Can You Mount a TV Above a Fireplace? The Ultimate Guide

The ‘picture-perfect’ setup of mounting a TV above a fireplace received a lot of traction over the years. Homeowners who want to give their living room one of the best instant upgrades quickly hopped into this trend. However, there’s an equal number of people concerned about mounting a TV near a heat source or just above a fireplace.

You can mount your TV above a fireplace, but it’s not as simple as mounting it on a wall or mantle. You have to consider its distance from the fireplace and the amount of heat that the fireplace generates. Heat can cause damage to any TV, so even if it looks nice, you still need to be very careful with it.

Let’s talk about the crucial things you need to do before you can safely mount a TV above a fireplace. Stick around because this article will provide you with all the information you need to know about it, including what you need to avoid to reduce the risk of damaging your TV and the screen.

What To Consider Before Mounting a TV Above a Fireplace

Nowadays, television is more than just a form of viewing entertainment — more and more people are mounting them above a fireplace for aesthetics. We can’t deny that it makes the room and mantel look nicer, but is it safe, and should you even consider mounting a 65-inch screen, 4K Ultra-HD TV above a fireplace?

Some would say that it’s too risky, but the truth is it’s okay to mount a TV above a fireplace — you just have to be systematic with it. Here are some things that you need to consider before you do it:

Type of Fireplace

Not all fireplaces are created equal. Some use electricity, others use gas, while some prefer the traditional wood-burning fireplace. We need to clarify it to avoid the misconception that you can mount TVs on any fireplace.

If you’re using an electric fireplace, you can easily control the temperature and ensure that it doesn’t exceed 5000 BTU. As long as you can keep the temperature within this range, it’s safe to mount a TV above it.

Traditional gas and wood-burning fireplaces should follow the same guideline, but the problem is that it’s not easy to control the heat output if you’re using gas or wood. If you’re using a traditional fireplace, monitor the heat it produces; most TV manufacturers recommend keeping the temperature below 104𝆩F (40𝆩C).

It would be best to have some distance between the TV and fireplace to reduce heat exposure. There should also be a mantelpiece to help deflect some of the heat that the fireplace generates.

Height of the TV When Mounted

Aesthetics is one of the reasons why people want to mount TVs above a fireplace. Your room needs to look good. But it’s not also good to have it too high on the wall and that is why some mounts are adjustable. There are two factors that you need to consider before you mount a TV above a fireplace:

• Neck strain: since you need to have enough distance between the TV and fireplace, it could end up too high on the wall, which can cause neck strain. The easiest solution for this is to use a full-motion mount that allows you to bring the TV on eye level while watching, then put it back above the fireplace.

• Image quality: although there are TVs with an optimal viewing angle, it’s not as much of an issue with newer models. So, before you mount a TV above a fireplace, check whether it has an optimal viewing angle and if you’ll still get the best image quality even if you place it a bit higher.

Additional Devices

As much as we want to exclude other devices when mounting a television, we rarely use TVs as a standalone form of entertainment. There are many other devices that we use together with it, and if you have them, it would be best to consider their max heat tolerance. Getting small mounts for speakers or your gaming console is a good idea.

Do you have a soundbar, game console, cable box, Blu-Ray player? If so, you need to consider the space they require and how well they can handle prolonged heat exposure.

Aesthetics

People want to mount TVs above fireplaces for aesthetic purposes, but let’s not forget about the essentials. If you’re going to mount TVs on any part of the house, cable management will be quite challenging. Will you use a cable raceway to manage the cables, or will you run them through the wall?

Another factor that you have to consider is the type of mount and mantel you’re going to use. Since you’re planning to mount the television above a fireplace for aesthetics, you must consider the other facets that make it possible. Will it make your setup design look nicer, or will it only make your setup more cumbersome?

Even if you could mount a TV above a fireplace, it won’t be aesthetically pleasing if you can’t manage the cables properly. You’ll also need a mantelpiece that adds personality to your setup’s design and will serve as an effective ‘heat barrier’ for your TV.

Is It Safe To Mount TV Above a Fireplace?

It’s safe to mount your TV above a fireplace. In fact, many people have already been doing it for years and never had issues with their setup. You need a checklist to ensure that you’re not putting your TV and the screen at risk, and it won’t void the warranty. Here are the things that you need to have:

• Install an electric fireplace with heat output control (so you can see the temperature) or a gas or wood-burning fireplace that doesn’t produce too much heat.
• Have an appropriate distance between the TV and fireplace with a mantel to minimize heat exposure.
• Install a full-motion mount to make it easier for you to move your TV around and get a more comfortable viewing experience.
• Plan for cable management and install a mantelpiece that adds personality to your setup.
• Buy small wall mounts for your other devices.

If you have all of these things, you don’t have to worry about mounting a TV above a fireplace. Even if you install it too high on the wall, it’ll be easy for you to move it to a more comfortable height that won’t cause neck strain and won’t have heat issues.

Conclusion

You can safely mount a TV above a fireplace, but for best results, you need to consider the fireplace you have. You also need to consider the mounting mechanism you’ll use because mounting a TV above a fireplace can be too high.

You have to do all of these to create a balance between minimizing the risk and maximizing the viewing comfort when using the TV. Remember, heat exposure can damage your TV, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything to minimize it.