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  1. #1
    Left The Driveway
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    Mysterious beeping - low voltage alarm?

    We just completed our first trip in the trailer and discovered a mysterious and very faint beeping (alarm?) from a source that I cannot determine. I'm pretty sure I scoured the manual for every appliance and detector on board trying to determine the source.

    Here's the sound:

    A VERY faint series of about 8-10 beeps that occurs every 15 minutes. The series of beeps only lasts 5 seconds. It is louder when standing inside the trailer than out. It seems to be loudest in the center of the RV.

    At one point, it seemed loudest when standing beneath the Air Conditioner. Another time, it seemed loudest near the refrigerator. It's so faint that it's hard to pinpoint.

    Confounding the problem is that it stops after a while (usually while I'm trying to locate the source).

    Here's what we experienced: We traveled 150 miles, and then, around 2pm, we parked and connected to 50A shore power at our camping spot. It's possible that the beeping started right away, but we didn't detect it for a few hours (we have a noisy toddler). It continued every 15 minutes, and I spent an hour searching for the source with no luck. We left for a while and then returned at bedtime when I heard it twice more while laying in bed. At 9:30pm it stopped and never returned for the next 6 days. We were plugged into shore power the entire time.

    Upon arriving back home and reconnecting to 50A shore power, the beeping returned. However, we had forgotten about the issue, and didn't hear it until unloading the next morning. We only heard it twice (in 15 minute intervals). The last time I heard it, it seemed to maybe come from the Air Conditioner. So I climbed up on the roof and sat there for 15 minutes. And GUESS WHAT?! No more beeping!

    So here I am.... could this possibly be a low voltage alarm? What do they sound like for the various appliances? Any other ideas?
    Last edited by tylerml; 07-30-2021 at 05:37 PM.

  2. #2
    Site Team Ynot4me2's Avatar
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    Is everything working as expected? Is your fridge set on auto and the lp turn on. It might be having problems igniting. How's you battery condition? Not more frustrating then chasing sperodic alarms.

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    Steph & Lise
    2019 F150 Lariat 2.7 EB
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  3. #3
    Site Team WhittleBurner's Avatar
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    Check your battery voltage next time this happens. If it is low it's likely the propane detector, it will alarm if the battery gets to low.
    Another source could be the fire detectors or the carbon monoxide detector if they are at the end of their life. What year and model is your trailer
    Marcy & Gary
    2014 Grand Design - Reflection 303RLS
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  4. #4
    Site Sponsor Buckskin's Avatar
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    Doesn't sound like your problem but every time my air conditioner shuts off I get alarm from my fireplace. It's just one beep and if you look closely you can see alarm code on display appear very briefly. Told this was normally because your air conditioner and fireplace can't be on at same time. I think when air conditioner comes on power is shut off to fireplace and when air conditioner shuts off power is restored to fireplace, therefore beeping and warning light.

  5. #5
    Left The Driveway
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ynot4me2 View Post
    Is everything working as expected? Is your fridge set on auto and the lp turn on. It might be having problems igniting. How's you battery condition? Not more frustrating then chasing sperodic alarms.

    Sent from my SM-P610 using Tapatalk
    Yes, everything appears to work normally. The fridge was on Auto and I confirmed that it switched to LP before traveling each time - the burner lit as it should. I confirmed that it stayed lit after the 3 hour trip home (fridge temp was good). In the coming days, I will take a close look at the batteries. I have a bank of 2 sealed lead acid batteries installed by the dealership when I purchased the trailer a month ago. I have been monitoring the voltage through the Compass Connect App. It's been unplugged for about 15 hours, and is currently reading 12.6V with no load, as it should be. When plugged into shore power, the app reads 13.6V (which is the voltage from the converter). While towing, it also read 13.6V (from the alternator). I realize that this may all not be relevant, but for this newbie, it helps to talk it out.

    My brother had an interesting theory (he bought a 2021 Reflection 28BH about 2 months ago). He wondered if the beeping might be coming from the Converter-Charger. His thought is that it could be beeping every 15 minutes to indicate the charge level of the batteries as they are being charged. That would explain why it eventually stops over time. I have the WFCO WF-9855. I don't see anything in the manual about beeping, but it seems a logical theory. And it would explain why I thought I heard 5 beeps one time, 8 beeps another time, then 9, then 10. I can't recall for certain if it was always increasing, but my count was always different.
    Last edited by tylerml; 07-31-2021 at 10:07 AM.

