How do I hang a pendant light from a vaulted or sloped ceiling?

One of the most frequently asked questions we get at Bicycle Glass is how to hang pendant lights from a vaulted ceiling.

One of the most important things when hanging a pendant light is to make sure the cord, which is carrying electricity at 110 volts, does not have any additional stress on it.  

The Problem

As the cord comes out of the canopy, it passes through a strain relief which is designed to hold the cord in place and to set the desired height of the pendant light. 

Normally, this is hanging from a junction box on a flat ceiling and the cord is held tight by an inner collet that grips the cord as it hangs straight down.  

On a vaulted ceiling without a hang straight it would be installed in this way and as the cord came through the strain relief the cord would kink because of the weight of the pendant light pulling.

The Solution

The solution is a special mechanical device called a hang straight which will be placed between the canopy and the strain relief. 

The cord passes through the canopy, then through the movable joint that takes up the angle between the unique slope of  your ceiling and the floor so that when the cord finally passes through the strain relief it is hanging perfectly vertical.

These can easily be added to standard canopies.

This simple solution is the long term, safe way to hang your pendant lights from a sloped ceiling.

You can read more about our hang straights here if you are considering hanging pendant lights from a sloped ceiling.