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How to fit a BBQ gas regulator

Updated: 23 October 2026

The new regulator is on the patio table, the cylinder is upright, and the temptation is to force the fitting until the smell goes away. How to fit a BBQ gas regulator depends on which valve you actually bought for. A 27 mm clip-on and a POL screw are different sequences, and a match or a lighter is not a leak detector. This page assumes the part already matches the bottle. If you are still choosing, use the [gas regulator buying guide](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/gas-regulator/sub/gas-regulator-buying-guide) and the [Gas regulator](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/gas-regulator) table first. Work outdoors. Do not adjust the regulator to improve the flame. Prices and badges live on the main comparison, not here.

The new regulator is on the patio table, the cylinder is upright, and the temptation is to force the fitting until the smell goes away. How to fit a BBQ gas regulator depends on which valve you actually bought for.

Our top picks

JD Brands JD Brands POL screw regulator

Best overall

JD Brands JD Brands POL screw regulator
8.4/10about £9.99
View offer
Calor Calor 27 mm patio regulator

Rank 2

Calor Calor 27 mm patio regulator
8.9/10about £13.77
View offer
JD Brands JD Brands POL handwheel

Best value

JD Brands JD Brands POL handwheel
6.9/10about £8.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before you connect
  2. 2.27 mm clip-on
  3. 3.POL screw
  4. 4.Leak check and when to stop

Before you connect

Stand the cylinder upright, outdoors, away from the door. Close the burner controls. If the regulator has a lever, start with it off. Wipe the valve. Calor expects a certified hose, replaced at five years or sooner if it is cracked, soft, or stiff, to BS 3212, BS EN 1763-1, or BS EN 16436-1. A new regulator does not renew a flattened hose. The green patio cup takes the 27 mm clip. The threaded propane outlet takes POL, left-hand thread. A blue butane cylinder takes its own clip, usually 21 mm, and it is not either propane sequence. Do not bridge them with an adaptor. If you are unsure which valve you have, read 27 mm clip-on or POL rather than trying both. Have leak-detection solution ready, not a flame. A washing-up liquid mix is the household version. Use it after the joint is made, with the burners still shut.

27 mm clip-on

Calor's patio sequence: switch off, push straight on until it clicks, then a quarter-turn anticlockwise to open. A clockwise quarter-turn shuts it. To remove it, switch off, press the release, and lift. Do not twist a clip-on like a POL nut, and do not keep pushing after the click. The click is the lock. If the switch will not turn or will not click, stop. One Adventure AOS0036 review describes a switch that would not click, and the buyer returned it. If a flame stays alight after you have turned the supply off, leave it burning and call Calor on 03457 444 999. Do not blow it out while gas is still flowing. The Calor listing has an on/off lever. The Adventure listing is a push-fit and does not describe a lever in the same words. Follow the markings on the body in your hand. If it will not seat squarely, stop rather than bending anything.
JD Brands JD Brands POL screw regulator

Testsieger

JD Brands JD Brands POL screw regulator
8.4/10about £9.99
View offer

POL screw

POL nuts are left-hand thread. They tighten anticlockwise. Do not over-tighten, and do not force a size that does not start cleanly. Inspect the washer first. A cut washer will not improve with more force. Spare washers in some handwheel reviews are not a promise that every box has one. The JD Brands PGR01 at about £9.99 is screw-on and does not mention a handwheel, so a spanner may be needed. Tighten only until the washer seals. The HWR01 at about £8.99 says no spanner. One review could not turn the wheel because the collar left no room. That is clearance, not a 27 mm fit. Do not add a pipe or a mole grip. If the thread binds in the first turn, stop. A nut started clockwise will chew a left-hand thread. Clips are not listed with the £9.99 regulator.

Leak check and when to stop

With the burners closed, turn the gas on and brush leak-detection solution around the cylinder joint, the hose tails, and the clips. Growing bubbles are a leak. Shut the cylinder, ventilate, and do not light anything. Remake the joint once. If it bubbles again, stop. Gas Safe Register's advice is solution rather than a flame, cylinder off first when you pack up, and stop if you are unsure. A fixed pipe is a competent person's job. A smell of gas is the same stop. If a flame will not die after the supply is shut, leave it alight and call 03457 444 999. A portable cylinder-fed barbecue is outside some duties in the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. That is not a licence to adjust the regulator. Butane uses the same leak rule and a different clip, on butane or propane.

Common questions

Which way does a POL nut turn?
Left-hand thread. It tightens anticlockwise. The about £8.99 listing claims no spanner. The about £9.99 listing does not.
How do I leak-test the joints?
Use leak-detection solution or a washing-up liquid mix on the cylinder joint, the hose tails, and the clips, with the burner taps closed. Growing bubbles mean a leak. Shut the cylinder, do not use a flame, and remake the joint only once. A joint that looks dry and still smells of gas has failed the test.
Do I turn the burner off first or the cylinder?
Shut the burner controls before you connect. When you finish, turn the cylinder off first and let the flame die as the hose empties, then close the burner controls. If the flame will not die, leave it burning and use the Calor emergency number.
Can I fit this myself?
You can fit a portable barbecue regulator that matches the cylinder, outdoors, if it seats cleanly and the solution test stays clear. That does not cover a piped-in barbecue, a regulator you would adjust, or a joint you cannot get gas-tight.
Does a new regulator mean I can keep the old hose?
Only if the hose is still within about five years and free of cracks, soft spots, and stiffness. The regulator and the hose age separately. The kit that puts 2 m of hose in the title also has a bullet that says the hose is not included.

Related pages

Best BBQ gas regulator

Gas regulator

27 mm clip-on or POL: which barbecue regulator fits

Butane or propane BBQ regulator: pressure and cold

Which gas regulator for a BBQ? Plate, then the valve

Sources

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

  1. Liquid Gas UK: Consumer Guidance Sheet 39 (August 2020) (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK: types of gas and supply pressures in the UK (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 2 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Gas Safe Register: BBQ safety (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Calor: which hose and regulator (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Calor: propane patio regulator, 27 mm clip-on (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Calor: connecting a gas bottle (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Flogas: regulator safety (retrieved 22 October 2026)