How to use a blowtorch safely in the UK
Updated: 21 October 2026
You have a new torch from amazon.co.uk, a refillable butane body, a cartridge head, or a trigger unit for a propane cylinder, and the leaflet assumes you already know how to light it. This page is the sequence for first use, daily lighting, shut-down and storage for the two hardware paths in the [blowtorch comparison](/hub/soldering-and-welding/blowtorch). It does not rank the twelve listings. If you are still choosing fuel, use the buying guide linked below before you click an igniter.
You have a new torch from amazon.co.uk, a refillable butane body, a cartridge head, or a trigger unit for a propane cylinder, and the leaflet assumes you already know how to light it.
You have a new torch from amazon.co.uk, a refillable butane body, a cartridge head, or a trigger unit for a propane cylinder, and the leaflet assumes you already know how to light it. This page is the sequence for first use, daily lighting, shut-down and storage for the two hardware paths in the blowtorch comparison. It does not rank the twelve listings. If you are still choosing fuel, use the buying guide linked below before you click an igniter.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | How you light it | Fuel path | After use | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  TBTeek TBTeek GF-901 blowtorch | Piezo after the lock | Invert and refill butane | Lock on, then cool | 10.0 | about £12.98 | View offer |
| Alternative |  DOMINOX DOMINOX CGA600 torch head | Knob, then trigger | Separate cylinder | Cool, cylinder upright | 9.6 | about £26.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  Green Haven Green Haven blowtorch, 4 cartridges | Piezo on the cartridge | 4 butane cartridges | Cool the joint | 9.7 | about £12.99 | View offer |
On this page
Before you start
Clear a non-flammable zone: a metal tray for food, a heat mat for pipe prep, and no tea towels or plastic packaging downwind. Wear sensible shoes and tie hair back. Read the lock on your model. Kitchen torches often need a slide moved before the trigger works.
Check whether gas is in the box. In this set only the Green Haven kits ship cartridges. Every refillable arrives empty. If you smell gas before the first light, ventilate, do not spark near the worktop, and return a faulty unit rather than trying harder. Keep a lid or an extinguisher in mind for kitchen work. HSE Catering Information Sheet 23 says not to leave a lit torch on a hot hob and not to improvise a torch on mains gas. Use a purpose-made torch only. Fuel choice, if you have not made it, is the blowtorch buying guide.
Using a refillable butane torch
This path is the reservoir body you fill from a lighter-gas can. The metal has to be cool before any refill.
First fill and purge
Let the torch reach room temperature and turn the flame control off. Invert it and press a standard butane lighter-refill can onto the valve in the base. TBTeek's listing asks for high-purity butane and a purge of air before the first fill, so you do not get a weak sputtering flame. Stop when butane dribbles back. Wait several minutes before ignition so the charge settles.
Lighting and working
Open the lock if one is fitted, then click the piezo or hold the trigger for your model. Move the flame knob slowly. Many UK reviewers of TBTeek and MasterClass find the lowest setting dies out, so use a slightly higher stable cone. Aim the inner cone at the work, not the outer halo. For crème brûlée, move in circles until the sugar caramelises. Do not point the flame at skin, cable insulation, or a heat mat as if the mat were fuel. BPEC training treats mats as supports, not targets. If a lock holds the valve open, release it when you pause. Do not leave a lit torch unattended.
Shut-down and the next refill
Close the gas control fully, put the lock in the safe position, and set the torch on a stand away from edges. Wait until the metal is cool before you touch the nozzle or refill. Refill only when cold, in moving air, with no other flame in the room. If the torch stops holding gas after weeks of use, valve wear on several budget models makes them disposable. Do not dismantle the valve hoping to fix a seal.
Using a cartridge or cylinder head
The joint and the thread matter more here than the colour of the flame.
Cartridge heads
Green Haven and JDHON take long or short nozzle canisters, matched to the adapter in the box. Attach firmly. JDHON reviewers describe a half-turn click. Green Haven reviewers report leaks when the joint is loose. Do not test a leak with a match. Use smell only in a ventilated space, or soapy water, and if gas flows with the valve shut, stop. Light with the piezo once the can is on. Green Haven claims upside-down use. If the flame yellows or pops, work upright until you know the head. Remove the cartridge for storage when the seller says so. JDHON says disconnect after use. Store cartridges upright and ventilated, not in a cellar. Liquid Gas UK warns that the gas is heavier than air and pools low.
