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Outdoor stove for a power cut

Updated: 22.10.2026

An outdoor stove for a power cut is a garden backup, not a second hob for the worktop. NHS and UK fire services still say the stove stays outside. A bullet that says indoor hob does not clear it. This page starts from that ban, from the 105 power-cut line, and from the food already in your fridge. It does not teach the lock. The twelve stoves are in our [outdoor stove comparison](/hub/fireplaces-and-stoves/outdoor-stove). Do not read a softer Scottish food note as permission to cook in the kitchen. The NHS and fire-service pages are the rule, in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

An outdoor stove for a power cut is a garden backup, not a second hob for the worktop. NHS and UK fire services still say the stove stays outside. A bullet that says indoor hob does not clear 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.The stove does not come inside
  2. 2.Practise outside, and change cans outside
  3. 3.Report the cut and keep food safe
  4. 4.What to keep for that outdoor backup

The stove does not come inside

NHS names camping stoves used indoors or in a tent. You cannot smell the carbon monoxide. Call 999 for confusion, unconsciousness, difficult breathing, or chest pain. Use NHS 111 for milder symptoms once you are outside. A porch, garage, conservatory, or tent is still enclosed. Olutula and the slim Green Haven pages claim indoor use. Those bullets are seller copy. Camp Bistro 3 and the Chef say outdoor only. Silence on the other pages is not a yes.

Practise outside, and change cans outside

Light the stove once while the lights still work, outdoors, with the canister you will store. If the lock will not sit flush, return it while you can. Change cans outside, away from bedrooms and heaters. If you smell mains gas, call 0800 111 999. That is not the number for a butane cartridge. Which? notes a mains gas hob can often be match-lit in a power cut. Use that hob first. If yours is induction or electric, the camping stove stays outdoors.
Campingaz Campingaz Camp Bistro 3

Testsieger

Campingaz Campingaz Camp Bistro 3
8.8/10about £40.17
View offer

Report the cut and keep food safe

Report the cut on 105. It does not cook the meal. GOV.UK's note gives a fridge about four hours if the door stays shut. Cook outdoors until the food is steaming hot, and plan one meal, not three days. The Camping and Caravanning Club says liquid butane struggles below about 4°C. This file has no cold test. Keep a meal you do not need to cook.

What to keep for that outdoor backup

The practical kit is the Green Haven four-can listing at £25.99, 2,100 W, 4.4 from 831, if the cans match the lock. The page names both CP250 and EN 417, and it has no outdoor-only line. The Chef works only if you already have the cylinder, hose, and regulator. The Camp Bistro 3 suits one pan on a CP250. The Ohuhu is a poor wet-night backup. A camping job, rather than a blackout, is best outdoor stove.

Common questions

Can you use a camping stove on the kitchen worktop in a power cut?
No. NHS says not to use a camping stove indoors or in a tent, because of carbon monoxide you cannot smell. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says outdoor cooking kit stays out of enclosed spaces in a power cut. If you have a mains gas hob, Which? notes you can often light it with a match. If your hob is electric, cook in the garden or eat food that does not need a flame. An indoor-hob bullet is not clearance.
Is a porch, garage, or tent safer than the kitchen?
It is still an enclosed space. The NHS line covers indoors and tents. Fire-service advice covers barbecues and camping stoves brought inside, and cartridge changes near ignition. A porch with the door open, a garage, and a tent porch are the shortcuts people look for, and they are the places this guide does not recommend. Cook in the open air, on level ground, and stay with the stove. If the weather makes that impossible, use food you do not have to cook.
What number do you call, and when is it 999 or NHS 111?
Report the power cut on 105. That is the network line, not an ambulance. Call 999 if a 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 everyone is outside. A smell of mains gas is 0800 111 999, which is separate from a butane canister. Do not swap those numbers.
Should you change the cartridge in the hallway?
No. Change it outdoors, away from flames and boilers, with the stove cold and the control off. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says not to change camping-stove cartridges indoors or near a source of ignition. Store spare cans out of bedrooms and away from heat. If the lock will not seat, stop rather than forcing it because the fridge is warming up.
Which stove in this set is a sensible backup, and which is a poor one?
A sensible backup is a gas stove you have already lit outside, with matching cans. In this file that is the Green Haven four-can listing at £25.99, 4.4 from 831, if the cans fit the printed CP250. The Chef works if you already have the cylinder, hose, and regulator. A poor backup is the Ohuhu on a wet night, or Olutula and the slim Green Haven pages that claim indoor use. Geepas stays off this list because reviews describe gas leaving the lock.
Do you need to have lit it before the cut, and what about the fridge?
Yes. The first light belongs on a calm day, in the garden, while you can still return a stove that will not lock. Keep the fridge shut. GOV.UK's consumer note treats about four hours as the window if the door stays closed, and it says to cook outdoors until food is steaming hot. Plan one hot meal, and have something you can eat cold if the cartridge will not hold a flame.

Related pages

How to use an outdoor stove

Outdoor stove buying guide

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)