How to light a gas fire pit
Updated: 21 October 2026
The igniter has failed, or this is the first night a cylinder is on the patio. How to light a gas fire pit is a fixed order: check the hose, soap-test the joints, light with your face back, then shut the burner before the cylinder. Use the seconds in your own booklet. Figures below are the shared pattern from other outdoor-gas manuals. Listings are in our [gas fire pit comparison](/hub/outdoor-fire-pits/gas-fire-pit). Products Compared updated this page on 20 October 2026 from those manuals and amazon.co.uk reviews, without a lab test. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The igniter has failed, or this is the first night a cylinder is on the patio.
The igniter has failed, or this is the first night a cylinder is on the patio. How to light a gas fire pit is a fixed order: check the hose, soap-test the joints, light with your face back, then shut the burner before the cylinder. Use the seconds in your own booklet. Figures below are the shared pattern from other outdoor-gas manuals. Listings are in our gas fire pit comparison. Products Compared updated this page on 20 October 2026 from those manuals and amazon.co.uk reviews, without a lab test. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Hose or regulator | Igniter note | Stop if | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Outsunny Outsunny fire pit table | Regulator and hose pre-assembled | AAA cell missing in one UK review | Glass came apart when lifted warm | 7.4 | about £225.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  Onlyfire Onlyfire 18 in, UK regulator | 1.9 m hose and regulator named | Not stated on the listing | 37 mbar, clip-on and screw are unprinted | 5.3 | about £99.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Onlyfire Onlyfire 16 in square, side | Long hose; regulator not named | Needed a lighter or match most lights | Connector fed gas in bursts | 2.0 | about £149.99 | View offer |
On this page
Before you open the cylinder
Put the pit in the open air, on a level patio, with the cover off. The Health and Safety Executive treats outdoor heaters as outdoor appliances, and Liquid Gas UK says you do not move one while it is lit. A closed gazebo, a tent or a room fails that test. Leave the cylinder valve shut. A cracked hose or a nut you can turn by hand is a reason to stop. Hose class and 37 mbar are in the gas fire pit buying guide. Soap-test the joints with about one part washing-up liquid to three parts water, with the burner off. Shut the valve if bubbles grow.
Lighting the burner
Open the cylinder only after a clean soap test, press and turn the control, and light at the ignition hole with your face back. Use the hold time in your booklet. The Kalos manual expects a flame within about 15 seconds. The HEX Living manual, a different appliance, says hold the knob for about 45 seconds after the flame shows. Your booklet wins if it prints another time. If the piezo does not tick, fit the cell your booklet names. If the flame misses, turn the burner off, wait about five minutes, and call a Gas Safe registered engineer if a second try brings a smell or gas that pulses.
When it will not stay lit
Air in a new hose often makes the first flame pop and die. One retry after five minutes is reasonable. Shift the pit only when the flame is out. On the side-inlet pit at about £149.99, the igniter failed most attempts in a file of three reviews. Gas in bursts from the connector is a stop. The best gas fire pit page says who each listing suits. If the flame dies when you release the knob, stop after two clean failures.
Shut down, and when to call someone
Turn the burner control off, wait until the flame has gone, then close the cylinder valve, unless your booklet prints another sequence. Leave the glass until the metal is cold. On the Outsunny table a reviewer lifted the glass before it had cooled and it came apart. Call a Gas Safe registered engineer when the smell remains after the cylinder is shut, when a connector feeds gas in bursts, or when someone is paid to repair the pit. A new hose or a 37 mbar regulator is the gas fire pit propane regulator page, and you fit it with the flame out.
Common questions
How do you light a propane fire pit the first time?
Leave the cylinder valve shut, check the hose, and brush soapy water on the joints, about one part washing-up liquid to three parts water. If the joints stay still, press and turn the control and light at the ignition hole with your face back, using the hold time in your manual. If it misses, turn the burner off and wait about five minutes. A remaining smell, or gas in bursts, means you shut the cylinder and stop.
Why do you hold the knob in after it lights?
The hold keeps gas flowing while a flame sensor warms up. The HEX Living tower manual, for a different appliance, asks for about 45 seconds after the flame appears. Your booklet may print a shorter hold, and that printed time is the one you keep. Release the knob slowly. If the flame dies as you let go, one more attempt after five minutes is the limit.
What if the piezo does not click?
No tick usually means no spark, so check the battery first. The Kalos manual tells you to replace the cell if you cannot hear the piezo, and one amazon.co.uk review of the Outsunny table, about £225.99, said the AAA battery was not in the box. Fit that cell and try from arm’s length. A long lighter at the ignition hole is the fallback. Leaning over the glass is how a weak spark turns into singed hair.
How do you check a gas fire pit hose without a flame?
Smell first, with the burner off. Mix about one part washing-up liquid with three parts water and brush it on the hose nuts and the regulator. Open the cylinder valve only after the solution is on the joints. Growing bubbles mean a leak, so shut the valve and leave the lighter capped. Heat Outdoors describes this for a patio heater.
When should you call a Gas Safe engineer?
Call a Gas Safe registered engineer if the smell stays after the cylinder valve is shut, if a connector feeds gas in bursts, or if someone is to repair the appliance. HSE says anyone employed for domestic gas work must be Gas Safe registered. A landlord who supplies an LPG appliance needs a Gas Safe check at least every 12 months.
Can you light a gas fire pit in a closed gazebo?
Light the pit only in the open air. A closed gazebo, a tent, a conservatory, and a room fail that test, because the Health and Safety Executive says outdoor heaters are not for indoor use. Liquid Gas UK also says you do not move a lit patio heater.
Related pages
Sources
Sources from the research digest, last checked on 20 October 2026.
- GOV.UK: Regulation 2016/426 and the Gas Appliances (Enforcement) and Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 2018 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Product regulations by sector and UKCA and CE marking (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Smoke control area rules (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Smoke control area enforcement by local authorities in England (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Liquid Gas UK: LPG patio heaters, August 2020 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE: Domestic gas FAQ (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- amazon.co.uk listings for the nine ASINs in this comparison (retrieved 20 October 2026)