A gas stove cooks with or without electricity, which is why so many South African kitchens added one during load shedding. The choice runs from a 2 plate tabletop hob on a 9 kg cylinder to a 4 plate hob built into the counter, or a full gas stove with an oven. Some households pair a gas hob with an electric oven. This page covers the types, safety features, how a stove connects to a cylinder and what to clean. Tell us what you want and local suppliers and installers will quote for free, with no obligation.
2 plate, 4 plate and gas stoves with an oven
- 2 plate gas hob: a tabletop unit for a small kitchen, a flat, a backup to an electric stove, or a holiday home. It often runs off a 9 kg cylinder with a regulator and hose.
- 4 plate gas hob: the usual family size, either freestanding on the counter or built into it.
- Gas stove with oven: a freestanding cooker with four burners on top and a gas oven below.
- Gas on top, electric below: a gas hob over an electric oven, a popular mix in renovations.
Connecting a gas stove to a cylinder
A tabletop 2 plate hob can connect straight to a cylinder with a low pressure regulator and an LPG hose, clamped at both ends. Only limited small cylinders are allowed indoors, never in a bedroom or a basement, so ask the installer what is allowed in your kitchen. A built in hob or a stove fed from a cylinder outside, through the wall by copper pipe, is a fixed gas installation and needs a CoC. That set-up keeps the cylinder in the open air and lets you use a bigger 19 kg or 48 kg cylinder that lasts longer between swaps.
Flame failure and other safety points
Many hobs have flame failure protection on each burner: if the flame blows out or a pot boils over, a sensor shuts off the gas to that burner. It is worth paying for. Keep the kitchen ventilated while cooking, never use a gas stove to heat a room, and keep curtains and tea towels away from the burners. If you smell gas, close the cylinder valve, do not touch switches, open windows and call a practitioner.
Cleaning burners and when to call for help
Lift off the pan supports, caps and burner heads, wash them in warm soapy water, dry them fully and put them back in the right positions. A clogged burner gives an uneven or yellow flame. A burner that will not light after cleaning, clicks without catching or smells of gas needs a practitioner; see gas leak detection and repairs. Replace a cracked, hard or kinked hose straight away.
What to include in your request
- 2 plate, 4 plate or stove with an oven
- Tabletop, freestanding or built in
- Where a cylinder could stand outside
- Whether you want it connected and certified
- Ask about flame failure on every burner
Gas Stoves & Hobs for different clients
- Homeowners: a 4 plate gas hob piped through the wall from a cylinder outside
- Complexes, estates and body corporates: tabletop or built in hobs where the body corporate approves cylinder positions
- Restaurants, takeaways and bakeries: takeaways and small cafes cooking on gas hobs when the power goes off
- Guest houses, lodges and venues: self catering chalets with a 2 plate gas hob and a cylinder outside
- Farms and smallholdings: farmhouse and staff kitchens cooking on gas far from town
- Factories, warehouses and workshops: staff canteens and tea rooms with a gas hob as backup
- Campers, caravanners and event hosts: holiday homes and caravans cooking on a small 2 plate gas stove
- Gas installers, plumbers and dealers: kitchen fitters and appliance dealers ordering hobs with installation
Frequently asked questions
What is the price of a gas stove?
Is a 2 plate gas stove enough?
Can a gas stove cylinder stand inside the kitchen?
How do I get a gas stove for sale and installed near me?
Gas Stoves & Hobs by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg