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How to use an outdoor stove

Updated: 22.10.2026

You use an outdoor stove properly by fitting it in the open, lighting it only when the lock sits flush, and shutting the gas off before you pack it. The twelve stoves in our [outdoor stove comparison](/hub/fireplaces-and-stoves/outdoor-stove) do not share one lever. A Campingaz CP250 has a published order. A Green Haven box, a Geepas, a B2C kit, and the Chef's cylinder hose do not. Forcing a lock that will not seat is how the leak notes begin. This page is for an owner who already has one of these stoves. Do one practice light outdoors, on a calm day, before you rely on it. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You use an outdoor stove properly by fitting it in the open, lighting it only when the lock sits flush, and shutting the gas off before you pack it.

Our top picks

Campingaz Campingaz Camp Bistro 3

Best overall

Campingaz Campingaz Camp Bistro 3
8.8/10about £40.17
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Campingaz Campingaz Chef double burner

Rank 2

Campingaz Campingaz Chef double burner
9.1/10about £55.99
View offer
Green Haven Green Haven DYN11691, 4 cans

Best value

Green Haven Green Haven DYN11691, 4 cans
7.6/10about £25.99
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On this page
  1. 1.Set up outside before you touch the lever
  2. 2.Fit a CP250 the Campingaz way, and do not copy it
  3. 3.Light, cook one pan, shut down
  4. 4.When to stop

Set up outside before you touch the lever

Do not use a camping stove indoors or in a tent. You cannot smell carbon monoxide. A porch, garage, caravan, car, and tent count as enclosed. Campingaz's Camp'Bistro sheet says outdoors only. An indoor-hob bullet on a slim Green Haven or an Olutula does not rewrite that. Use the stove on firm, level ground, away from the tent, and stay with it. Change the cartridge outdoors. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says not to change it near a source of ignition.

Fit a CP250 the Campingaz way, and do not copy it

Campingaz's order is for a CP250 or CP250 SP. Knob off, lever unlocked, seal checked, slot facing up, then lock and close the cover. If the cartridge ejects, wait until the stove is cold. That order is not the Green Haven order, even when the listing prints CP 250. On those boxes the knob turns anti-clockwise. If the lock will not sit flush, stop. The Chef is a cylinder: jubilee clip on the hose first, cylinder valve shut. A CP250 sequence will not clip an R907 on.
Campingaz Campingaz Camp Bistro 3

Testsieger

Campingaz Campingaz Camp Bistro 3
8.8/10about £40.17
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Light, cook one pan, shut down

Turn a piezo hob until you hear the click and see a blue flame. A click with no flame is a fault. The Chef's hobs have piezo ignition. The grill does not. Cook one pan unless you are on those two hobs. If the flame blows out, turn the gas off before you relight. Then disconnect a cartridge outdoors if the maker says you may. On the Chef, shut the cylinder valve too. Let the metal cool before it goes in a case. Camp Bistro 3 states pots of 12 to 26 cm. The Ohuhu is a different method: gas or wood outdoor stove.

When to stop

Stop if you smell gas with the valve still shut. Do not chase it with another turn of the lever. A cartridge that is burning or venting is a 999 call. NHS says call 999 for confusion, unconsciousness, difficult breathing, or chest pain after suspected carbon monoxide exposure, and NHS 111 for milder symptoms once you are in fresh air. A smell of mains gas is 0800 111 999. If the practice light never seats, send the stove back while you still can.

Common questions

Where do you change the cartridge?
You change it outdoors, on level ground, away from the tent and away from any flame or hot appliance. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says not to change camping-stove cartridges indoors or near a source of ignition, including during a power cut. A hallway, a porch, and a garage are not outside for this purpose. Take the spent can out only when the control is off and the metal is cool enough to handle, and store full cans away from bedrooms and heaters.
How do you fit a Campingaz CP250 without forcing the lock?
On the Campingaz Camp'Bistro sheet, the knob is off and the lever is unlocked before the cartridge goes in. You check the seal, fit the slot facing up, lock, and close the cover. If it will not sit flush, you stop. You do not lean on the lever. If the cartridge ejects itself, you wait until the stove is cold before you try again. That sequence is for a Campingaz CP250 or CP250 SP. It is not the diagram for a Green Haven, Geepas, B2C, or Olutula lock.
Why does the piezo only click, and which way does a Green Haven knob turn?
A click is the spark. You still need gas at the burner and a flame you can see. If you get clicks and no flame, turn the control off and air the stove before any manual light the instructions allow. On the classic Green Haven reviews, the control turns anti-clockwise. The Chef's grill has no piezo at all.
Should you leave the canister connected overnight?
On the slim Green Haven, a canister left attached was empty the next day. Disconnect outdoors after the flame is out, when the design lets you remove a part-used can. The Campingaz CP250 sheet also allows a cartridge to come off before it is empty. Check by feel that the control is shut, then take the can out if the stove is built that way.
What if you smell gas before you open the valve?
You do not open it, and you do not light a match to test the smell. Move people away, keep flames and switches clear, and leave the cartridge out if it will release without force. A hiss at the joint on the Chef means the cylinder valve stays shut. Gas pouring out while a Geepas or B2C lock is being forced is the moment to stop and step back.
When do you call 999 instead of trying another light?
Call 999 if the cartridge is burning or venting, or if someone has serious carbon monoxide symptoms: difficult breathing, confusion, unconsciousness, weakness, or chest pain. Use NHS 111 for milder suspected exposure once you are in fresh air. A stove that only clicks, or a pan support fitted upside down, is a fault you can abandon. It is not an emergency by itself. Do not carry a leaking canister into the kitchen to see it better.

Related pages

Outdoor stove buying guide

Outdoor stove for a power cut

Outdoor stove

Best outdoor stove for the pitch you are cooking on

Gas or wood outdoor stove if the site allows a fire

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts were taken from the listings captured on 21 October 2026.

  1. NHS, Carbon monoxide poisoning (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. BSI Knowledge, BS EN 521:2019 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. BSI Knowledge, BS EN 417:2012 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. Scouts, Using stoves safely (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. The Camping and Caravanning Club, Gas for tent campers (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK, Smoke control areas: the rules (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. legislation.gov.uk, GSIUR 1998 regulation 2 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Power cuts (retrieved 21 October 2026)