Lazy Daze Owners' Group

Here's a cautionary tale. Many RVers I know use Camco/Olympian Wave 3 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LRF90UW) or Wave 6 catalytic radiant heaters. I've had them in various rigs for 25 years now.

Recently, I began smelling propane when my two-year-old Wave 3 heater was running, but not when it was off. That seemed odd. After all, a leak is a leak. I used my gas detector (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FSVCSSL) to sniff around when the heater was off, and found nothing. But when the heater was on, an invisible plume of propane rose from the center of the heater. (See visualization below.)

I couldn't figure out what was going on, but it was obvious that I wasn't going to be able to use that heater, which I rely on for 90% of my heating. I ordered a replacement from Amazon and it showed up within a few days. Installation was easy, and I was pleasantly surprised that the new heater put out as much heat on its low setting as the old one did on high.

Although I'm very familiar with these heaters, I read through the manual to refresh my memory. It's so full of bold face WARNINGS that it's not easy to read the actual information. But on the very last sentence of the next to last page, I read these words: "Catalyst pad poisoning can cause lowered heat output and release of unburned or partially burned gas." ("Poisoning" in their terminology means contamination by dust or other substances.)

Bingo! That exactly described the symptoms of my old heater. Yes, I have a cover for it, and I usually covered it up when not in use. But when you turn it off, you have to wait ten minutes or so before it's cool enough to put a cover on... and if you know you're going to be using it first thing the next morning, it's easy to just let it slide and not cover it up. I had done that plenty of times.

In short, I had ruined my heater and caused a dangerous propane leak by my negligence. I'm going to be religious about covering it from now on! It's not so hard, after all - when I turn the heater off, all I have to do is say "Siri, set a timer for 10 minutes." That'll remind me to put on the cover once the heater has cooled sufficiently.

By the way, I couldn't find the Camco brand covers for this heater when I looked just now, but there is a look-alike cover (https://www.amazon.com/iFJF-Replaces-Compatible-Olympian-Catalytic/dp/B07MSJSFKM/ref=sr_1_1). I sewed my own years ago from the pattern that you can find on this page (http://www.andybaird.com/Eureka/pages/cat-cover2.htm) of my website.

P.S. - While reading the customer reviews for that gas detector (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FSVCSSL) - which I highly recommend, by the way - I noticed several RVers who had used it to pinpoint sewer gas leaks in their rigs. That's a use I had never thought of, but I'll keep it in mind from now on!

Glad you figured this out before something more serious happened, and thanks for the heads-up warning.
I'm surprised the propane detector didn't alarm or have a flame showing, burning off the unused propane.

The odorant propane is mixed with has a very strong smell; there is a good chance that only a small amount of propane was released unburned, or else the detector should have alarmed.
I wonder what condition our 20+ year-old Wave 3 catalytic pad is in?

Larry

"I'm surprised the propane detector didn't alarm..."

So was I. I can think of two reasons. First, the propane leaking from the heater was hot, so it was rising rather than sinking to the floor as is normally the case with a propane leak. My testing with the gas detector demonstrated that clearly. However, it should have eventually cooled and sunk to floor level. But maybe by then it had diffused enough that it didn't trigger the propane detector. Second, my propane detector is four years old, as I recall, and probably is due for a replacement. If I had to guess, that would be the most likely reason.

"there is a good chance that only a small amount of propane was released unburned..."

My nose is rather insensitive, but I could smell it, and the smell was quite strong near the heater (and noticeable elsewhere in the rig). So my guess is that there was a fair amount of propane being released.

"... or have a flame showing, burning off the unused propane."

I think probably that was because there was no source of ignition. The uncontaminated parts of the pad were glowing, but there was no open flame to start the unused propane on fire.

"I wonder what condition our 20+ year-old Wave 3 catalytic pad is in?"

If you can't smell propane, then it's probably fine - maybe not putting out quite as much heat as when it was new, but not gushing raw propane like mine. I've heard of these heaters lasting many years, so I think my unit's premature failure was due to my carelessness in not covering it up religiously, plus the fact that I often camp in windy/dusty areas and the heater is mounted right next to my entry door.

Hi Andy and Larry; commonly us older people have reduced sensitivity to smells.  In addition really slow leaks can cause olfactory fatigue.  Detectors also have a rate of rise issue to avoid false alarms. 
   Quote from a Google search:
"Yes, slow and continuous exposure to the odorant in propane can cause olfactory fatigue, which decreases your ability to smell it. This happens when your nose becomes desensitized or "gets tired" from the constant presence of the smell.
How olfactory fatigue works
Sensory adaptation: Your brain and nervous system adapt to a constant, non-threatening stimulus and stop signaling its presence. When you are continuously exposed to a low level of propane, your sense of smell can gradually ignore it."
     Your detector is probably OK until it's normal expiration date.     In bigger rigs I might have two detectors, one at a higher level for warm vapors, and spaced about 2 1/2 years apart, so that they don't both 'time out' together.  RonB

Thanks, Andy, for the heads-up.  For 30 years, we have been using our cat for all of our heating, even when plugged into shore (to avoid the furnace noise).  We never experienced what you describe, but will always cover it up now after cool down.  I am (was) like you;  if using it for multiple nights, I just left it uncovered.  We have an original vinyl cover that we used to store it, but now I will also use it once set up.  Good info!

We bought our Olympian 2800 (predates Wave 3) I believe about '95 and it has worked flawlessly since. Since the lit with it talked about pad poisoning by dust, my wife immediately fabricated a slip-on cover that goes on when cool enough, semi-religiously. This I feel is responsible for its longevity.

Steve