Here’s a nice article, written by Annie Groer, from today’s Washington Post. If offers valuable advice on how to install a flat screen TV over a fireplace. I’ll just add here that I try to steer my clients in another direction. Since a fireplace is often a focal point, I think artwork looks better. But sometimes you just can’t fight city hall. So if you must, here’s how to do it. Take it away, Annie.
A screen displayed too high can be a pain in the neck in a small room or a close-in seating arrangement. To avoid having to look up rather than straight ahead — that “first row of a movie theater” feeling — you’ll want to sit 13 to 15 feet from the fireplace if the mantel is 64 inches off the floor, says Jean-Pierre Garcia, a home theater consultant.
When building or renovating a room for viewing, designer Debbie Wiener suggests using a low mantel and fireplace surround for closer-in seating.
Be sure the TV can be set back far enough on the mantel to be protected from rising heat or smoke — 12 inches if possible, says Garcia. Test heat levels — gas logs and wood-stove inserts burn especially hot — by taping a thermometer on the wall above a burning fire for at least 90 minutes, says home inspector John Vaughn. If the mercury hits 90 degrees, consider installing a glass fireplace screen or putting the television elsewhere. By all means, check the owner’s manual regarding your TV’s temperature tolerance. Design assistant Will Winebrenner neglected to take this step. “I ruined my own TV that way — a $3,000 mistake.”
Before mounting the set over a masonry fireplace in older homes, have a certified Fireplace Investigation, Research and Education (FIRE) inspector check the wall, firebox, smoke chamber and flue, Vaughn urges. Masonry damaged during hardware installation can create a hazard. Call in a certified electrician to install the outlet.
Wherever you display the TV, do not wedge it tightly into a niche or cabinet. The electronics generate heat and need room for air circulation, Garcia says.
Photos: Frances Janisch
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Here’s what drives me nuts about articles like these. These people must not watch much beyond the test pattern. Notice what’s missing in these photos? Uh, let’s see: The cable box. The Tivo. The surround sound system, or at least some decent speakers. The top photo looks as if there might be some speakers between the flat screen and the flames, but the other ones appear to be loudspeaker free.
p.s.: I know there are such things as cable cards, which in effect, replace the cable box, but they won’t work with features like Comcast’s On Demand. Whoops.
You hit the nail on the head once again, Misterarthur. This is the inevitable problem that puts the “kabosh” on the “over the fireplace” idea.
It is a do-able thing, if you’re dealing with new construction, which is usually not the case.
Working within an existing space, the owner has to be willing to hardwire the cables, patch and repair walls, and create a built-in unit for the Tivo. And then, of course, you’re dealing with all kinds of code issues.
It’s nice that flat screen TVs look great, but put them somewhere else. Please.
Forgot to add: I don’t see a DVD player. Guess they don’t like movies.
Hello, Kitty!