Help with TV on chimney breast over multi fuel stove

Help with TV on chimney breast over multi fuel stove

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conanius

Original Poster:

742 posts

198 months

Saturday 18th October 2014
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Hi all,

As topic, were in the process of having a load of work done in our home, including ripping out the lounge fireplace so we can a log burner/multi fuel stove in the recess.

We had been planning on putting a TV on the wall - 32-37" ish with a soundbar underneath to improve the sound, but I'd want to do this as neatly as possible without wires everywhere.

So firstly, does anyone know

- the regs on whether you can put a plug socket on an active chimney breast

- whether my TV and soundbar are going to be ok above something as hot as a stove?

Based on those answers, I want to run my TiVo box and Mac mini through to the TV and make use of the soundbar. Can anyone give me any recommendations? Budget up to say £300 ish?

If I can't do it without wires all over the place connecting it all up, I'm considering an av amp, bookshelf speakers on shelves and running a hidden hdmi lead to the back of the TV so it really is clean wiring. With speaker wires in the walls and faceplates to terminate.

Help and guidance appreciated


Rick Cutler

635 posts

217 months

Saturday 18th October 2014
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I would consider how high the tv will be. Where are you watching from? Consider neck strain. It may look nice above a fireplace but with a sound bar below it will be high.

IforB

9,840 posts

229 months

Saturday 18th October 2014
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I'd simply suggest not doing it. The heat from the fire below and from the chimney itself will inevitably cause problems.


Encantada

3,975 posts

253 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
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IforB said:
I'd simply suggest not doing it. The heat from the fire below and from the chimney itself will inevitably cause problems.
Recess it, ours has been up for 3 years. No problems.
You do as has been said above have to plan the height, ours is probably a foot too high if I'm perfectly honest, but it works for us.


Autopilot

1,298 posts

184 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
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Before we put the TV above the wood burning stove, we just lit it, let it burn for a few hours to see how hot the wall got. The top of the mantelpiece was at ambient temperature and the wall itself felt no different from the others that didn't have a fire burning under it. Decision made, all cables chased in the wall and had no problems in the three years it's been there.

You obviously don't have the luxury of trying it before you do the work, but from experience, I'd say it will be fine, just the height of the screen to consider.

conanius

Original Poster:

742 posts

198 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
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Yep, we're going to play it safe and pop a shelf underneath the TV to deflect the heat even further, but it seems to be as long as you don't have the TV hanging over the lip of the fireplace opening, your absolutely fine.

NorthDave

2,364 posts

232 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
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conanius said:
Yep, we're going to play it safe and pop a shelf underneath the TV to deflect the heat even further, but it seems to be as long as you don't have the TV hanging over the lip of the fireplace opening, your absolutely fine.
I was going to suggest a mantle piece which should push the warm air away from the TV. I'm not sure about the plug socket or even running cables to there - probably a question for an electician. I guess whether the chimney is lined or not might have a big influence. I've never seen it done above a stove. Most of the time I see it the TV tends to be above either an alcove (no fire) or some kind of gas / gel type.

conanius

Original Poster:

742 posts

198 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
Chimney will certainly be lined, regarding plug sockets, electrician seems to think it will be ok as we barely have to chase into the brickwork due to the plaster depth of what is already there.

Encantada

3,975 posts

253 months

Monday 20th October 2014
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Ours has 3 hdmi leads, one cat5e and one mains, no issues here. If it got so hot to be able to influence any of these items, I would be seriously worried....



chris watton

22,477 posts

260 months

Friday 24th October 2014
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We are doing exactly the same as the OP.

We have now built our fire surround and mantelpiece (all oak), and have put the TV (50") above the mantelpiece. We just need the chimney lined and the stove installed.

Although we haven't got the multi-fuel stove yet, the viewing position is a lot better than we first feared. For the HDMI and TV power leads, I will buy a set of cable wire covers - I didn't want to hack into the fresh plaster to hide them, as in a few years time, new and different cables may be the norm, so they need to be easily accessible.

allgonepetetong

1,188 posts

219 months

Friday 24th October 2014
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IforB said:
I'd simply suggest not doing it. The heat from the fire below and from the chimney itself will inevitably cause problems.
And what experience is this based on please? What rubbish. So much dirvel on this type of question on here. Help the bloke, don't chip in with rubbish from a point of total ignorance adding nothing to the discussion.

To the OP

It will be fine I have run a 55" Panasonic above an open fire for the last 12 months and a 43" Panasonic for 4 years prior to that with no probelms whatsoever.

