Can I Mount My TV Over a Fireplace? Advice From A Pro 

Great work, perfect way to test if it's going to get to hot.

I would temporarily place something (block of wood) at the new proposed mantle height and see how warm it gets. I would check the specifications for the fireplace (if you have access) as they will have direction on mantle height as well.

Some types of fireplaces can send the heat straight up like that. Especially with a solid glass front. That being said the high 90s should be fine for a TV. The circuits inside are much warmer than that. I live in Texas and routinely run my patio tv (not an outdoor TV) on 100+ degree days. I personally wouldn't worry about it unless you're getting temps beyond 105-110

I have seen lots of TV's die in a lot of different ways. It's not uncommon for the TV screen to fail (usually a backlight issue) and for the sound to still work. I've been doing this kind of work since 2004 and I can't say I have seen a greater failure rate on TV's over a fireplace vs TV's on a regular wall. Honestly the biggest failure rate is after moving a TV from one location to another, power surges and lightning. Those instances I can with a great deal of confidence say cause a higher rate of failure on electronics. Such a bummer that your TV has broken. It's so frustrating to pay good money for a TV only to have it crap out.

I think I understand what you're saying but would need a picture to verify. That being said one way to shield the TV is a well placed mantle. The right mantle could likely deflect the heat effectively but you would need to do some research with some temporary mantles held up to see their effect

There's a lot of factors that go into that but typically if your home was built after the mid 80s there's a good chance your fireplace is an insert which is a prefabricated fire box that's inserted into the wood framing. I work in North Texas and that's the case down here. There is typically a normal wood framed wall behind the stone/brick or sheetrock above a fireplace and behind that wall is the chimney/flu. I have another video you can check out that explains it in detail. You can check out.

@@EdwinBonneaugreat video!!!!!quick question... I have a gas fireplace and there is a mantle over it. I was wondering is there any type of hazard of mounting the TV in the sheet rock? There should be studs behind there right? Nothing I could damage? I'm in the north east

@@bosshova23 No hazard at all. Just mount the TV like you would a normal wall.

@@EdwinBonneau Thanks a lot! I appreciate it

@@EdwinBonneau I want to build a hidden compartment inside the gas/chimney fireplace about 10" deep but I am scared to cut into the sheetrock. My house was built in 94 is there something I should look for before doing that?

Out of curiosity how is the heat affecting the display? Warm air wants to rise always. When you put a mantle in the way of that rising air it forces it to move around it. You can imagine it like smoke or even water to an extend. What would water or smoke do when you put the mantle in it's way. It should move that hot air out a bit before it can continue up. Every setup is a bit difference but one of the best ways to test it to set up a temporary mantle (piece of wood or even cardboard) and then just do a simple "feel" test to see if it's warm above that faux mantle. If you have access to a thermal camera even better. You can actually measure the amount of heat. I would conduct this test both with and without the mantle.

Check your local building codes. I know you have seen electrical outlets on fireplaces before. Those are run through the wood framing inside the fireplace with the same electrical cabling used around the rest of the home. There are lots of different framing methods for fireplaces but here in Texas and especially with homes built after 85' most are wood framed. That void around the flue doesn't get overly hot. Being built with wood, if it did get hot that could be a recipe for disaster but it doesn't get that hot.

Sure, nothing wrong with that. Running cable still might be difficult although you do have more options if the flue isn't operational and you can run cable through it. There is no reason you couldn't mount on a decommissioned fireplace through.

$700-$1,000 from a reputable company. Depending on conditions of fireplace. You can easily spend more depending on the mount and cables that you use.

@@EdwinBonneau thank you for your reply. I’ll get some quotes now I want it to look nice like the job you’ve done!

Same here, have the same exact question

Install on jagged stone all the time. The thing that needs to happen is that your mount needs to be square and not twisted when tightened against the stone. I put the mount up and get it positioned where it needs to go. There usually is some flexibility as to where you can mount the wall bracket and that's where I will move it around to find the most points of solid contact to the stone. I then mark the locations of the anchors and drill them out. I then put spacers against any part of the stone that the bracket doesn't touch. I only put spacers on the anchor points that don't touch. Basically you shim the anchor points that don't touch until they do and then install your anchor bolts/lags. You might have to purchase longer bolts/lags to reach the anchor since it will be spaced off. Really I need to put up a video about this so it makes more sense.

