Should you Mount a Plasma TV above the fireplace?
At least 35% of you have a fireplace in your house or apartment and usually it is in the center of the room right where you would normally put your new Plasma TV. So what do you do? Rearrange the furniture so you can put the Plasma Television on a different wall or is it safe to put the plasma TV above the fireplace?
Of course. Not only will this save space by getting rid of a bulky plasma television stand it will also allow you to make the fireplace and plasma television the center focal point of the room. Today it is pretty simple to mount a plasma TV on any wall and if you already have a mantle over the fireplace you have built in stand. You may have few more questions about it like what about the heat.
Does the heat from a fireplace mess up a Plasma TV?
Not a clear answer on this. If the fireplace is built properly there should be no problem, but some older homes may have issues with it. Either way it is always better to be safe then sorry. So take a cheap thermometer you buy at the drug or hardware store and tape it above the fireplace where the plasma television would be. Get a nice fire going and see how hot it gets. If you see the temperature get above 87 F degrees then your getting too much heat and you should not risk mounting the plasma television there.
On the other hand if your below that temperature the plasma television should have no problem. To mount the plasma tv just follow the wall mount instructions. If you have a brink fireplace you will need to use cement anchors or the equivalent which you can purchase at a hardware store. Remember when your checking for heat its really the hot air that is coming from the front of the fire that will flow over the plasma television. Your fireplace should be well insulated from letting any heat out from the inside.
Another option is if you have a wide mantle usually at least 5 inches you may be able to use it as your plasma tv stand. Of course make sure to check the temperature as the mantel may receive more heat than the wall above the mantle. Also think about where your accessories will go like your DVD player, WII, stereo, etc. If you need more information on mounting the plasma tv check out our How to wall mount a plasma TV guide.
