I had raw gas smell because I ran the self prime mode a little too long. It seems like that should be the only reason to have a gas smell & it should air out fairly quickly

 

I wouldn't call the gas smell in my van strong. But any gas smell is worrisome which is why I contacted them. It was just noticeable for the first 15 hours of running it and is no longer there. Well, I think it is completely gone as the new owner hasn't said anything to me and we keep in contact.

I am planning on putting another Velit heater and try out their 12v A/C in my next build.

 

Right on, thanks all. Maybe I’ll just run it for a bit. Just not really looking forward to everything in the van smelling of gas if that’s the solution.

 

So the culprit was there was a slight leak in the fuel intake hose (luckily outside of the van) and the smell was being sucked into the van. Cleaned thoroughly, reinstalled/secured a new hose, let it blow for 3-4 hours with the van opened up and it’s now good to go.

 

40°F setpt for Espar? or Velit?

 

I got a Velit heater on 2/17/2025 and it's set point goes down to 40°F.

Although so far I've only operated it in my driveway, I'm really happy with it.

 

I’ve lately been running mine 24x7 for days at a time on the driveway. Outside temps ranging from 15F to 55F. Set point 75 during the days and 60 overnight - and at those levels, it’s not working very hard. No signs of coking or soot on the exhaust still when I do a finger test. Love the thing so far - its just nice, dry, and toasty in the van which makes working on it so much more comfortable.

I have the bluetooth update. What I really want is some integration into HASS/mqtt/victron so I can control and monitor it without having to run their iPhone app. They‘re small enough that maybe this could happen. Would be another huge advantage over Espar + Webasto.

 

Has anyone completed the maintenance on this yet? Considering buying this vs Webasto and as I don't know much about doing the maintenance wondering if they require similar maintenance. Friends have mentioned they chose propane vs gas heater simply due to the amount of maintenance required for gas.

 

What 'maintenance'? There's isn't any that I'm aware of. It just works.

In a few years might need to swap out the combustion chamber. I bought that and a few extra key spare parts now just in case things became unobtainable in the future.

 

I've gone four years on our B4L but it's going to need a combustion chamber soon/eventually - it's getting more finicky. Similar experience for us with the D2 in the Sprinter: 4-5 years with no maintenance and LOTS of use (then we sold it). I'd guess same for Velit. Not saying I doubt that they did "10-year, maintenance-free" testing... but... they didn't.

 

They suggest some maintenance in ten years. Don’t even consider Webasto.

 

time for my own velit problems: i installed the heater over thanksgiving and was able to test it at the time successfully and didn't have my electrical system installed until this week. i started the heater up and got error code 7 (fuel pump error). i was able to prime the pump successfully but trying to run the heater again still had the same error.

i measured 8.6 V at the two brown wires going to the pump (seems oddly low but I'm not sure if this is a PWM pump or something?) and 0 ohm resistance there. can anyone confirm what their voltage is measuring at the pump?

I emailed velit and am waiting to hear back

 

Any updates on this I just installed my heater today and am getting the same error code

 

I got one at the beginning of this year and had it installed. Everything seemed to work fine after the install and it worked. I mean, i just turn it on for a while and then off. We then took it out on a trip to some higher elevations (7000 to 9000ft) and colder weather (19F to 57F). It seemed to work great most of the time but there were a few times when I would get the 01 and 02 errors and have a gas smell inside. There would be times when it was around 21F outside and the heater would have a problem starting. You can hear it trying to start up, with the pump clicking and the fan going but it would eventually error out.

I contacted Velit support and they were responsive. I explained the problem and what it did. They sent over a new thermostat with new firmware for me to replace. I havent taken it out on another trip that has very cold weather yet but even in my driveway where it was 60F it still throws errors sometimes. The next thing they want me to do is to clean the unit and replace the ECU in the heater, which I have not done yet.

I have noticed that if i start the unit on a temperature mode or a fan mode where it is low, that is when the problems occurs. If i start the heater in manual mode with the fan set on high, it would be fine. I have only tested this like 3 times with a low temp and manual mode where it has a low fan rate and it failed to start 2 out of the 3 times. While on the manual fan mode on high i have tested this 3 times and it started up fine with no gas smell all 3 times.

