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Covering the gap on lights connected to old gas lines

12:22 PM 05/07/2012

 

overherhead

Greenwood, NY

As I slowly replace the existing fixtures in my house, I'm finding that most of my fixtures hang from the old gas lines, and so what would be flush mounted to the ceiling on a modern box actually hangs about 2" below the ceiling.  The last owners dealt with this by just screwing a piece of flashing around the gap, which (as you can imagine) looks...terrible.  I know there must be something out there that's actually made for this purpose - anyone know what it's called?
thanks!
 

 

 

Lighting
7 answers
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  • vote

    greenwoodgeneral

    Greenwood, NY

    If the gas lines are not active, this is the time to attach the junction boxes and fixtures correctly. If they are still active, you have a potentially bigger issue!

    If you want to leave them alone, they either a medallion or a cap or both. You can buy deeper caps at most of the bigger lighting stores.

    Another way to get the cap is to find cheap fixtures at IKEA that have deep caps, and buy those to salvage the cap and hanging mechanism. For a more modern look, this can be a very cheap/quick solution.

    12:37 PM 05/07/2012 | 0 Votes

     

     

  • vote

    mopar

    Bedford Stuyvesant, NY

    If I understand your question correctly, you need to choose light fixtures with a canopy intended to hide the gas nipples. This is easy -- any gas or early electric fixture (or reproduction) will have it. Check such resources as eBay, Rejuvenation, Seattle Salvage, Moon River Chattel, and Schoolhouse Electric.

    4:55 PM 05/07/2012 | 0 Votes

     

     

  • vote

    mopar

    Bedford Stuyvesant, NY

    Don't just go cutting your gas lines willy nilly. They're connected to stove lines.

    4:56 PM 05/07/2012 | 0 Votes

     

     

  • vote

    overherhead

    Greenwood, NY

    Thanks guys.  I wasn't intending on cutting any lines - it's specifically ceiling fans that have the issue.  The canopies on those are not very long, and so I was hoping there was an extender or something that existed to cover the gap...

    5:18 PM 05/07/2012 | 0 Votes

     

     

    Comments (2)

    • bobmarvin

      Prospect Lefferts Gardens, NY

      There are extenders that will work here; they're a common hardware store item. You can stack them if needed. An old fashioned hardare store, like Leopoldi's, on 5th Avenue, shoupd have them.

      6:59 PM 05/07/2012

          

    • bobmarvin

      Prospect Lefferts Gardens, NY

      BTW, be sure to save and reuse the fittings that connect your existing light fixtures to the gas pipes. These are hard to replace.

      7:02 PM 05/07/2012

          

  • vote

    brokelin

    If I remember correctly, they are called collars. You can get them in brass, and probably other metal colors, Google up repreduction house lighting and hardware sources if you can't find what you want locally. I did, forget where, maybe the electricians I hired had them.  and yes, you can stack them...the remnant of my gas pipe took two to cover, and looked fine once installed.

    9:03 PM 05/07/2012 | 0 Votes

     

     

  • vote

    overherhead

    Greenwood, NY

    Thanks all, really helpful!

    10:45 AM 05/08/2012 | 0 Votes

     

     

  • vote

    limestone_cowboy

    Unscrew the nipple (the verticle piece of gas pipe) and get a new one 2" shorter.  No need for a collar.

    11:08 PM 05/09/2012 | 0 Votes

     

     

    Comments (1)

    • mrc

      Park Slope, NY

      Sorry limestone but these are not nipples. The old gas pipes were long continuous bends.

      3:34 PM 05/10/2012

          

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