Velit high altitude furnace install

[hbn7hj]

Install complete. It turns on. Most furnaces won’t fire off above 90F and I am in Phoenix. Maybe if I run the A/C at midnight I can give it a smoke test.

Will be at 10,000ft + in July and will report after running it two weeks at that altitude. A Webasto will choke in a week at 10,000ft. Hope it works!

[hbn7hj]

Outside air temperature 80F, inside air temperature 77F, thermostat set temperature 86F, 2AM. Altitude read out is correct at 1200ft. It puts out a large quantity of heat.

Next report will be at 7000ft. 10,000ft+ toward the end of July.

[folivier]

Hope it works. You're right my aquahot with webasto diesel burner looked like a locomotive at 9400'.

[hbn7hj]

Just an FYI. Ducting for the Webasto is 60mm. Ducting for the Velit is 75mm.The BTU output for the Velit is 4000 which is twice the Webasto. Probably a bit much for a B but the Velit has a variable output setting so you can dial it back.

The Velit is larger than the Webasto. I had 1/16” to spare. Better to be lucky than smart!

[MsNomer]

Our VeLit gets installed next week when we get home from the current trip. I’ve already adjusted the cabinetry to the rear, but may have to adjust the front, too.

Like you, it will be July before we can test at altitude. Ironic, isn’t it?

Webasto has sat on its laurels too long. We are super excited about the improvement VeLit provides and hope it blows Webasto out of the market.

Could you post a photo of your controller installed?

[hbn7hj]

Could not get the iPad to focus properly. This is a class C and I want to turn the furnace on in the morning from bed!

I had to put a 4ft extension on the thermostat wire. Forgot to remove the fuse before soldering but I got away with it. Suggest you remove the fuse if you have to do the same as at least one of the wires has to have power on it.

Not as elegant a display as Webasto but if it works at 10,000ft I don’t care. The elevation display gives us hope.

[hbn7hj]

The Velit is 4000 watts not 4000 BTU. My error. Webasto is 2000 watts.

[MsNomer]

Guy on another forum has confirmed 9600 ft.

[MsNomer]

Our VeLit is now installed, started first try, but like OP, it’s too hot to really test it. Within a week, we hope to be at Wolf Creek Pass, CO, at 10,875 ft and night temps in the 30’s, 40’s.

[hbn7hj]

Nice display install! We are at 7000ft. Working well tho I did have problems trying to start it from a failed battery at 10.1 volts. Would not ignite. Had me going till I realized the user error, switched to the lithium bank and all is well. The monitor was working well at the low voltage.

Working well but working well at 7000ft is not what we are after. Working well after two weeks at 10,000ft is the goal. Will report when I achieve that.

Exhaust seems to be a bit less loud than Webasto. No instrumentation, just subjective observation.

[MsNomer]

I wish I had measured the db of the Webasto so I could compare, but yes, my observation is the same as yours. I had to put my hand on the vent to assure myself it was running. I did not hear the external jet engine noise.

[MsNomer]

We had a hiccup, which we consider a teething problem: the fuel filter broke, presumably from road vibration on the way west. MrNomer was smart enough to bring along the extra fuel line, so in a park in Westcliffe, CO, he ran new line from tank to pump. VeLit says this fix is fine until they send us a more robust filter. Yes, this hiccup was disappointing, but we remember RAM's hiccups with our first-year PM. Those first few months of ownership in 2014, we got to know the guys at the dealership much too well as RAM worked out the birthing kinks in the PM.

The end result, though, is heat at 9,000 feet, Alvarado Campground west of Westcliffe, CO, in the Sangre de Cristos. This is one of our favorite campgrounds because of the abundance of hiking opportunities, but we never liked the cold mornings.

VeLit controller says 8,500 feet, the discrepancy we presume being the barometric vagaries that @RV8R described. There is no coughing, sputtering, or smoke like we observed as the Webasto choked at altitude. Instead, it sounds as normal as the Webasto did at sea level. We do not hear Webasto's jet engine whine, but more of a low-pitched sound. (Caveat: Our hearing is not the best.) The exhaust has some burn-in smell, which we hope is simply its being the first time used.

We ran it for about half an hour, turned it off when battery SOC dipped to 18%. We have a lot of shade and have driven 15 miles since Sunday. We will drive today to charge the batteries.

We understand that this 30-minute run is not proof the unit is bullet-proof, but it does appear to be proof of concept and we are optimistic. We look forward to higher altitudes.

[hbn7hj]

I declined on the fuel filter so I missed that one. Still working well at 7000ft.

I have Onan generator failure. Maybe I’ll get it fixed today. It appears to be a fuel delivery problem but new pump and filter didn’t fix it.

[hbn7hj]

Generator fixed. Want to get the 4000i which is not out yet.

Parked at 10,000ft so will begin the Velit experience at altitude.

A stay at 7,000ft has taught me a few things. The Velit is a very powerful furnace, twice as powerful as the Webasto 2000 STC. It seems to me it will over power a class B. I am in a class C which is like heating a sieve and it is still too much.

There is a menu page that allows a choice of five power levels. Choosing power level 2 brought things in range. Power level 1 may be a better choice. Probably power level 1 would be a better first choice for a class B.

It works very well. We will give status reports over the next 6 weeks.

I’m still not totally understanding all the functions of the controller. The one I’m learning to work with is that once it turns itself off it won’t turn on till 3F below the set temperature. Once running it appears to maintain temperature properly. I need to get it in freezing temperatures. That is what a furnace this powerful is for.

[hbn7hj]

IAT 73F, OAT 44F, 4 AM
IAT 72F, OAT 53F 7:30 AM

If it will do that for six weeks all will be well. It just purrs along with no on or off.

[JohnnyFry]

That would make it 13,600 BTU/Hr, Vs 6,800 for the Wabasto

[hbn7hj]

Originally Posted by JohnnyFry

That would make it 13,600 BTU/Hr, Vs 6,800 for the Wabasto

Correct! The book says 14000 BTU. Way too much. The power level menu works so all is well. Power draw is listed as 20-40 watts. I’m measuring less than that, less than 1 amp at 12 volts. Amazing.

[hbn7hj]

Too warm to need a furnace, even at 10,000+ ft. 30F nights shouldn’t be too far away.

[MsNomer]

Have you run Power Level 2 successfully at 10,000? When we tried, it quit. Will said to run temp mode above 8,000. We are also having warm nights. 60° in the van this morning at 10,500.

We have run it successfully—started first try—at 11,921, Weston Pass. It was 60° there, too, but we did it anyway and opened the slider just to affirm that we could.

[hbn7hj]

Yes, runs perfectly on power level 2 at 10,300. It reads 9,500ft.

51F last night. I just use it to warm things up in the morning and don’t run it all night. When it gets colder I’ll run it all night. So far it runs perfectly with no problems.

I set power level to 2 then return to the temp mode page and set it to 76F. The controller is near the ceiling and that gives 73F at couch level.