GASE Admin 
For a few weeks each spring, Pretoria turns purple and everyone eats outside. The jacarandas are beautiful, the evenings are mild and the patio becomes the best room in the house. Here are five local setups that make the most of it — with a little gas common sense.
1. The Brooklyn pavement table
A small table on a quiet street, a 9 kg cylinder tucked neatly behind a planter and a two-plate burner doing double duty for coffee and lunch. The trick is a long hose and a regulator that is easy to reach, so the cylinder stays upright and out of the walkway. Never put a cylinder where a chair can knock it.
2. The Hazelwood garden kitchen
An outdoor counter under a tree, a built-in braai and a 19 kg cylinder in a ventilated cabinet. The cabinet has a louvred door and a fixed base — not a sealed cupboard. If you are building one, leave the bottom open for ventilation; LPG is heavier than air and will sit at floor level.
3. The Waterkloof patio heater
When the sun drops behind the ridge, a 13 kW patio heater takes the edge off. It sits at the edge of the patio, clear of the roof overhang and curtains, with the cylinder outside the seating area. Outdoor use only — a patio heater in a closed room is a carbon monoxide risk, no matter how romantic it looks.
4. The Menlyn rooftop braai
A communal braai on a rooftop needs a fixed cylinder position, a signed-off installation and a clear route for the empties. If the building has a body corporate, check the rules before you plumb anything in. A 9 kg on a stable trolley is often simpler and safer than a permanent line.
5. The Pretoria West courtyard
Our own kind of patio: a high wall, a lemon tree and a braai that has seen a thousand chops. The cylinder lives outside, upright, under a small shade roof, with the regulator covered. The hose is checked every few months and replaced when it stiffens. Nothing fancy — just the basics done properly.
Cylinder upright and outdoors · hose checked · regulator hand-tight · no leaks (soapy water) · heater clear of walls and fabrics · a window or door open if you move the party inside.
Make the season last
The best part of jacaranda season is that nobody wants to go inside. Keep a full 9 kg on hand, a spare 5 kg for the camping weekend and a working regulator. And if the braai is new — or inherited — ask us to check the setup on your next delivery. We will check the connections and make sure your first chop is a good one.
Order gas for the patio, or ask us about heaters and braais. Happy spring, Pretoria.
