Gaslight is a given for street lights in cities from Charleston to Cincinnati. It’s also a rapidly growing niche in new outdoor residential lighting. But can it make a comeback in doors?
It depends. There are no national standards for gaslight use indoors, whether historic or reproduction, and installing new gaslight can be problematic. “To my knowledge, you cannot get anybody to tell you [whether] their gas fixtures are certified for indoor use,” says Ginger Rushing, president of Gas Copper Lanterns and coppergaslanternsplus.com .
Outdoor gaslight has no such grey area. Driven by architects, contractors, and homeowners charmed by the mellow glow of real flame, the market for outdoor gaslight use is booming. A dozen or more companies offer certified or UL-listed gaslight bracket lanterns, post and column mounts, pendants, and over-the-door “moustache” lamps for use on open-air porches, entries, decks, lawns, and driveways.
The ‘Vienna’ pier-mount lantern showcases American Gas Lamp Works’ distinctive “maple leaf” flame.
“What has really become a design feature is the open flame fixture,” says David Jardini, owner of American Gas Lamp Works , whose period-style cast aluminum or copper lanterns produce a beautiful, flickering flame two inches high. “They are exclusively for ambiance.”
Drew Bevolo, owner of the namesake company, agrees, saying that a gas-fired open flame inside one of Bevolo’s hand-riveted copper lanterns produces about as much light as a bright full moon. “It’s a pilot light with a fancy cover.”
Bevolo has made authentic gas lighting for indoor use for a number of historic museums, and Drew Bevolo is convinced the lights can be safe, provided the fixture is certified for indoor use and the gas line is pressure-tested.
Getting such certification is complicated, however. Assuming you can find a plumber willing to test the line, there’s the matter of local approval. In some cases it’s impossible to know whether the light will be permitted until after it has been installed, says Rushing. For example, the state of Massachusetts requires that gaslight fixtures be certified specifically by the state plumbing board: “That’s how tricky it can be.”
Gaslight’s perceived dangers date from the mid-19th century, when bracket lamps and chandeliers were fueled by “coke” or “town” gas. Made from coal, this type of gas contained carbon monoxide and other flammable gases, and was dirtier than the natural and LP gas available today. Early fixtures also lacked safety features to prevent the flow of gas without ignition. Both conditions can—and did—lead to explosions.
Gaslight grew safer with the introduction of the Welsbach mantle in the 1880s. A mantle is essentially a tiny sock impregnated with minerals that fits over the gas jet, making it safer to light. While lacking the allure of the open flame, mantle gas lamps also produced brighter light, leading to widespread gas use on streets and homes throughout America.
“Moustache” gaslights, like this ‘Bayou’ wall-mount from Copper Gas Lanterns, are classic over-the-door fixtures.
Today, an open-flame natural or LP gaslight still produces methane, which can collect in an enclosed room, Rushing says. That’s one reason she routinely turns away business for lanterns for indoor use. “Anytime anybody brings up the subject of a thermocouple, that’s a big red flag.”
All open-flame gaslight fixtures made today are vented at the top with chimneys with perforated holes. The bottom plates are also perforated. “That is what creates the chimney effect, where the air is drawn up by the heat in the lantern,” says Rushing. Hot air and gases escape through the top.
The open flame produces a surprising amount of heat, up to 450 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit above the top of the fixture. “We always caution people about using them on deck posts, where children or animals could come in contact with them.”
Most manufacturers recommend leaving outdoor gaslight running continuously, because the igniters used to fire the lights have notoriously short lifespans. If you’ll be away for an extended time or a windstorm is coming, turn the light off as a commonsense safety precaution.
‘English Regency’ from Bevolo, a gas reproduction fixture, is easy to ignite.
How to Light a Gas Lamp
Modern gaslights are equipped with safety features that make them far safer than lights of a century ago, but they must be mounted with several inches of clearance from walls and other surfaces because they produce a lot of heat. To light a bracket lamp, for example, open the glass door and turn the lever or key valve into the correct position to allow the gas to flow. Light the tip with a match, not an igniter. Then adjust the height of the flame using the key valve or lever. Most dealers recommend adjusting the flame to about 2″, depending on the scale of the fixture. Once lit, close and latch the door. The lantern will burn continuously with little additional cost or maintenance.