​@@EdwinBonneau what kind of anchors do you use?

If you have a mantle you should be fine. Wood is very combustible and is used for your mantle just to give you an idea of weather or not it's safe to mount something above a fireplace. If heat were a major concern they certainly wouldn't allow you to mount firewood above your fireplace. Really though that mantle will defect any heat from rolling up behind the TV. You should be good to go.

@@EdwinBonneau ok thanks

Yes you can. You will need to put the mounting plate on the stone and add spacers behind the mount on the areas that make it unlevel with the surrounding stone. I use round washers and place them on the mounting screws I am using so that my mount is spaced perfectly off the stone. I might need to do another video showing how this is done.

Yeah that mantle should take the brunt of the heat so the TV should be fine. Your stove probably puts out some serious BTUs. Not too many of those stoves here in north Texas.

You never want to drill into a flue. All the walls we mount to are not chimney structure. There has always been a wall in front of the chimney structure for all my installs. You will have to verify for your home if it's chimney structure or not, but do not drill a hole into chimney structure .

I guess I would have to defer to someone else on this however because I've never seen a fireplace with the chimney as the interior wall. Consult with a fireplace guy to see if it's in fact a chimney wall and go from there. Maybe it can be done just without in wall wiring.

Oh boy🙈

I don't think I've ever come across a gas line above the fireplace. If you have an older home (older than 95') then they likely used black iron and even if you ran into it with the drill you could easily stop before you did any damage. If you have an attic above that fireplace you could look to see where the gas line drops down the wall as well for added comfort.

I would personally fire up the fireplace with a modest fire and just see what the heat does. I would have someone else around just in case you had to, for some reason take the TV off in a hurry but I have never had to do that. Is your fireplace open or does it have a glass front on it?

@@EdwinBonneau I might be able to do that. My fireplace is open and it has a large flue (humble brag?)

@@glenorr3387 Give me an update once you run that fireplace...of course your going to have to wait until the weather drops below 80!

Did you get one of those adjustable tv mounts? I need one, if you have a link that'd be awesome

Mine is an insert with a metal flue in a wood framed chimney. Not a full masonry box/flue/chimney . That being said it's more about the firebox build than the chimney. I've noticed that the faced fireplaces can stop the flow of heat outward and can direct that heat directly up to the TV. Really the best way to test is to fire it up and check the temperatures at the proposed TV location.

Thank you so much for your response! I have to correct myself, we aren’t buying a wood insert. We were thinking of having a wood burning fireplace built into our new room addition. What do you mean by a faced fireplace?

I might not be using the correct term with "faced" but what I mean is will it be open or will there be glass doors to close off the fireplace. I've found that when the fireplace opening is closed off with glass or metal/glass then the heat tends to go straight up the fireplace wall whereas when it's open it projects out into the room and never ends up hitting the TV / mantle directly

@@EdwinBonneau hi, thanks for responding. Does your insert heat up your room at all? We can’t get a masonry fireplace because of the cost. Looking to get one with a flue that is open like yours but want some heat in the room too. I’m so confused about what to get. Especially when the only place we can place our tv is above the fireplace!

You can get heat from both a true masonry fire box or an insert. They all have different levels of heat output, so you'll need to ask the manufacturer specifically. Mine puts out a decent amount of heat but I live in Texas and fireplace efficiency is not important at all as it rarely gets very cold. That being said, when I run my fireplace I typically don't have to run my heater because it'll heat my entire great room, family room and kitchen. Sometimes I even open windows and doors so that I can run the fireplace and it not get to warm.

In my case a sheetrock, wood-framed wall. Which is typical of a home built out here in North Texas. Especially homes built after the mid 80's

Pre-Wired this 165' back to the equipment rack. Had to go up to the vaulted ceiling 26' and fur out the ridge beam just to get the cables into an attic. It was a pain. Also ran conduit so I wouldn't be stuck.

Stoves can be hit or miss. Often they emit heat straight up the wall instead of projecting it into the room with passive ventilation like an open fireplace. I would check the temps with it running or get a good mantle to redirect that heat.

