Picture this: It's a Sunday morning in the van; the timer goes and you take a freshly-baked sourdough loaf out of your campervan oven. The warm, doughy bread crackles as you break a piece off. You douse it in olive oil, add a pinch of salt, a few chilli flakes, and some herbes de Provence. This could be you, if you decide to install an LPG oven in your van. In this guide, you will learn all about LPG ovens. We'll discover the best models and how to install one. In our 2023 study, we found that 23% of van conversions had an oven installed.
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Shane, the founder of The Van Conversion, is a campervan professional dedicated to helping people transform ordinary vans into homes on wheels. He has authored Roaming Home, and teaches The Van Conversion Course, guiding many people through their van builds. Shane also writes The Van Conversion Newsletter, where he shares practical tips and insights. After completing two van builds and living on the road full-time since 2020, he is passionate about sharing his expertise with others.
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Do You Need a Campervan Oven?
LPG ovens are more of a 'nice-to-have' than a necessity. However, if you live for an extended period on the road and really want to make your van feel like home, a campervan oven can be a fantastic addition. They bake bread, they make pizza, and they look great in your kitchen.
Once your LPG system is setup, installing the LPG oven is actually very easy. The question is not one of technicality, but more one of space, budget, and gas usage.
Campervan Oven Size
An LPG oven is bigger than a simple gas hob. You should probably only consider getting an LPG oven if you have a long-wheel base van (or bigger). Because it can take up a lot of room, I recommend noting the oven location when you are designing your van at the outset.
To give you an idea of size, the popular (and slim) Force10 Two-burner Range has the following dimensions:
Depth: 368mm
Height: 483mm
Width 508mm
Luckily for us, there are many campervan oven options (some of which are very small indeed) - we will look at our options in the next section.
LPG Oven Cost
Believe it or not, there are some really good value LPG ovens out there. For a traditional campervan oven, prices range from €300-€1,300. However, as we will see in the next section, there are much cheaper alternatives.
What is the Best LPG Oven?
Omnia Camp Oven
Before we get into more traditional LPG ovens, I want to give a shout-out to an excellent, cheap, and tiny alternative: the Omnia camp oven.
Also known as the 'wonder pot', this stovetop oven is perfect for campervans. The donut-shaped design evenly distributes heat from your stovetop through the food, and can reliably be used for roasting and baking.
Dometic SMEV Oven and Grill
The Dometic SMEV is one of the most popular campervan oven and grills on the market. It's compact and simple, yet has enough space for roasting and baking whilst incorporating a grill.
12V ignition
20 litre oven
Thermostat
Interior light
Combined oven and grill
530mm x 310mm x 410mm
Oven output: 1kW
Note: The old Dometic-SMEV oven must be ducted to a roof-mounted flue. It comes with the chimney connection for this job.
Furrion Chef Collection Oven
The Furrion Chef Collection Oven is another very popular option. It's bigger and more powerful than the Dometic SMEV, allowing you to cook bigger meals for more people.
12V ignition
56 litre oven
Thermostat
Interior light
593 x 533 x 481 mm
Oven output: 9000 BTU
Force10 Two-burner Range
The Force10 Two-burner Range campervan oven and hob is another very popular option. It has a dedicated oven, grill, and two-burner hob, all delivered in a compact package designed for the tight spaces on boats.
Battery ignition (no 12V required)
17 litre oven
Thermostat
LPG grill, oven and hob
508 x 483 x 368mm
Oven output: 5100 BTU
Furrion 3-Burner Range
For even more hob space, the Furrion 3-Burner Range is an excellent option at a reasonable price. You get 3 gas hobs as well as a deep, large-capacity oven, all in a very compact size.
12V ignition
3-hob gas stove
LED dial lights
Thermostat
546 x 549 x 406mm
Oven output: 7,100 BTU
Furrion Chef Collection Electric Oven
If you don't fancy a gas installation and are planning on spending lots of time at campsites, an electric oven is worth considering. The Furrion Chef Collection Electric Oven is a large-capacity fan oven that runs on 120V mains electricity.
Thermostat & timer
Oven only
Fan oven cooks evenly
120V mains power supply required
533 x 593 x 517mm
Campervan Oven and Hob Safety
Ensure your campervan is very well ventilated by Installing a fan
Many LPG ovens require either a dropout vent or roof exhaust flue
The surrounding material must be able to withstand a certain amount of heat - do not put flammable material right beside the oven and check the manufacturer's guidelines to find out what heat is output to the sides and back
Get the gas installation done by a professional
Keep a fire extinguisher in your van
Install a carbon monoxide detector and smoke alarm
Install a gas leak detector (mount near the floor - gas is heavier than air)
LPG Oven Installation Guide
The specific installation steps for an LPG oven differs from model to model. For example, if you have a Dometic-SMEV, you will need a chimney flue, whereas if you have a Thetford, you need a drop-out vent. The installation instructions provided below are presented as a generic guide - always follow the instruction manual provided by the manufacturer.
I highly recommend you read this guide about campervan gas installations. Gas installations should be carried out by a registered gas fitter, and at the very least checked by one. Gas is very dangerous and a gas system must be fitted correctly. Campervan oven and hobs get very hot and the utmost care should be taken when installing them.
With all that being said, let's look at how to install a LPG oven.
Step 1: Build the wooden support frame for the oven
Your campervan oven will likely go in the kitchen unit of your van - ensure you have left enough room there for the installation. When building the support frame, follow the exact specifications laid out in the instruction manual for the oven. To do this carpentry, you just need a jigsaw and some plywood.
You must install a drop-out vent underneath the oven - though not somewhere that will cause a draught to come in (which could potentially disrupt combustion). The drop out vent is in the cavity under the oven. You can cut the drop-out vent using a holesaw.
In the diagram above, the oven must be 10mm away from the wood on the left and right sides. There must be a gap of 80mm at the back of the oven. These dimensions will vary depending on the oven you choose.
The surrounding material must be able to withstand temperatures of 65°C above ambient temperature. You can install cement board all around the oven to help with the temperature regulation. Cement board can withstand much higher temperatures than plywood.
Take a look at this excellent guide written by Wanderwoods about how to install an outdoor oven inside - which requires the use of cement board and reflectix due to its high temperature. The photo above is taken from their build.
When you are sure you have followed the instructions specifications to a tee, you can push the LPG oven into the space.
Step 2: Connect the gas
Attach the gas pipe (rigid pipe required by BS EN 1949:2021 standards) to the campervan oven inlet using an 8mm brass compression fitting
Ensure you put jointing compound/pipe dope on the oive/ferrule in the fitting. Tighten the fitting hand tight and then tighten it another 1.5-2 times with a wrench.
Step 3: Hook up the ignition
If you don’t have a piezo ignition, the last thing to do is hook up the 12V ignition. So go ahead and wire the oven up to your fuse box - the ignition usually takes a 3A fuse.
And that’s it - you're done and ready to start cooking all your favourite dishes.
Conclusion
This guide should have given you a primer on choosing and installing an LPG campervan oven. If you're still confused about gas installation, take a look at our gas systems masterclass for a comprehensive, step-by-step course.
Don't forget to subscribe to The Van Conversion Newsletter for everything you need to get started with your own van conversion. We'll send you a free wiring diagram when you join.
If you're looking for some guidance with your van conversion, you might be interested in our book, Roaming Home, or in our online course, The Van Conversion Mastery Course. You'll learn directly from our founder Shane how to convert a van into your dream home - no prior experience needed.
Until next time.