Is it safe to hang a flat screen over the fireplace?

Question

I am surprising my husband with a flat screen tv soon and I wanted to have it installed over the fireplace. But is that safe for the tv? Will the heat radiate through the brick and sheet rock that is over the brick and affect the tv and wiring? Thanks in advacnce

Answer 1

Hello. -

Will the heat from the fireplace harm the plasma TV?

"There are a few precautions to take before hanging a plasma screen TV over your fireplace. First, take a thermometer and tape it to the wall above the mantel, in the place where the plasma TV will reside. Then build a fire, and let it roar awhile. Now, check the thermometer. If the temperature is above 90 degrees F, then the area is receiving too much heat -- either escaping from the front of the fireplace and rising up the face, or radiating through the chimney to warm the outside wall -- for a plasma TV to hang there without receiving some modicum of residual damage. It would not be advisable to run the plasma for a long period of time while its environment is this hot. Though the Plasma TV has its own cooling system, the surrounding heat will force the Plasma display to work harder to cool itself, thus shortening the overall lifespan of the unit over time. A Plasma TV may still be run for short periods of time without harming the unit (even with the environment heat at 90 degrees F or above).

If the plasma display is not turned on while a fire burn in the fireplace, then the unit will not be harmed at all even though the temperature surrounding the unit may be warm. Of course, this might not be an option for people living in places where winter lasts seemingly forever, and fires are an everyday fact of life. In such cases, you should be advised to monitor the amount of heat your plasma display is exposed to while it is running".

Have a nice weekend. :)

Answer 2

Go for it, just don't build roaring fires or stick to fire logs. If it is gas then I wouldn't recommend it. By the way, purchase a LCD over a Plasma, they run cooler and consume very little power. They last about as long as a Plasma but Plasma does have a better picture. Consider how the wires are going to be consealed in the walls as well. An Electrcian should wire the power and maybe the A/V cables if he has the knowledge for it or get a good cabling guy from a electronics store or cable company to help you.

Answer 3

it is probably safe. If you want to know get a large fire going in the fire place and keep it burning for a few hours. Then feel the bricks. If they don't get hot without the TV then they will not get hot with it up. If they do get too hot then don't put the TV there.

If they do get hot you may not want to use your fire place until you get some work done because you might burn down your house. Then your TV is the least of your problems.

Answer 4

I have a gas fireplace ... where you just flip a switch it is not plasma prepped but the builder put an outlet right above it in the middle of the fireplace. What do you think?

Answer 5

I have a samsung plasma installed over my fireplace - never had a problem.

Answer 6

the heat will start to melt component over time given you about a couple of months according to how you use your fireplace

Answer 7

if your home was built right it should have special sheet rock around the fire place to keep it from getting to hot.....but you see them above fire places, ask someone at an electronics store they would know

Answer 8

i have my 42 inch plasma hanging over the fire place.it has been there a yr.now and it still going.

Answer 9

I wouldn't recommend it

Answer 10

It shouldn't be a problem