Ill need to do more testing and wait for Velit to send the new ECU before I do all of the work to take my seat off and then take apart the Velit unit to clean it. For now, im just starting the unit on manual and on the high fan mode, which seem to work ok.

 

Did your installer use the standpipe or the aux fuel port?
Do you have the bluetooth thermostat or the older, smaller one?

I've used mine at 0F without issue. When it is in thermostat mode and it reaches temp, when it next turns on, it will be 'low' as the temp delta isn't that large so I'd bet mine starts frequently at 'low' speed. Bought mine back in 11/2023.

I did order a spare fuel pump in the summer of '24 and noticed it was slightly different in appearance.

 

My installer did not user the aux fuel port and he dropped the tank and drilled a hole for a new fuel port.

I have the bluetooth thermostat.

I dont really know if it is the low temps that are causing my unit to fail on start with the low fan speed. I only tested it a few times while the temp was not that low (60F). Now that it is getting into summer, it will be hard to test that out. Since im not on a trip for another few weeks, ill turn it on here and there and leave it on for a while to see how it works.

 

Anyone mount the unit exteriorly? I am considering driver side, somewhere near the fuel tank.

 

the case of the heater is definitely not sealed (wires and main circuit board would have issues). but if you seal the heater otherwise you should be ok as long as the intake/exhaust have a way out

 

any updates on this? I am getting the same error code

 

Any updates on this I just installed my heater today and am getting the same error code

Any updates on this I just installed my heater today and am getting the same error code

Can you measure the resistance between both terminals of the pump? It should be about 5.5 ohms.

My issue was a bad installation of the glow plug from Velit documented here https://www.fordtransitusaforum.com/posts/1341493/

I'm hoping my experience isn't typical for others but happy to help if I can

 

I unfortunately dont have a volt meter on hand I'll have to borrow a friends tomorrow. Do you take the measurement at pump harness?

 

They just came out with over the air updates to the ECU firmware so that's a big plus. I wanted to update mine to get the lower set point for winter time anti-freezing need, but wasn't relishing the $50 charge and wait involved in swapping out the ECU again. Now I don't have to do any of that apparently - but need to check first if my current firmware is OTA enabled or not. I'm guessing not since its ~4 months old from the bluetooth update.

 

So the update has the lower set point? That's awesome. I sent mine in and had it done. I really like having a lower temp setting.

 

A few years ago I purchased a Russian stainless steel heater box from the US eBay. It was a simple well built box. But I ended up installing my diesel heater inside the rear bench seat in front of the driver side wheel well.

I think you can find a metal tool box that would be the correct as size to mount the heater inside. Or go to a local welder and have them fabricate an enclosure.

 

Bummer is the over the air update for firmware feature is only for current heaters - not clear from their video.

I sent in both my ECU and thermostat (bought in Dec 2023) so they could get updated or replaced. All I got back was newer firmware that has the lower 40F set point capability, but they said even if the entire ECU and thermostat are replaced, the heater can't become OTA capable. Seems odd because the rest of the connections to the ECU are all simple sensor IO or power switches it seems. I had previously updated the thermostat to the bluetooth capability and it looks identical to the one in the video.

 

Sigh. Now I'm just pissed off.

I just discovered the heater ECU I got back from Velit doesn't actually have a 40F set point. It seems like it did because the iPhone app shows 40F as the low point, but the manual rotary dial still only goes down to 60F. And if I try to set below that with the phone, it works, but then seconds later will snap back above 60F.

This is beyond small company growing pains. It's now just incompetent customer service processes - no customer service ticket numbers, no formal paperwork on anything you exchange. It's hap hazard. I really wanted to give them some space, but after exchanging ECUs 4 or 5 times now in the last 16 months, I'm just mad. At least it still works and provides heat, but frustrating.

That and the iPhone app is just a complete bizarre UX design following no industry norms for selection or status. One can muddle through, but it's especially confusing if you have both an AC and a heater from them and are trying to control them both.

And zero security on them from a BT standpoint. If you stand near the van, you can mess with either if you simply run the app.