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Q: I’d like to hang a new 65-inch TV over the fireplace in our family room, but my partner’s afraid that heat from the fireplace will damage it. Is it really a bad idea to mount a TV above a fireplace?
A : Talk about a red-hot - button issue ! You ’re not the first person to consider mounting a TV above a open fireplace ; in fact , home builder often establish electric and cable wall plug over the chimneypiece ( the horizontal ledge above a hearth ) for just that purpose . But look on the type of fireplace you have , it could very well be a misunderstanding to hang your novel television there — for reason that go beyond the heat . Just forrader , find out why it might be honorable to select a dissimilar location rather than hanging the TV above a fireplace .
Mounting a television above a fireplace is generally not advised because excess heat and electronics do n’t mix . The area above the fireplace is often warmer than other rampart open in your home . Consider this : A flatulence fireplace can generate 20,000 to 35,000 British thermic units ( British thermal unit ) of heat energy per hour . To put that into position , it takes approximately 15,000 BTUs per hour to stir up an entire 1,400 - square - foot house during a distinctive New England winter .
heating rise , and even a fireplace with a cetacean directing blistering air toward the marrow of the room will still allow some estrus to run away upwardly , toward the TV above the hearth . Still , a number of factors fall into bid . The farther the fireplace mantelpiece hold out away from the wall , the more it will deflect heat from the above wall and TV . In addition , some fireplaces produce less heating system than others , and when they ’re combined with a good blower , this prevent the paries above the hearth from fix too warm .
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You may be able to mount a TV above an electric fireplace, which typically generates less excess heat than a gas unit.
Someelectric fireplacesare for ambience only and do n’t produce any warmth at all . Others , however , produce a moderate amount of heat — less than 5,000 BTUs per hour . Although that ’s not as hot as a gas open fireplace , can heat up from an galvanizing fireplace damage a TV nonetheless ? It depends , but the short answer is yes . expand exposure to mellow heat can potentially get dead pixels and melted components in television . To be certain a TV above a additive fireplace will be safe , first perform the thermometer test distinguish below to influence if the wall gets too warm .
Some freestanding electric open fireplace are designed for the very purpose of set a TV on top of a shelf built over the firebox , such as theWalker Edison fireplace television set viewpoint , which was picked as the best choice for large TVs in our template to thebest galvanising open fireplace TV stand . This outdoor stage is a safer selection than climb a goggle box above a gas open fireplace , with its built - in electric open fireplace generating only 4,600 BTUs per hour at its high scope .
Only mount a TV above a fireplace if temperatures in that spot do not surpass 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
You may have honest circumstances with a hearth that produces less heat , features a deep mantel , and is equipped with a unattackable cetacean . Before rise a telly above any fireplace , though , fill out this simple thermometer check :
If the temperature reaches or outperform 100 degrees Fahrenheit , the orbit above your fireplace is too raging to safely accommodate a goggle box . If the temperature remain at 100 degree Fahrenheit , the TV should be safe above the fireplace ; however , you still might want to rethink give ear it there for the reasons explained below .
Heat damage from mounting a TV above a fireplace could void the product’s warranty.
TVs cost a pretty penny , and if yours conk out on the fritz soon after you grease one’s palms it , you ’ll want to call a service technician to fix it . If the technician key out signs of heat damage , however , the manufacturer will often refuse to pay for the repairs , even if the TV is still within its warranty period . Does climb a TV above a fireplace void the warranty , then ? Read the warrant ’s okay mark ; some maker specify that the simple act of climb on the TV over a fireplace is enough to void it .
Watching a TV that’s mounted too high over a fireplace can be a literal pain in the neck.
If you ’ve ever had to sit in the front row of a picture field , you plausibly lead with a kink in your cervix from see up at the screen . Similar soreness can fall out if your TV is mounted above a fireplace , which is a high - than - usual height . The most well-fixed angle for consider a television is when the bottom third of the TV is at eye level . If you watch TV from a recliner that ’s tilted backward , you may not recrudesce a sensitive neck opening , but those who are pose upright will likely digest some discomfort after follow for a few instant .
So how high should a telecasting be above a fireplace ? Theoptimal TV hanging heightfor most setups puts the center of the screen at 42 inches from the story . Most traditional hearth mantels are between 4 and 5 feet tall . This means a idiot box should be mount as unaired to the top of a mantel as possible , but that places it eminent enough to be uncomfortable and scurvy enough to potentially look inapt . account for the average home cap height of 8 feet and the minimal distance between a fireplace and idiot box necessitate to keep the filmdom centered between the mantlepiece and cap , many TVs above fireplaces may be get on so gamey as to put the center of their silver screen 75 inches off of the floor . That ’s almost 3 feet too gamy !
The image on the screen isn’t optimal when viewed from an angle.
While less of an issue for LED tv , LCD screens are ill-famed for being difficult to see from an slant of more than 30 degrees from horizontal . If you wax the television matte against the rampart above the hearth and sit on a sofa or love seat , you ’ll be reckon the screen from an slant . The greater the slant , the worse the picture quality becomes . A consider angle of no high than 15 stage is satisfactory .
If you have to put on your LCD video on the upper segment of any wall , it ’s a good estimation to use a mount that swivel , such as theEchogear full - motility goggle box mount , which earmark you to lean the screen downward for viewing and then push it flat against the wall when it ’s not in use .
Think creatively when figuring out a spot to mount your TV.
Even though position a TV above the fireplace is n’t advisable , no one enunciate you ’re limited to situating a large TV on a humble metier console . The following musical theme will help you reckon outside of the box forwhere to place the TV .
If you still opt to mount a goggle box above the open fireplace , you may come up your television receiver big than the fireplace and full than the mantelpiece . Althoughscreen size have increased significantly over the decades , a world-wide rule of thumb is that a TV should be around 6 to 8 column inch narrower than the fireplace below it at lower limit .
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