Brian Reay wrote:
On 18/02/2020 12:39, Jim GM4DHJ ... wrote:
why does raw butane set off an ionising smoke detector ?

I'd be surprised (and worried) if it got near to one. Butane is denser
than air and tends to 'settle' near the floor. If there is enough in
the room that it reaches the smoke detector (which is normally mounted
high up), there is a LOT of Butane around.

I assume this is in your caravan? You should have 'vents' in the
floor, especially where there is Butane equipment (ie possible leaks).
The idea is, any Butane which has leaked 'sinks' out of the vents.
That is why LPG and Boats can be a problem- you can't have vents!
Boats should have LPG detectors but I'm not sure how they work.


Yes it was last year at the van and the smoke alarms kept going off when
the cabinet heater was not on...never had any trouble before or
since.....I blamed a faulty outlet valve on the bottle.....didn't smell
any gas so I just assumed that a very small amount can set of an
ionising detector...was wondering if others had expeienced this...and as
you say butane and propane sinks to the ground and that is why they are
banned in high flats for obvious reasons......anyway a good few weeks
ago I bought a small 15kg flogas bottle and left it out the back door
when I went to use it the bottle felt very light and in the shack
cabinet heater it has only lasted a quarter of the time I would have
expected....so I am assuming another faulty valve on the bottle?..twenty
quids worth of gas wasted....so....I am now manually triggering the
valve on any bottles now and again that I buy and was thinking about
sticking a baloon over the bottle outlet to act as a tell tale for leaks
while in storage outside ......

what do you think?....

Its a vapour probably at room pressures so I'd expect the current will
change in the ionised space.
Brian

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"Jim GM4DHJ ..." wrote in message
...
why does raw butane set off an ionising smoke detector ?

Yes I remember what happened to Fanny Cradocks boat.

I'm thinking he just squirted some near the sensor, as otherwise the room
is probably either blown up or incapable of sustaining life!
I forget the explosive mixture ratio now but its surprisingly low in the
flammable gas.
Brian

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"Brian Reay" wrote in message
...
On 18/02/2020 12:39, Jim GM4DHJ ... wrote:
why does raw butane set off an ionising smoke detector ?

I'd be surprised (and worried) if it got near to one. Butane is denser
than air and tends to 'settle' near the floor. If there is enough in the
room that it reaches the smoke detector (which is normally mounted high
up), there is a LOT of Butane around.

I assume this is in your caravan? You should have 'vents' in the floor,
especially where there is Butane equipment (ie possible leaks). The idea
is, any Butane which has leaked 'sinks' out of the vents. That is why LPG
and Boats can be a problem- you can't have vents! Boats should have LPG
detectors but I'm not sure how they work.

Jim GM4DHJ ... wrote:
On 18/02/2020 13:08, Brian Reay wrote:
On 18/02/2020 12:39, Jim GM4DHJ ... wrote:
why does raw butane set off an ionising smoke detector ?

I'd be surprised (and worried) if it got near to one. Butane is denser
than air and tends to 'settle' near the floor. If there is enough in the
room that it reaches the smoke detector (which is normally mounted high
up), there is a LOT of Butane around.

I assume this is in your caravan? You should have 'vents' in the floor,
especially where there is Butane equipment (ie possible leaks). The idea
is, any Butane which has leaked 'sinks' out of the vents.Â* That is why
LPG and Boats can be a problem- you can't have vents! Boats should have
LPG detectors but I'm not sure how they work.


Yes it was last year at the van and the smoke alarms kept going off when
the cabinet heater was not on...never had any trouble before or
since.....I blamed a faulty outlet valve on the bottle.....didn't smell
any gas so I just assumed that a very small amount can set of an
ionising detector.


Are you absolutely sure its not a gas detector?

Tim

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Please don't feed the trolls

On 18/02/2020 17:33, Tim+ wrote:
Jim GM4DHJ ... wrote:
On 18/02/2020 13:08, Brian Reay wrote:
On 18/02/2020 12:39, Jim GM4DHJ ... wrote:
why does raw butane set off an ionising smoke detector ?

I'd be surprised (and worried) if it got near to one. Butane is denser
than air and tends to 'settle' near the floor. If there is enough in the
room that it reaches the smoke detector (which is normally mounted high
up), there is a LOT of Butane around.

I assume this is in your caravan? You should have 'vents' in the floor,
especially where there is Butane equipment (ie possible leaks). The idea
is, any Butane which has leaked 'sinks' out of the vents.Â* That is why
LPG and Boats can be a problem- you can't have vents! Boats should have
LPG detectors but I'm not sure how they work.


Yes it was last year at the van and the smoke alarms kept going off when
the cabinet heater was not on...never had any trouble before or
since.....I blamed a faulty outlet valve on the bottle.....didn't smell
any gas so I just assumed that a very small amount can set of an
ionising detector.


Are you absolutely sure its not a gas detector?

Tim



em yes I have an ionising smoke detector and an co2 detector and I
haven't even changed the ionising smoke one for an optical yet which are
great for burnt toast at home..... there was no other reason for the
smoke detector to go off...it had to be the raw butane ....did a number
of tests before I rejected the bottle.....must have been a very low
level leak as I didn't smell it and I felt OK ...strange
....I have no sense of thirst for some reason but a very good sense of
smell....