Cylinder heads
DOMINOX, Couleeur and Sondiko screw onto a propane or propylene cylinder you buy separately. CGA600 on DOMINOX is not an EN 417 camping cartridge. Hand-tighten without cross-threading. Couleeur reviews mention galling on aluminium threads and a cold gas puff as the cylinder goes on. Open the gas knob to the seller's start position. DOMINOX says maximum before the trigger, to protect the igniter, then pull the trigger. Do not open the gas so fast that the flame blows out. Use a flame lock for a long joint only if it holds. Sondiko and Couleeur reviews include broken continuous locks. When the cylinder runs low, the last minutes run cool. Swap the cylinder rather than tipping liquid gas.
After use and storage
Let the metal cool completely. For a reservoir torch, store it with the lock engaged and out of children's reach. A lock is not supervision. For cartridges, detach them and keep them away from a hot oven and direct sun.
Liquid Gas UK: do not refill a disposable cylinder, do not store one in a cellar, and ventilate a shed or garage. Propane indoors is for short necessary work. A self-contained butane kitchen torch is not a propane cylinder, but the rule against searching for a leak with a flame applies to both. If ignition fails, do not wave a lighter at a suspected leak. Replace a failed piezo once. Repeated lighting from outside is a stop.
Common questions
How do I refill a butane torch from a lighter-gas can?
Wait until the torch is cool and the flame control is off. Invert the body, press the can onto the valve in the base until a little butane flows back, then wait several minutes. Light it in open air, not in a cupboard. Stop if you smell gas before the spark.
Why must I purge air before the first fill?
Air left in the reservoir gives a weak or sputtering flame until it is pushed out. Seller bullets on TBTeek and on other refillable rows state that purge before the first fill. You hear the transfer, then you wait so the charge can settle before the piezo.
How do I attach a Green Haven or JDHON cartridge head?
Match the nozzle length to the adapter, then screw or click until the joint is firm. Check for a smell in moving air before you use the piezo. JDHON's instruction is to remove the cartridge after use. If gas flows with the valve shut, stop and do not light it.
How do I light a trigger-start propane head safely?
Confirm the thread first. CGA600 has to match the cylinder, not a camping cartridge. Open the gas to the position in the manual, pull the trigger, then adjust the knob. Opening the gas too fast blows the flame out, which is a DOMINOX review theme. Hand-tighten only. Do not cross-thread the aluminium.
When is the torch cool enough to store?
When the nozzle and the shroud are comfortable to touch. Workplace cards sometimes cite thirty minutes after extended use. At home, wait longer after heavy cylinder work than after a ramekin. Do not refill, and do not put the torch in a drawer, while the metal is still hot.
Can I store butane cartridges in a cupboard?
Only a well-ventilated, cool cupboard, away from living floors, and never below ground level. A shed shelf with airflow is the better default. Liquid Gas UK rules out cellars because the gas is heavier than air and pools at the lowest point.
What if I smell gas with the valve off?
Ventilate. Remove the cartridge or the cylinder if you can do that without a spark. Do not ignite. If the leak continues with the valve shut, stop using the head and return it. That pattern is in the Green Haven review notes, including a joint that leaked on a fresh can.
Can I use the torch upside down?
Some sellers claim all-angle use, including Green Haven. If the flame yellows, pops, or dies, work upright. A marketing line about any angle does not beat a flame that is unstable in your hand. Reservoir refills are still done inverted, with the torch cold and the flame off.
Related pages
Sources
Sources taken from the research digest. Listings were checked on 19 October 2026.
- HSE — L56 gas safety (retrieved 19.10.2026)
- HSE — CAIS 23 culinary torches (retrieved 19.10.2026)
- Liquid Gas UK — cylinder safety sheet (retrieved 19.10.2026)
- Water Regs UK — solders and fluxes (retrieved 19.10.2026)
- WaterSafe — lead-free solder (retrieved 19.10.2026)
- BPEC — copper pipe skills note (retrieved 19.10.2026)
- GOV.UK — General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
- Lava Fire — MAPP cylinders (retrieved 19.10.2026)