Almost had a fire because of my stove placement | Van Life Builds

Wade Carter · 2026-02-23T17:35:31.429236+00:00

I put my propane stove too close to the wall and it got way too hot. Now I always leave a big gap for air to move around. What spacing do you use?

charles_scott937mo ago

Wow, that's a scary close call, glad nothing worse happened. I read an article a while back that said poor ventilation is a huge cause of stove issues, not just fires but also carbon monoxide with gas models. Jamie_moore has the right idea following the manual, those clearance rules exist for a reason. I always measure it out with a tape now because eyeballing it is way too risky. What kind of wall were you near, was it just regular drywall or something else?

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jamie_moore7mo ago

Check the manual for your specific model, mine says 12 inches from anything combustible. I stick to that rule and sometimes add an extra few inches for peace of mind. Good airflow is everything for getting that heat away from surfaces.

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jamie1167mo ago

Carbon monoxide with gas models is scary. Do you have a detector nearby just in case?

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