Placing a Television Over the Fireplace
Odds are, your fireplace plays a big role in the aesthetics of your home. You may even make your fireplace the focal point of your living or dining room. Many homeowners also like their television to be a focal point. So, combining the two is a match made in home decor heaven, isn’t it?
Methods of Installation
- Mounting a television above the fireplace.
This method can be problematic for a few reasons. First, if you have a masonry chimney, mounting things on it should be avoided. Mounting a heavy television on your masonry should be a no-no, for sure, and if you’re not convinced about the risks, ask your chimney service provider. If your fireplace doesn’t use a traditional masonry chimney, and the wall above is drywall, it can be easy to mount the television. However, even this is discouraged among chimney professionals and techies alike. The smoke and heat from the fireplace can damage the television over time. If you rarely use your fireplace, this may not be a factor. - Sitting a television on the mantel above the fireplace.
This method is found a lot in homes with a traditional hearth and chimney, but should be avoided. Until recently, flat screen televisions were extremely heavy. Now they are extremely light, and both pose a risk for falling televisions. The heavy televisions can fall and severely injure or kill small children. From the height of a mantel, this can be devastating. While the risk of injury is less with a lighter television, the fact is that your television will be broken! Like wall or chimney mounts, the television is also susceptible to heat and smoke that can adversely affect the inner parts of the system.
Other Reasons You Should Mount Your TV Over the Fireplace
Besides the obvious risk of damage and television malfunction, there are a couple other reasons to avoid this design trend:
- Sore Neck
Televisions not designed to be viewed at the extreme angles required for a high-mount, and our bodies aren’t designed to look up at those angles for extended amounts of time. Just like looking down at cell phones, looking up at televisions can cause a sore neck, and eventually injury. - Visibility
Many flat screen televisions cannot be seen properly from such an extreme angle. You may strain your eyes and never realize it until you recognize symptoms that affect your eyes and head. Strain on the eyes can cause tired eyes, blurred vision, headaches, and double vision.
Talk to a Professional
When you are designing your home, remodeling, or moving in it’s a good time to decide where the television will go. You can have this discussion with a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® (CCS) who is familiar with your case and you chimney. A Beach Stove and Fireplace expert can advise you about the best fire products that will have the least affect on your nearby television. You can view a gallery of our work and see some televisions above fireplaces. Ask one of our technicians what makes the difference, and what can be done so that you’re happy with your living room, including your fireplace and TV.
Call Beach Stove and Fireplace at 631-998-0780 today to discuss your fireplace!