Connecting a gas pizza oven: which bottle, hose and regulator you need

What is in the box, and what is not

This is the first thing to know, because without a hose and regulator the oven will not connect to the bottle. By brand:

• Ooni Koda 12 and Koda 2: sold in the Netherlands without a hose and regulator. Ooni says so itself for the Koda 2: only the 50 mbar version has them pre-fitted, and that one is for Germany. For the 30 and 37 mbar versions you buy the Ooni set separately.
• Cozze 13" and 17" Classic: a fitting for a hose nozzle or a 1/4" thread, but according to Cozze no regulator. Cozze sells its own set for the Netherlands.
• Ooni Karu 12 and Karu 2: these burn wood or charcoal. Baking on gas takes the separately sold gas burner, and then the hose and regulator as well. The Karu 2 Pro takes its own, different burner.
• Ooni Koda 16, Koda 2 Pro and Koda 2 Max, and Gozney Arc, Arc Lite, Arc XL and Dome: for these ovens we have not been able to establish whether a hose and regulator are included. Ask the shop before you order.

30 mbar: the gas pressure for the Netherlands

Gas ovens are built for a particular gas pressure per country. Ooni sells its hose and regulator per pressure and puts the Netherlands in the 30 mbar group. The 37 mbar version is the Belgian one, the 50 mbar version the German one.

On the ovens this shows as a gas category. The Koda 12 and Koda 16 and both Witt ovens are I3B/P(30): 28 to 30 mbar. The Koda 2 and Koda 2 Pro come in a 28 to 30 mbar version and a 37 mbar version. In the Netherlands, buy the 30 mbar one, and check which it is when you see a deal. Cozze states 30 mbar for its gas ovens.

Always use a fixed 30 mbar regulator. An adjustable high-pressure regulator, of the kind sold for weed burners, is not meant for a pizza oven.

Propane or butane

Not every gas suits every oven. According to the makers:

• Butane, propane or a mixture: Ooni Koda 12 and Koda 16, Cozze 13" and 17" Classic, Witt Etna Rotante and Piccolo Rotante.
• Propane only: Ooni Koda 2 and Koda 2 Pro (category I3P), and the Gozney Arc ovens and the Dome on gas.

Baking in winter too?

Then pick propane, even if your oven takes butane. Butane barely evaporates around freezing point, so in the cold little gas comes out of the bottle. Propane keeps evaporating well below zero. That is physics rather than a maker’s figure, but it explains most cold evenings on which the oven will not get up to temperature.

The regulator has to fit your bottle

The oven sets the pressure, the bottle sets the connection. The fitting on a gas bottle’s valve differs between suppliers, so check which bottle you have or will get before you order a regulator.

For Ooni there is Ooni’s own hose and regulator set. According to Ooni it fits the whole Koda range and the Ooni gas burners, and you pick the 30 mbar variant at checkout. For Cozze there is Cozze’s set for the Netherlands and Luxembourg, with a 1.1 metre hose and a gauge that shows how much gas is left in the bottle.

For the connecting itself, follow your oven’s manual.

How much gas do you burn?

Ooni gives the Koda 2 a consumption of 342 grams of gas per hour at 4.8 kW, and the Koda 2 Pro 699 grams per hour at 9.8 kW. That works out at about 71 grams per kW per hour. With the same ratio you can estimate the other ovens from the power their maker states:

• Ooni Koda 12 (4.0 kW): about 285 grams per hour
• Ooni Koda 2 (4.8 kW): 342 grams per hour, according to Ooni
• Ooni gas burner for the Karu (5.3 kW): about 380 grams per hour
• Cozze 13" Classic (6.0 kW): about 430 grams per hour
• Witt Piccolo Rotante (7.0 kW): about 500 grams per hour
• Ooni Koda 16 and Cozze 17" Classic (8.0 kW): about 570 grams per hour
• Witt Etna Rotante (9.2 kW): about 660 grams per hour
• Ooni Koda 2 Pro (9.8 kW): 699 grams per hour, according to Ooni

What that means for a bottle

Those figures are at full power. Ten kilos of gas therefore keeps a Koda 12 going for more than thirty hours on full flame, and a Koda 2 Pro for about fourteen. Turn the burner down and it lasts longer.

In short: you need the oven, a gas bottle with the right connection, and, if it is not included, a hose with a fixed 30 mbar regulator. If you also bake when it freezes, take propane.