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How to use a 4 burner gas BBQ

Updated: 23 October 2026

The trolley is built and four knobs are staring back at you. How to use a 4 burner gas BBQ, the first time, is a short outdoor sequence: place it, prove the joints with soapy water, light one burner with the lid open, then set zones. This page assumes the regulator already matches the cylinder and the data plate. If the carton had no hose, stop and use the [gas BBQ hose and regulator](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/4-burner-gas-bbq/sub/4-burner-gas-bbq-regulator) page before any flame. Which listing you bought is on the [4 burner gas BBQ comparison](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/4-burner-gas-bbq). We did not light the grills. The steps follow GOV.UK, Gas Safe and Calor. A purchase through our links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The trolley is built and four knobs are staring back at you.

Our top picks

CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Original 4+1 gas BBQ

Best overall

CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Original 4+1 gas BBQ
8.8/10about £199.99
View offer
CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Pro Deluxe 4+1 gas BBQ

Alternative

CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Pro Deluxe 4+1 gas BBQ
8.6/10about £269.99
View offer
Touch of Venetian Campfire 4+1 gas BBQ

Alternative

Touch of Venetian Campfire 4+1 gas BBQ
6.8/10about £169.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Where it can stand
  2. 2.Check the hose before you open a burner
  3. 3.Light one burner, then set zones
  4. 4.Shut down, then know when to stop

Where it can stand

A 4 burner trolley belongs in the open air, on a firm level base, with the cylinder upright beside it. GOV.UK says never use a barbecue in a tent, under an awning or in a caravan, and never store a cylinder under the stairs. A gazebo roof is the same problem as an awning. Calor tells you to let the appliance cool outside. Leave clearance from fences and sheds. The bodies here are already 126 to 135 cm wide, so add room to stand at the controls and keep the hose off the grease path. Do not move the trolley once a burner is alight.

Check the hose before you open a burner

Look along the hose for cracks, splits and perishing, and check that it is marked BS 3212 type 2 or BS EN 1763 Class B, the pair Calor names. With the cylinder valve still closed, fit the regulator the way that valve is made to fit. If it will not seat, stop. Open the cylinder outdoors and brush soapy water on the joints. GOV.UK and Gas Safe both point at soapy water. Bubbles mean gas is escaping. Shut the cylinder, ventilate, and do not light anything. If there is no regulator in the box, which UK reviews report across this comparison, you have not reached the lighting step.
CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Original 4+1 gas BBQ

Testsieger

CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Original 4+1 gas BBQ
8.8/10about £199.99
View offer

Light one burner, then set zones

Open the lid fully before you light. A closed lid over a slow burner fills the hood with gas. On the CosmoGrill Original, the cover bundle and both Campfire pages, ignition is individual piezo. The Pro Deluxe states individual adjustment and does not name piezo, so follow the control that page printed. Light one main burner, wait until you see flame, then light the next. Once the burners you need are lit, leave two higher for sausages and burgers and two lower, or off, for food that only needs to finish. The side burner is a separate knob. Light it on its own with the pan on the ring, after the same soapy water check. Stay with the barbecue while it is lit.

Shut down, then know when to stop

Turn the cylinder off first, then the burner controls. That order is the one GOV.UK and Gas Safe describe. Close the lid only after the flame is out. Let the trolley cool in the open. When it is cold, empty the grease tray before fat can reach the hose. Store the cylinder outdoors, upright, and away from the stair cupboard. Stop, and call a Gas Safe registered engineer if the job is house pipework or a damaged cylinder valve, when bubbles remain after you remake a joint, you still smell gas, the hose is cracked, or the data plate and the cylinder do not agree. Connecting a portable cylinder barbecue sits outside the gas-work definition in the 1998 regulations, which HSE's L56 explains. Fixed pipework is the engineer's job.

Common questions

Can I use a 4 burner gas BBQ under a gazebo or in a garage?
Use it in the open. GOV.UK rules out tents, awnings and caravans, and a gazebo roof or a garage keeps combustion gases where you are standing. Calor also tells you to cool the barbecue outside. A side burner does not change that. If the weather turns, postpone the cook.
Should the lid be open when I light it?
Open the lid before you turn a burner on, and leave it open until you can see flame. A shut hood over unlit gas is the failure you are avoiding. Once the burners you need are established, you can close the lid to finish thicker food. The first light, including the side burner, is the open-lid step.
How do I check for a leak?
Brush soapy water on the regulator joint and the hose ends, with the cylinder open and the burner controls still shut. Bubbles mean a leak. Shut the cylinder, do not light, and redo or replace that joint. GOV.UK and Gas Safe both describe this check. If you are unsure, do not use the barbecue, and do not hunt for the leak with a flame.
Do I light all four burners at once?
Light one, confirm the flame, then light the next. These listings describe individual controls, and the Pro Deluxe does not name piezo, so one shared button is not a safe assumption. After they are lit you can leave two hotter and two lower. Starting all four from cold with the lid closed is the pattern to avoid.
What do I turn off first?
The cylinder, then the burner knobs. That is the shut-down GOV.UK and Gas Safe describe, and it leaves the hose unpressurised between cooks. Leaving the cylinder open keeps the hose charged all week. If you need to move the trolley, turn the cylinder off and wait until the metal is cold.
When do I stop and get help instead of lighting it?
Stop when a joint keeps bubbling, when you smell gas after the cylinder is off, when the hose is cracked, or when the plate and the cylinder do not match. Stop if the plan is to plumb the barbecue into the house supply. A damaged valve or fixed pipework belongs to a Gas Safe engineer.

Related pages

4 burner gas BBQ buying guide

4 burner gas BBQ with side burner

4 burner gas BBQ

Best 4 burner gas BBQ: the UK listing that fits you

Gas BBQ hose and regulator UK for propane or butane

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures recorded for these ASINs. Updated 22 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK: fire safety outdoors (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 2 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. HSE: Safety in the installation and use of gas systems and appliances (L56) (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. BSI: BS EN 498:2012 outdoor LPG barbecues (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Liquid Gas UK: Consumer Guidance Sheet 39 (August 2020) (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Calor: guidelines for safe use of BBQs (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Gas Safe Register: BBQ safety (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Hamilton Gas Products: which regulator for a gas BBQ (retrieved 22 October 2026)