  6. #6
    Left The Driveway
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    Quote Originally Posted by WhittleBurner View Post
    Check your battery voltage next time this happens. If it is low it's likely the propane detector, it will alarm if the battery gets to low.
    Another source could be the fire detectors or the carbon monoxide detector if they are at the end of their life. What year and model is your trailer
    Will do. I don't think it's the smoke, CO, or propane detector. I was closely watching and listening to these, and it seemed to come from elsewhere. Plus it was so faint, that it would not be an effective alarm. Also, the alarm beeping pattern for the "malfunctions" of each detector according to their manuals are fewer than 8-10. I have a 2022 Reflection 268BH
    2022 Reflection 268BH
    2011 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD w/ PullRite Superglide 20K

  7. #7
    Long Hauler
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    This post is not meant to be taken to seriously...

    To me, what you are describing is, what we electronic technicians/engineers like to call an annoyer... It's a little kit that you can build yourself that's about the size of a quarter. It runs off of a button battery, usually a CR2025.

    The purpose of these little buggers is to emit a quiet beep, or a series of quiet beeps, then stop. The beeps can be random, as well as the interval between them. It usually has a magnet on the back so it can be put in a variety of places. The battery usually lasts 2-3 months.

    I've found a few of them in my shop over the years. Trust me, they will drive you crazy!

    I'd like to state, for the record, that I do not think you have one of these in your trailer.

    As others have said, it sounds like an electronic device. If you have a couple of people handy, I would station everyone near San electronic component (fireplace, refrigerator, smoke detector, CO2 alarm, etc.) And play the waiting game.

    Best of luck to you in finding the offending annoyance!

    Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk
    Mark & Mary. Full-timing across the USA (and Canada)!
    Current Coach: 2021 Grand Design Reflection 320MKS
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  8. #8
    Site Team Ynot4me2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tylerml View Post
    Yes, everything appears to work normally. The fridge was on Auto and I confirmed that it switched to LP before traveling each time - the burner lit as it should. I confirmed that it stayed lit after the 3 hour trip home (fridge temp was good). In the coming days, I will take a close look at the batteries. I have a bank of 2 sealed lead acid batteries installed by the dealership when I purchased the trailer a month ago. I have been monitoring the voltage through the Compass Connect App. It's been unplugged for about 15 hours, and is currently reading 12.6V with no load, as it should be. When plugged into shore power, the app reads 13.6V (which is the voltage from the converter). While towing, it also read 13.6V (from the alternator). I realize that this may all not be relevant, but for this newbie, it helps to talk it out.

    My brother had an interesting theory (he bought a 2021 Reflection 28BH about 2 months ago). He wondered if the beeping might be coming from the Converter-Charger. His thought is that it could be beeping every 15 minutes to indicate the charge level of the batteries as they are being charged. That would explain why it eventually stops over time. I have the WFCO WF-9855. I don't see anything in the manual about beeping, but it seems a logical theory. And it would explain why I thought I heard 5 beeps one time, 8 beeps another time, then 9, then 10. I can't recall for certain if it was always increasing, but my count was always different.
    I've never heard of something like your brother described but who knows these days. He could very well be right since you have already done a good job at troubleshooting. Like @MoonShadow_1911 said. Try and get a few volunteers to stand here and there and replicate the situation. BTW that would drive me crazy. Good luck and please keep us posted with your findings.

    Sent from my SM-P610 using Tapatalk
    Steph & Lise
    2019 F150 Lariat 2.7 EB
    2020 Imagine XLS 22MLE

  9. #9
    Seasoned Camper
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    I find that turning on the radio or TV louder often solves technical issues!

    Good luck!
    Timmer
    2020 Grand Design Reflection 312BHTS
    2015 Ford F350, 6.2L Gas, Crew Cab

  10. #10
    Setting Up Camp
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    I’d start shutting off breakers one at a time until it stops. Should help narrow down your search. Blow co sensor and smoke detector with compressed air. May be dusty sensor or something. My home smoke detector did this. Uses a beam of light and lens was dirty. Not sure about CO. May have to unplug it to see if it stops. Hope this helps.

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