Camping gas BBQ keeps blowing out: what to check

You press the igniter on a breezy pitch, hear either one click or nothing, and the burner is dark again before the food warms. When a camping gas BBQ keeps blowing out, the useful first step is not another ten presses. Decide whether the wind extinguished a proper flame, the piezo never lit the gas, or the regulator did not deliver it correctly. Those faults can look alike from above the plate, but they call for different responses.

In short

Keep the barbecue outdoors, attended and sheltered from strong wind without enclosing it. Confirm whether you have a flame that the breeze extinguishes, an igniter that does not click, or a valve or regulator that will not operate normally. Turn the control off if you smell gas without a visible flame, and never force or adjust gas-control parts.

Start with the pitch, not the igniter

Wind is the likely cause when the barbecue lights normally in a sensible position but the flame becomes unstable or goes out as gusts reach the burner. Scouts' stove guidance says to shelter from strong wind where possible while staying outdoors, keeping the appliance attended and not placing it in a trench. A screen can reduce a crosswind. A deep hollow or improvised enclosure can create a different hazard.

Before lighting, choose a level outdoor position where you can reach the control without leaning over the cooking surface. Put a freestanding portable gas grill windbreak on the windward side, with enough space that it does not touch the barbecue, its hot parts or the fuel connection. There is no one clearance that fits every portable grill, so the appliance instructions remain the limit for your model.

An awning is not a substitute for a windbreak. The barbecue must remain outdoors rather than being moved into a tent or awning. If you cannot find a stable outdoor position, wait or use another meal plan. Do not dig the unit into a hollow either: Scouts guidance says not to put a stove in a trench. Set it up as designed, where you can see it and stay beside it.

Separate a dead piezo from a dead flame

A piezo igniter creates the spark. It does not regulate the flame once the burner is lit. If the piezo will not click, or repeated presses produce no spark, you have an ignition problem on the camping stove rather than a flame that wind has blown out. UK reviews in the comparison report piezo units that stick, arrive loose or stop sparking, including reports for Campingaz Party Grill models.

Follow the lighting sequence in the model's instructions, and keep a suitable separate lighter only as the intended backup for ignition. Reviews of the Campingaz Party Grill 400 CV say ignition does not always catch and that owners keep a lighter. A lighter is not a diagnostic tool for gas smells and must not be used to hunt for a leak.

Watch and listen in sequence: does the control move as instructed, does the igniter click, and does a visible flame establish? If the igniter is silent but the control behaves normally, the backup-lighting procedure may let you cook, provided the instructions allow it. If you smell gas and cannot see a flame, turn the control off and stop.

The Campingaz Party Grill 400 CV is the featured model from our camping gas barbecue comparison. Its listing names a piezo igniter, a CV 470 Plus cartridge and a stated 2,000 W output, while review material says the igniter sometimes fails to catch. An ignition inconvenience should not be confused with wind or with a regulator fault.

What to do when the flame goes out

When a flame that was visibly established disappears, turn the control off rather than immediately pressing the igniter. Check that you are still outdoors in a stable position, then consider whether a gust reached the burner or whether the equipment stopped supplying gas. A windbreak is a reasonable response for an exposed product. Relighting again and again while a gas smell or a hidden flame remains uncertain is not.

1. Turn the control off. Party Grill instructions put the control off before you deal with the cartridge. Do not reach for the fuel connection while it is open.
2. Let the attempt end. If you smell gas without seeing a flame, do not relight it.
3. Move the switched-off barbecue to a level outdoor place sheltered from a strong crosswind. Do not rotate plates into positions the manufacturer does not describe.
4. Repeat only the model's lighting sequence. Confirm the click, the ignition and a visible flame as separate stages.
5. Stop if the fault repeats in a reasonable outdoor position. That may be the appliance or the gas control, not the windbreak.

Do not turn a plate, griddle or wok-style lid into an improvised burner shield unless the instructions explicitly describe that arrangement. A cooking part can hide your view of the flame while leaving the underlying fault unchanged. Change the barbecue's outdoor position while it is off.

A UK review of the Char-Broil X200 says a slight breeze blew the flame out. A Greenfields review says a windbreak was needed before the heat was acceptable, while another unit stopped after two uses. A windbreak may solve the first case. It cannot repair the second. For the normal sequence, see using a camping gas barbecue.

Leave a sticking regulator alone

A sticking regulator or valve is not a stronger version of wind trouble. It is a gas-control fault. Do not open it, adjust a screw, force the valve or try to improve the fit with an improvised part. The Campingaz Party Grill 200 instructions say not to force the valve.

Reviews for the Char-Broil X200 repeatedly mention a regulator that sticks, will not lock, unlocks or blows out. One review says a regulator came off. That pattern is different from a stable appliance losing flame in a gust. If a regulator does not attach, lock or operate as its instructions specify, stop using it and treat the connection as a return or replacement issue.

The same applies when the control will not travel far enough to pass gas. One Party Grill 400 CV review describes a unit that would not turn far enough and was returned. Pressing the piezo more often cannot correct that, and a windbreak cannot make gas flow through a control that is not working normally.

Fuel compatibility belongs in this check. The Party Grill 400 CV listing names a CV 470 Plus cartridge, whereas the Char-Broil X200 listing specifies a disposable propane cylinder. They are not interchangeable. If you are uncertain what connects, check which gas fitting a camping barbecue needs before the trip.

When the barbecue should go back

Poor technique becomes less likely when a new barbecue repeatedly fails in a reasonable, sheltered outdoor position, or when a mechanical control does not behave as described. A piezo may have a permitted manual-lighting backup. A valve that will not move correctly, a regulator that will not lock, or a connection that comes loose is not a cue for a home adjustment. Return or replace the affected equipment.

Repeated failure matters more than one gust. A Greenfields unit reportedly stopped after two uses, Party Grill piezos failed or arrived loose, and X200 regulator complaints appear in the comparison material. Those reports do not prove every unit will fail, and a windbreak cannot resolve them.

Stop immediately if you smell gas and see no flame. Keep the unit outdoors, turn the control off and do not use a lighter as a leak detector. A report of suspected butane exposure after a flame went out under a griddle is a stop signal, not something to recreate while troubleshooting.

Before buying, check whether the model names its fuel connection and whether its control problems repeat in UK reviews. The comparison separates cartridge and regulator arrangements across the current set. A qualifying Amazon purchase can earn Products Compared a commission at no extra cost to you. The comparison is based on amazon.co.uk listings, UK review material and public guidance, not a laboratory test.