Do I Need a Carbon Monoxide Detector in a Van?
Yes if you burn anything, run a heater, cook inside, idle the vehicle near openings, or sleep in enclosed spaces. Carbon monoxide (CO) can build without obvious warning, and you cannot rely on smell or symptoms to catch it in time.
CO SAFETY
CO is odorless and fast
Small space risk is higher
Detector is cheap insurance
BOTTOM LINE
If you have combustion, you need detection
A CO detector is not optional gear if any flame, heater, generator, or engine exhaust can influence your interior air. It’s a last line of defense when something leaks, backdrafts, or burns wrong.
Non-negotiable: treat every alarm as real until proven otherwise. “I feel fine” is not a safety check.
Related:
QUICK ANSWER
Yes. Here’s the rule you can follow without guessing.
- If anything burns (propane, diesel, gasoline, wood, charcoal) you need a CO detector.
- If you idle the vehicle or run a generator near the van, you need a CO detector.
- If you ever cook inside and you’re not in wide-open airflow, you need a CO detector.
- If you sleep inside and there is any combustion system on-board, you need a CO detector.
What it prevents: slow buildup from a small leak, incomplete combustion, backdrafting exhaust, or an exhaust plume being pulled into the cabin.
What it can’t do: it won’t “make unsafe systems safe.” You still need ventilation, correct installs, and sane fuel handling.
SOURCES
Common CO sources in van life
HEATERS
- Unvented propane heaters.
- Any heater with a compromised exhaust path.
- Heaters installed with poor intake/exhaust separation.
- Backdrafting due to airflow issues.
COOKING
- Propane/butane stoves used inside without airflow control.
- Cooking near bedding, curtains, or clutter that restricts airflow.
- Using a stove as heat.
- Cooking in enclosed areas during bad weather.
EXHAUST
- Idling the engine near cracked windows or roof vents.
- Generators or neighbors’ exhaust drifting toward your intake points.
- Parking with the exhaust outlet aimed toward a wall or snowbank.
- Tailpipe leaks under the vehicle (rare, but real).
CO is a systems problem: it’s not just the heater or stove. It’s how your airflow, openings, and exhaust paths interact in wind, rain, and parking locations.
PLACEMENT
Where to place CO detectors in a van
SLEEP ZONE
- Put one where you will hear it while asleep.
- Do not bury it behind curtains, cabinets, or bedding.
- Keep it away from direct cooking steam blasts and greasy airflow.
- Mount it so it won’t get knocked loose during driving.
COOK ZONE
- If you cook inside, place detection so it can “see” that air.
- Avoid mounting directly above a stove where heat/steam can stress it.
- Keep it in the same air space, not sealed inside a cabinet.
- Test alarms regularly and keep access easy.
Practical standard: at least one detector near the sleeping area. That’s where the risk becomes fatal fastest.
Do not do this: one detector in a closed storage bay or a place you can’t hear at night.
HOW MANY
How many CO detectors do you need?
MINIMUM
- One CO detector in the living area near the sleeping zone.
- One smoke alarm for the living zone, especially near cooking.
- One extinguisher reachable from bed and door.
SMART UPGRADE
- Add a second CO detector if your van has separated zones.
- Add detection near any combustion appliance area.
- Redundancy helps when one unit fails or is poorly placed.
ALARM RESPONSE
What to do if your CO detector alarms
IMMEDIATE
- Shut off all combustion sources if you can do it fast.
- Open doors/windows. Vent hard.
- Get out of the van into clean air.
- Do not go back to sleep “to see if it stops.”
NEXT
- Do not restart heaters or stoves until you understand why it alarmed.
- Check for exhaust intrusion: wind, parking position, nearby generators.
- Inspect obvious connections and vents if you’re qualified to do so.
- If symptoms occurred, treat it as exposure and get help.
Headache, nausea, confusion, unusual fatigue can be CO exposure. Do not dismiss symptoms as “just tired.”
“FALSE ALARMS”
What people call “false alarms”
Most “false alarms” are real alarms caused by a temporary condition: poor ventilation while cooking, a heater running in a low-oxygen environment, an exhaust plume being pulled inside, or a detector at end-of-life.
COMMON CAUSES
- Cooking inside without airflow control.
- Running combustion heat with the van sealed up.
- Idling with windows/vents open in the wrong wind direction.
- Neighbor vehicle or generator exhaust drifting into your intake.
UNIT ISSUES
- Low battery or end-of-life warnings ignored.
- Detector mounted where it can’t sample cabin air properly.
- Sensor contaminated by grease/steam over time.
- Old detectors not replaced on schedule.
AVOID
What to stop doing (because it creates CO risk)
- Assuming you would smell CO or “wake up if something was wrong.”
- Cooking inside with no ventilation because it’s cold or raining.
- Using a stove or open flame as heat.
- Sleeping with unvented combustion running in a sealed space.
- Idling near open windows/vents, or near walls that trap exhaust.
- Installing combustion gear without considering airflow and exhaust re-entry.
Simple target: detection in the sleep zone, ventilation during cooking, and no unvented combustion as a primary plan.
If you only do one thing: put a working CO detector where you will hear it while sleeping and test it on schedule.