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#141 ·
afox said:
yes, i understand the thin plastic tubing carrying explosive petrochemical are outside the van but since the heater is in the van, there is gasoline inside the van.

I dont think many RVs are sold with liquid fuel heaters so any stats or news stories will skew heavily towards what is most commonly used.

Im not trying to make a case that propane is safer than gasoline, just out that gasoline heaters are not totally safe. I personally would not choose a gasoline heater over a propane heater because of a fear over safety. I dont know which is safer, depends upon a lot of factors however it would be a false assumption to assume that liquid fuel heaters are safer than propane heaters just because propane can be made to explode upder the right conditions (so can gasoline, so what). I think the biggest risk of using any of these heaters is asphyxiation due to improper venting of combustion gasses.

My point is that in general propane heaters are more reliable than liquid fuel heaters due to the nature of how the fuel is burned and that in a van where one wants/needs the best reliability propane is a better choice. Propane is also a better choice for people that prefer not to fiddle and just expect their heaters to work. In general propane heaters are maintence free (unless something breaks) while at the minimum liquid fuel heaters require disassembly and replacement of components due to sooting after some amount of use.

In general there is a lot of interest in liquid fuel heaters on this forum and many threads discussing issues with various models. Propane furnaces offer a more reliable heating option for those that want the most reliability with the major disadvantage being that we must carry our own propane.
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Hi,
I think that's a very good summary.

I think either gasoline or propane can be safe - its largely in the hands of the person doing the install.
Some of the auxillary tanks people install for diesel furnaces scare the heck out me.

I've had 5 RV's over the past 52 years - all with propane. Not one safety issue ever.

I think people thinking about a conversion should assume they can do either fuel safely if they are careful with the install, and base the decision on the functionality issues.

I have to say after 52 years of using propane if I could find a gasoline furnace that really worked reliably with minimal maintenance and at altitude and couple that with an induction cooktop, I would do that. This just has to do with getting back the space occupied by the propane tank, the convenience of a single fuel, and the convenience of induction cooking.

Gary
 
#142 ·
GaryBIS said:
Some of the auxillary tanks people install for diesel furnaces scare the heck out me.
Click to expand...
I can feel you looking at me :LOL: Diesel is by far the least flammable/volatile and least explosive of the 3. Horrendously messy and stinky, but relatively safe. Drop a match in a can of diesel some time. ;)
 
#143 ·
Induction is the bomb. Low energy consumption, no water vapor, no explosion risk, easy to clean, fast boil/sauté... I built mine in, but using a portable countertop makes tons of sense since it can be put away when traveling, or placed on a picnic table when the weather is pleasant (take an extension cord!).

I spend maybe half of my time above 8000'. I have three years on my Webasto (leaned out per FarOutRide) with no issues, so far (I use it almost all the time since fall/winter/spring is when I am at altitude). It is really hard to discern the hit to mileage since the heater consumes so little. I think the biggest issue is that the 2kw heater is now more like 1.5kw due to the leaning out. Still sufficient to keep the interior ~70f when the outside is 13f. The 4kw Velit sounds very attractive since it would run on low for the equivalent output - and be very quiet.

Using the existing 25g gas tank was just too attractive to fool around with diesel - in spite of the reported issues with Petrol (not to mention the price differential from cheap Chinese diesel vs. European Petrol). I wait for the webasto to crap out and then I'll retool for the Velit (or whatever shakes out as most reliable...)
 
#145 ·
Hi,
Ran across this test of the Velit at 11,500 ft...


If this has already been posted, let me know and I'll delete it.

The noise level outside seems pretty high - is there a muffler or something to tackle this?

Gary
 
Discussion starter · #146 ·
GaryBIS said:
Hi,
Ran across this test of the Velit at 11,500 ft...


If this has already been posted, let me know and I'll delete it.

The noise level outside seems pretty high - is there a muffler or something to tackle this?

Gary
Click to expand...
Yes they are loud, almost obnoxious. If I can get mine operating reliably, I would like to experiment with a muffler.
 
#147 ·
And here's an independent tear-down and test. It confirms differences in ECUs and combustion chambers, as well as initial problems with pumps and ECUs. I will also say the glowplug and atomizer screen are going to be much harder to replace, requiring a teardown. Hopefully, increased efficiency will postpone the need for that. His CO numbers at low elevation are also similar to Velit's. Looks good. All we need now is long-term experience.
 
#148 ·
GaryBIS said:
The noise level outside seems pretty high - is there a muffler or something to tackle this?
Click to expand...
I don’t think its noise on high is any worse than the Webasto on high with muffler. Will said it wouldn’t hurt to try a muffler, but they haven’t. If we tried, we would use the one for the Espar B4L. We are inclined, though, to let someone else do this test.

In winter, we are more likely running it on lower settings for longer periods, and in that mode it is very quiet. Although we are more likely to be around others, the noise isn’t bad. In summer, we likely only need a quick burst, and are more likely to be boondocking.
 
#149 ·
Velit may be at least trying to blur the distinction between “furnace” and “heater”. New firmware announced today reduces the temperature spread to +/- 3°F. Return the ECU, they zap the new firmware and send it back. The ECU is easily accessible. We have decided to just buy a new ECU for $65. We don’t see a window in the near future where we would want to be without the heater, and this gives us a spare that we could do the same with if a new upgrade comes along. Given that these guys aren’t resting on their laurels, I suspect there will be more.
 
#153 ·
JimbobNY said:
Velit started a Facebook Group

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
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Thanks, great to know.
Even though I’m hardly ever on FB anymore, this is a good resource.

Velit seems to answer questions right away on there.
 
#154 ·
JimbobNY said:
Velit started a Facebook Group

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
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In the last few days of content on this new Facebook page, I feel it shows how Velit is a legitimate company developing good products. If you can do facebook it would be worth your time.
 
#156 ·
Untreated diesel jells and clogs at low temps, diesel stinks although it is a excellent fuel otherwise.
The 20lb propane tank is too uncomfortable in my van space use, ok though when pulling a trailer. Enjoy very much the gas grill and cookstove outside.
Bluetooth is great on the Dometic refrigerator, do not know how valuable it would be on the Velit. Although it is easy to imagine remote warming the bed.
Facebook should be a way to get a larger sampling of "issues" with the Velit.
Please, you Velit owners, get busy, install those bad boys and go camping. Relax, enjoy, then tell us all about it. :)
 
#157 ·
I rolled a paper towel up tight and swabbed the interior of the exhaust pipe as far as I could reach. It came out clean. This is after probably 100 hours of running on the lowest setting, admittedly at low altitude because that’s where we are in winter.
 
#158 ·
MsNomer said:
I rolled a paper towel up tight and swabbed the interior of the exhaust pipe as far as I could reach. It came out clean. This is after probably 100 hours of running on the lowest setting, admittedly at low altitude because that’s where we are in winter.
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This is a good, quick check. One good test also regardless of brand and model is to use a CO tester such as this: Handheld Carbon Monoxide Meter Portable CO Gas leak Detector Gas Analyzer High Precision detector de gas Monitor tester 1000ppm - AliExpress periodically to see that combustion is clean. I do it once every 3 months or so, and also stick it next to the heater outlet inside to make sure that there is no leaking through the gaskets.
 
#160 ·
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