Stevenfyeager
Senior Member
- Location
- United States, Indiana
- Occupation
- electrical contractor
What minimum height requirements are there for TV above a gas fireplace? I don't think there are going to be any mantels installed. Thank you.
Cable or satellite receiver, sound system, gaming consoles all produce heat and are often under an associated TVWe all know that the enemy of electronic components is heat. I would never mount any of my TV’s above a heat source.
Unless you put a blower on it to blow some heat into the room. But that is blowing air that is indirectly heated and is not the "exhaust" air that is coming out, plus the further it travels from the outlet the more heat it loses to the room, so unless you are right on top of the fireplace so to speak that air isn't too hot for something like a TV. Mantle (when present) does help divert any heat away from things on top the fireplace also.Any properly-exhausting fireplace will draw air from the room, and not heat anything mounted above it. A simple test with one's hand while a fire is going will tell you if there is an issue. I have mounted many TVs above fireplaces and not heard of any issues.
If you mount it too high, you get a sore neck watching it. It happens to me at other houses. Must be I do not get the "good" chair. Mine is not above the fireplace for that reason alone. I go for what works for me, not what looks good in magazines.
So...put the TV down low and fireplace up high?For proper viewing a TV should never be installed over the fireplace.
I read in some journal on ergonomics that the optimum height of a wall mounted TV is to have the bottom of the screen at eye level when seated at viewing distance. This would mean that over a fireplace is too high except for very short fireplaces.