Just some quick safety tips
As always when using an open flame;
- make sure there is plenty of oxygen in the room = crack open the windows
- make sure that there is a suitable clearance around the heat source, so nothing close by over heats and catches fire
And if you can:
- have a fire extinguisher close by
- install a CO ( carbon monoxide) detector
Google summarizes butane use like this:
“When oxygen is plentiful, butane burns to form carbon dioxide and water vapor; when oxygen is limited, carbon (soot) or carbon monoxide may also be formed.”
So if your stove starts producing sod, then the windows are not open enough.
One way to limit heat radiation (and thus shorten the needed clearance) is to use a metal heat shield. You know one of those shields that is also a windbreaker, if the cooker is used outside.
Metal as a shroud to the back and sides, is an effective way to minimize the distance of clearance needed.
As heat rises, you should also consider how hot it gets above the stove. And mainly keep anything flammable out of the way above the stove.
One way to know how hot it gets above the stove, is to wave your hand, close to the ceiling, but over the stove.
Likewise you can register the heat radiation around the stove, by waving a hand along the walls, as far away from the stove as possible, and you will quickly notice if anything is getting a heat wave pushed towards them.
Some people say, to use only a small pan, as a big pan might reflect heat towards the butane container. But this depends on the design of your stove.
The above mentioned details is what constitutes the magic powers, that one must understand and be able to master, if one want to avoid dying from using an open lame inside a van.
Disclaimer: So if you do not feel like you have acquired these magic powers yet, then do NOT operate a stove inside a van, as you will otherwise surely die. Which is want all the official warning labels say.
One reason is, that companies are not authorized to try to bestow magic powers onto the users of their products.
Likewise I am also not authorized to help anyone acquire their magic powers. All I can do is mention the clues, that leads to the magic powers. After that it is up to any reader to seek them out themselves. Okay?
So what is it that is necessary to know and understand, for one to get the magic powers, that will allow one to survive using an open flame indoors, in a van?