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How to use a small gas grill

Updated: 16.10.2026

You have a new cartridge grill or a small bottled grill, and the first evening goes wrong if the hose stays full of gas or the spark is soaked. This is how to use a small gas grill in Britain, outdoors, on the listings in the [small gas grills comparison](/hub/portable-grills/small-gas-grills). The Products Compared editorial team followed GOV.UK fire-safety guidance and the UK review notes. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Which cartridge or bottle you bought is on the [fuel page](/hub/portable-grills/small-gas-grills/sub/small-gas-grills-cartridge-or-cylinder). Campsite bans are one rule here, then the [camping page](/hub/portable-grills/small-gas-grills/sub/small-gas-grills-camping).

You have a new cartridge grill or a small bottled grill, and the first evening goes wrong if the hose stays full of gas or the spark is soaked.

Our top picks

Campingaz Campingaz Party Grill 400 CV

Best overall

Campingaz Campingaz Party Grill 400 CV
9.2/10about £96.01
View offer
CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Compact 2 burner

Alternative

CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Compact 2 burner
7.6/10about £119.99
View offer
Campingaz Campingaz Party Grill

Best value

Campingaz Campingaz Party Grill
8.5/10about £43.92
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before any flame
  2. 2.Lighting and shutting down
  3. 3.When the clicker stays silent
  4. 4.Cleaning without killing the ignition

Before any flame

Set the grill outdoors on level ground, clear of fences, sheds and trees. GOV.UK says never in a room, in a tent, under an awning, or in a caravan. London Fire Brigade’s April 2024 leaflet adds balconies and decking. The same rule applies while the grill cools. Open the lid before you turn anything on. Controls stay off. If you have just fitted a bottle or a hose, check the joints before you cook. Char-Broil UK’s leak-check page uses a 50:50 mix of washing-up liquid and water, outdoors, with the bottle open only for the test. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue says washing-up liquid and water, without that ratio. If bubbles continue, shut the gas off and do not cook. Do not hunt a leak with a match. Change a cylinder outdoors, and store it outside. Keep a cartridge well dry and seat the cartridge as the manual shows.

Lighting and shutting down

With the lid open and the controls off, turn the gas on, then ignite. On the Party Grills, the CosmoGrill and the George Foreman that is a piezo. The Char-Broil lists an electronic igniter. The onlyfire lists electric ignition, and one UK fault report found the ignitor wire broken while the instructions still said matches. None of these is a mains grill. A voltage line on a specification block is a listing conflict, not a BS 1363 plug. If the burner does not catch, turn the control off and let the gas clear before you try again. A five-minute pause is a rule of thumb from appliance manuals, not a time GOV.UK prints for these ASINs. Do not use petrol under the plate. After cooking, turn the gas off first, then the burner control. That GOV.UK order empties the hose. On a cartridge, close it as the manual says, then turn the knob off. Leave the grill outside until it is cold. The best-of set page is for choosing a model, not for this sequence.
Campingaz Campingaz Party Grill 400 CV

Testsieger

Campingaz Campingaz Party Grill 400 CV
9.2/10about £96.01
View offer

When the clicker stays silent

On the Party Grill 400, the repeated UK fault is water in the cartridge well. The spark stops until the well is dry, so reviewers keep a long lighter. The Party Grill 200 shows the same pattern once the piezo is soaked. The George Foreman piezo often needs more than one press even when it is dry. Drying the well is the fix those reviews describe. Holding a flame against a joint to find a leak is not. A spare lighter is reasonable. Petrol is not. If the lead is off the burner, as on the onlyfire fault report, stop. If the soapy-water test still bubbles, or you want a fixed caravan gas point, a competent person takes over. Do not stack adaptors to force a Calor bottle onto a Campingaz cartridge grill. Liquid butane that will not vaporise in the cold is a fuel limit, not a dead piezo. A click with no smell of gas can be an empty cartridge. A click with a strong smell, and no flame, means you turn the gas off and wait.

Cleaning without killing the ignition

Clean the plate when it is cool enough to handle, still outside, not under a kitchen tap with the cartridge fitted. The Party Grill 200 bullets say the grid is dishwasher safe. The Party Grill 400 reviews say to add water carefully so it does not reach the gas connection. Grease trays on the CosmoGrill and the onlyfire are removable. The O-Grill 500 Vine review found the cast-iron plate hard to clean after one cook. Do not soak the piezo or the hose, and do not refit a cartridge over a wet well. Store the cylinder outside once the grill is cold and dry.

Common questions

What order do I turn the gas and the knob?
Lid open, controls off, then gas on, then ignite. After cooking, turn the gas supply off first and the burner control second. That shut-off order is the GOV.UK fire-safety instruction for a gas barbecue.
How do I check for a leak without a flame?
Brush soapy water on the joints, outdoors, and watch for bubbles. Char-Broil UK specifies a 50:50 mix of washing-up liquid and water. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue uses washing-up liquid and water without that ratio. Bubbles mean you shut the gas off and do not cook.
What if the piezo only clicks?
On the Party Grill 400, UK reviews trace a dead spark to water in the cartridge well. Dry it, and keep a lighter. If you can smell gas and there is still no flame, turn the gas off and wait. Do not test the joint with a flame.
Can I wash the plate in a sink straight away?
Wait until it is cool, and do not wash it with the cartridge fitted or with water running into the gas joint. The Party Grill 200 grid is described as dishwasher safe on the listing. Dry the well before you fit the next cartridge.
When is the grill cool enough to pack?
When it is cold to the touch, and still outdoors. GOV.UK and the Camping and Caravanning Club both treat a cooling barbecue as a carbon monoxide risk in a tent, awning or caravan. Do not bag a warm Party Grill 400 and put it in the porch. The carry bag is for a cold grill.

Related pages

Gas griddle comparison

Small gas grills

Best small gas grill UK: top pick versus best value

Small gas BBQ buying guide: fuel before brand name

Small gas grill for camping: pitch, tent and weight

Gas cartridge or cylinder BBQ: which fitting you own

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings recorded on 15 October 2026. Retrieved 15 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK fire safety outdoors (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  2. GOV.UK gas appliances guidance for Great Britain (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  3. BSI, BS EN 498:2012 (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  4. London Fire Brigade barbecue leaflet, April 2024 (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  5. Calor hose and regulator (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  6. Hamilton Gas Products regulator guide (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  7. Camping and Caravanning Club camping safety (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  8. Camping and Caravanning Club, gas for tent campers (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  9. amazon.co.uk listings for the nine ASINs, snapshot 15 October 2026 (retrieved 15.10.2026)