How to Protect Your TV From Fireplace Heat
Installing your TV above your fireplace is a great idea. Or at least, it sounds like a great idea until you realize that the heat produced by your fireplace could damage your TV.
An easy solution to this problem would be to simply install your TV someplace else in your living room. But what if you want it to be above your fireplace?
In that case, learn how to protect a TV from fireplace heat to make sure it doesn’t overheat and get damaged.
1. Don’t install your TV too close to your fireplace
Your TV will be less likely to overheat if you don’t install it too close to your fireplace. Ideally, there should be a minimum of 20 inches between the top of your fireplace mantel and the bottom of your TV.
If your fireplace has no mantel, consider installing one, or at the very least, position your TV a bit higher.
But of course, you have to be comfortable whenever you watch your TV. If you mount it too high on your wall, you must strain your neck to watch your favourite movies or series.
To preserve a comfortable viewing angle, try not to install your TV higher than 65 inches away from the floor.
2. Close the doors of your fireplace
If your fireplace has doors, keeping them closed will help protect your TV from the fireplace heat.
If your fireplace doesn’t have doors, you might be able to get doors installed. If you want to see the fire, it’s best to choose heatproof glass doors over metal doors.
Instead of installing doors, you could get a fireplace screen. Although fireplace screens are mostly useful for preventing embers from flying into the room, they can help block some heat if they are made from thick metal and if their mesh is fine.
Whether you opt for doors or a screen, they will help reduce the heat from your fireplace.
3. Install a mantel or a shelf above your fireplace
If your fireplace doesn’t have a mantel, now would be a good time to install one. A mantel is an arch-like structure that comes out of the wall, above and on both sides of your fireplace. Although it does have a decorative purpose, it also helps spread the heat of a fireplace around the room.
And, of course, the top of the mantel will separate your TV from your fireplace, which will help protect it from the heat.
If you don’t want a full mantel, you could simply hang a shelf on the wall above your fireplace. As the heat from your fireplace rises, the shelf will be in its way and will prevent it from directly touching your TV.
And, of course, you can place some decorative items on that shelf. Just avoid candles or any object that could get damaged by heat.
4. Reduce the heat with a gas or electric fireplace
If your fireplace is a wood-burning one, it could be a good idea to replace it with a gas or electric fireplace.
A gas fireplace gives you the beauty and the warmth of a natural flame. But you can easily control the intensity of this flame, which means it’s up to you to ensure your fireplace doesn’t generate enough heat to damage your TV.
If you already have a gas line, switching to a gas fireplace makes great sense.
If you don’t have a gas line and don’t want to get one, you could instead replace your wood-burning fireplace with an electric one.
Of course, the flames produced by an electric fireplace don’t look like natural flames. But electric fireplaces are easy to install anywhere you want, and they are quite easy to maintain as well. Plus, they generate little to no heat, so you know your TV will be safe.
If you don’t want to replace your wood-burning fireplace with one that allows you to reduce the heat, rely on the tips above or the one below.
5. Protect your TV with a TV enclosure
Another thing you can do to protect a TV from fireplace heat is to get a TV enclosure. These are usually designed to protect TVs from vandalism in public spaces or the elements if a TV is installed outside.
However, a TV enclosure should be sturdy and thick enough to protect your TV from the heat rising from your fireplace.
All you have to do is choose the right enclosure size, mount it to the wall, and install your TV inside.
If you follow all these tips or even just a few, you can be sure your TV will not get damaged by heat anytime soon.