In fact, I had the Pioneer when I lived in Hong Kong when the ambient temperature in the room was regularly above 30c, and I know for fact that the temperature above a fireplace will not go anywhere near that.

IforB

9,840 posts

229 months

Saturday 25th October 2014
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allgonepetetong said:
IforB said:
I'd simply suggest not doing it. The heat from the fire below and from the chimney itself will inevitably cause problems.
And what experience is this based on please? What rubbish. So much dirvel on this type of question on here. Help the bloke, don't chip in with rubbish from a point of total ignorance adding nothing to the discussion.

To the OP

It will be fine I have run a 55" Panasonic above an open fire for the last 12 months and a 43" Panasonic for 4 years prior to that with no probelms whatsoever.

In fact, I had the Pioneer when I lived in Hong Kong when the ambient temperature in the room was regularly above 30c, and I know for fact that the temperature above a fireplace will not go anywhere near that.
Well, thanks for your well mannered comments.

I would love to know how you can "guarantee" the temperature above a multi fuel stove when the only experience you have is with an open fire. Considering that open fires put the vast majority of their heat straight up the chimney rather than into the room, whereas a modern stove is massively more efficient at making sure that any heat produced goes out into the room.

Consider also the fact that heat is one of the biggest problems for electronics other than water or vibration and that TV's pump out masses of heat already, so now you thnk it's a sensible idea to take a relatively sensitive piece of equipment that produces heat and needs cooling and put it right above a very powerful heat source.

Why yes, that seems like an eminently sensible idea to me...

Whilst this may not kill a TV straight away, it will certainly help to reduce it's lifespan and that is before you take into account the other reasons such as viewing angle for why it's less than ideal.

If you like watching TV with a crick in your neck, then carry on, but mounting a television well above eye line, is uncomfortable at best.

So, to reiterate my earlier point. If there is another option, I'd suggest using it.

Oh and to answer your specific point about hong kong temps, 30degrees is not an issue, that's well within the ambient tolerance. Get a temp reading from above a say 6 or 8kw multi fuel stove and see what it says. You may be surprised just how high it can be and don't think that just by putting a mantle piece above the fire this will cure it. It will help stop radiant heat problems, but will do stuff all for the convective heat flow, especially as the TV itself pulls air into it through cooling fans.

moles

1,794 posts

244 months

Saturday 25th October 2014
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We have a 50" panasonic plasma above a woodburner and it is fine the wall bracket means its 4 inches off the wall (tilted downwards)and the heat just goes straight up past it to the ceiling. The base of our tv is 4ft off the floor and we are only 3m away from it which means we have to look quite high up on the wall but we have no where else to put it and at first thought it would be horrible and give me a bad neck but it is more comfortable than at eye level as i tend to slouch on the sofa and look straight up at it anyway.

Edited by moles on Saturday 25th October 16:47

allgonepetetong

1,188 posts

219 months

Monday 27th October 2014
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IforB said:
stuff
Sorry, had a bit of a rough afternoon on Friday and was feeling a bit punchy, apologies for any offence caused.


Still, I'm not buying it. Perhaps the OP should measure the temperature before installing the TV, but I'd still be suprised if it was beyond the temp range of the TV.

My room is clearly set up differently to yours. I have a low mantle and a slightly reclined chair, so don't have any neck crick issues, for my seating position the TV is at the perfect height. Perhaps the OP's is too.

THEOGEORGIO

1 posts

98 months

Friday 12th February 2016
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Hi guys, i was looking for an update as to whether it was a good idea to put teh tv above teh wood burner as im thinking to do the same?

Warmfuzzies

3,975 posts

253 months

Friday 12th February 2016
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Ours has been here for yonks now



Edited by Warmfuzzies on Saturday 13th February 16:41

matty g

231 posts

198 months

Saturday 13th February 2016
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People panicking about having a TV above a stove... Yet ignore the fact that most have a wooden mantle a lot closer to the stove than the TV.

My kuro kicks out almost as much heat as my stove.....lol.

The electronics INSIDE the tv will be much warmer and not affected by the heated air 3 foot above a stove


talkssense

1,336 posts

202 months

Saturday 13th February 2016
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matty g said:
People panicking about having a TV above a stove... Yet ignore the fact that most have a wooden mantle a lot closer to the stove than the TV.

My kuro kicks out almost as much heat as my stove.....lol.

The electronics INSIDE the tv will be much warmer and not affected by the heated air 3 foot above a stove
Still means the TV is too high though, unless you are sat a long way back. Floor stands mount the TV at a certain height, there is a reason they aren't 5 feet high