75"

I've put several 85s over fireplaces. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I put one of those 98 inch Samsung's up

You are right about the optimal height of the TV. I've found with my customers room layouts often that optimal height just isn't as optimal for the room design. So, up the TV goes. Very rarely do I have a client complain about the TV being to high over the fireplace. TVs have come a long way and off-axis viewing is excellent now compared to older sets. The reason it ends up over the fireplace is most rooms revolve around the fireplace and our TVs are focal points every bit as much as fireplaces. All that being said I live in Texas and frankly we don't run our fireplaces nearly as often as you guys up North do. All in all you got to compromise somewhere.

You should run that fireplace and test how hot it gets above it before committing to anything. Adding a mantle could potentially fix the issue as well.

Me too, I'm watching videos on it now. I'm thinking of pointing a fan at the TV.

@@richardt875 I know some Wood Burners have a fan that directs heat into the room for better heat efficiency. I have just moved into a house with two living rooms. I am going to try it with a crappy old TV we had in the bedroom, and put my better TV in the other room and see how I get on. I worry about dust getting into the vents, as much as anything.

@@sueelliott8085 I just fired up the fireplace and I have it roaring. So far there is not a problem. I didn't think about the vents. I hope yours works out.

Really if you just put your hand up where the TV will be mounted and do a quick "feel" test. That will tell you a lot about what you need to know. If you can't put your hand there....absolutely don't put your TV there. Small laser temperature readers and pretty cheap at the box stores. Do a little research on your fireplace with a few easy to do tests and feel confident!

That's a pretty common concern that I hear from clients. My particular installation it isn't a problem at all. I've actually never had a client complain about neck strain after a TV installation over a fireplace. I think it's definitely possible to mount a TV too high however most fireplace TV installations it doesn't end up being much of a problem. That being said the ideal mounting height of any TV/display is eye level. This doesn't really make sense though in most living rooms. Having the TV mounted a little higher gives you less interference with TV viewing from people or objects being between you and the display. I would say if you are concerned about neck strain you probably won't have any problems based on my experience and feedback from my clients. I have probably installed 500 TVs over fireplaces.

Thank you. Just moved into a new house and this is an argument I’ve had. I don’t want to look up to view the TV. I want to be relaxed.

This exactly what I was thinking! How uncomfortable to be looking up for so long.

Agree. It does look nice, but not nice having neck strain lol

@@Happypharmer exactly I'll take ergonomics and comfort over aesthetics any day.

Yeah, your right about the best viewing angle being no angle at all. Problem is I am not sure I have ever had a customer that wanted a TV mounted at eye level. Putting the display at eye level creates other problems that most people can't deal with. The lower the TV the more prone it is to being blocked by people moving about in the room. Aesthetically, at least from most of the people I do installations for it looks very odd being that low so most my TV's end up with the middle of the TV being around 60". Not my choice but the customers choice most of the time. You limit the amount of furniture that can reside under the TV when mounted at eye level. Last but not least is if you have children they can reach a TV at that low of a viewing level. So "ideal" viewing height has never been a consideration for 99.9% of the people I do installs for so we compromise. Fireplaces are very common centerpieces for a room and thus great options for a TV since your room tends to revolve around staple fixtures. Some hate the idea but in general most of my customers prefer it to go over the fireplace. I do mount the TV's as low as I can when going over a fireplace and that's usually the best consideration that we can offer unless a mantle mount is used but I really hate how far it pushes the TV off the wall and honestly most of my customers that get one end up using it far less that expected. In all my experience I have heard a lot of people concerned about viewing angle and neck strain if the TV is over the fireplace but I can't actually recall anyone with first hand experience with a TV in their home being causing them to much discomfort. Any of the customers I have had that did worry about it have never called me back out to move the TV or put in a mantle mount. And yes I still do work for these customers but the TV over the fireplace hasn't been a future concern for them. These are my personal experiences so YMMV. Bottom line is yes is it is not ideal, but I think it might have less of an affect than you would think.

I can't figure out why anyone would fake this video but I'm sure weirder things are done. I didn't fake it but you certainly don't have to take my advice and I certainly advocate doing your own testing before you make any decisions.

My house as you are likely already aware of. I'll let you be the authority on "taste"' as I have never claimed to have any! Lot of people do it, sometimes it's the only logical choice, sometimes it's a preference.

Dude. Unnecessary comment.

@@EdwinBonneau sorry, that was rude. Still, the space over a fireplace is a really bad place for TV’s, both aesthetically and practically. The heat from the fireplace is bad for the TV, the angle for watching it is bad for your neck, and the space is more suited for a painting, portrait, or wall sculpture.