Don’t Put Your TV Over Your Fireplace

Faced with a small living place, I decided to mount our family members Television set over the fireplace a couple decades ago. It saved loads of house, but I deeply regret it. Here’s why. (Don’t make the same oversight I did!)

You’ll Destroy Your Neck

Prior to mounting our 70-inch Television set set on the wall, it sat on a significant Television stand that took up a good part of probable sitting down space in the space. We wished to no cost that up. I experienced a significant-obligation Television mount I experienced bought several years in advance of and hardly ever utilised, and there was a good deal of no cost room earlier mentioned the fire, so I set two and two collectively, and the up coming issue I understood, we had a monster Tv set mounted previously mentioned the fire.

At very first, it appeared really awesome to have the Television set up there, but my loved ones quickly understood that in purchase to see the Tv established comfortably, you have extremely minimal seating options. Somebody inevitably ends up lying down on the couch dealing with the Television set, using up seating place for other people, and after the other two chairs are occupied, another person normally ends up sitting or lying on the floor.

Then there’s the neck dilemma. If you sit much too close to the Tv set, it is just about unattainable to crane your neck up to easily see the Tv set. If you endeavor it, your neck will start out hurting in about 5 minutes. From any other stage in the space (other than lying down on the couch), you still have to tilt your head back again to see the Tv appropriately, and your neck will commence hurting in about 10-20 minutes.

It turns out that makers advocate mounting the center of a Tv established at about eye amount from the place you are going to be sitting, and now I can see why. Anything else is a recipe for terrible neck strain.

You are going to Sacrifice Viewing Angle

Just about every Television set established has an great viewing angle equally horizontally and vertically that depends on what sort of show it uses. That indicates if you’re looking at the screen from outdoors the viewing angle, the photo on the Television set screen may possibly be darker, blurrier, or discolored. Mounting a Tv set established up higher above a fire may location your line-of-light out of the suitable viewing angle except you tilt the Tv set downward with a special mount.

You are going to Wrestle With Wires and Cables

A different situation with mounting a Tv in excess of your hearth is cable administration. If you do not have any way to conceal the cables dangling from your Television established, you’ll close up with a enormous eyesore hanging from the wall over your fire.

In my case, I’m lucky for the reason that our residing area has created-in cabinets beside the hearth that operate floor-to-ceiling, and it gives a good chance to conceal cables, network packing containers, and match consoles in the shelves many thanks to a number of strategically-drilled holes. But routing ability cables driving guides is not ideal, and it could even be a fire hazard (heat, electrical energy, and paper really do not blend). I’m scheduling on changing this soon.

You will Most likely Damage the Tv Established

We love to burn off wooden in the fireplace in the winter for a rustic, aged-fashioned feel. In our case, we have a mantle previously mentioned the hearth and just underneath the Television set set that can block some of the climbing warmth coming from the front opening of the fireplace—and most of the warmth goes out the chimney. But when we get a roaring fire heading, the fire brick gets quite scorching and radiates heat ferociously. That’s in all probability not great for the longevity of the Tv set established.

What You Ought to Do Alternatively

Now that you have seen the negative facets of mounting a Television above your fire, what must you do as a substitute?

If you will need to mount the Television on a wall, attach it at a decreased peak that corresponds with the place most individuals will be standing or sitting when they watch it. The height of the middle of the Television established ought to be about eye-stage with most of the viewers. That means really do not place it up large if everybody will be sitting down down although they observe, and preserve the Tv set absent from the ceiling.

Or you can keep your Television set sitting down on a piece of furniture. It’s not ideal, and it will take up a good deal a lot more space, but your neck will thank you for it. Good luck!