Mounting a TV Above Your Fireplace

Look around many of today’s newer homes and one thing is evident: Wall space is at the utmost premium. While today’s homeowners gravitate toward open, airy rooms, with fewer walls, it puts constraints on the ideal locale to hang their TV. But thanks to advancements in today’s fireplace heat management systems, mounting a TV above a fireplace is a great way to add beauty and ambience, while creating a wonderful aesthetic in the home.

As homes have gotten more efficient over the years and as the influx of home building continues to grow, especially in warmer southern regions of the U.S., heat management is top of mind for many homeowners.

The Primo II encompasses an innovative composition that allows for the placement of any design element, such as a television, up to the fireplace opening allowing you to bring heat-sensitive materials, like sheetrock or wood panels, right up to the opening of the fireplace. In addition, due to the Primo II's heat management technology, you can enjoy the ambiance of a fire year-round without the heat. Another feature that makes the Primo II such a desirable fireplace, is its cooling system that keeps the glass at a safe temperature without the need for a protective screen - great for living rooms where toys and children are present.

“A fireplace puts out a lot of heat but instead of eliminating the fireplace, you can opt for a fireplace that offer a heat management component that not only allows you to control the heat being emitted, but also opens up the opportunity to put a TV above the fireplace,” says Kathy Rogers, director, brand marketing at Hearth & Home Technologies.

How to Manage a Fireplace’s Heat for TV Placement

Hearth & Home Technologies, Heat & Glo’s parent company, offers three key heat management systems that allow TVs to be hung above a fireplace. The most appropriate system that will work with a TV above depends on the chosen fireplace design.

Passive Heat

Best for: Spaces where the fireplace wall design demands the TV and fireplace are placed closed together.

How it works: This heating system is behind the wall and requires no ducting. It disperses heat naturally without a fan throughout the room. Specifically, it conveys warm air from the fireplace into the same room through either one front discharge slot, two side discharge heat registers or an open top discharge. A TV can be placed safely 12 inches above a fireplace unit with a passive heat system. This type of heat management system is very popular with linear style fireplaces.

Heat Zone®

Best for: Temperate climates where having the option to have your fireplace provide supplemental heat to two spaces is appealing; spaces you might use for large parties where you’d like the option to move some of the fireplace heat to other spaces while maintaining the ambiance of the fireplace.

How it works: The Heat Zone management kit redirects the heat from the fireplace to another area of the home. The warm air is conveyed from the fireplace through air ducts to remote locations in the same room or in other rooms of the home.

Heat-Out Gas

Best for: Warmer climates where having the option to move heat from the fireplace to the outdoors is a plus.

How it works: The Heat-Out Gas heat management system is designed to move unwanted heat from a home, allowing the fireplace to be used with less heat entering the room. The system moves about 40% of the heat and ushers it directly outside of the home with the flip of a switch.

Talk With a Pro

All three heat management options are carefully engineered and must be installed by a professional. Our network of certified hearth pros can talk you through your needs for heat (or lack thereof!) and guide you through considerations specific to your space and climate to help you achieve the installation you want. Note that heat management systems need to be installed with the fireplace, not after, so it’s important to map out the project completely, including your preferred TV placement, so your hearth professional can create the right package for you.

“It’s exciting to see how these heat management systems offer homeowners the ability to feature a TV over a fireplace,” Rogers says. “It really opens up a lot of design options to help people get the streamlined design that they are looking for.”

Fireplaces and televisions complement each other beautifully, providing entertainment, ambiance and warmth. There are many styles and options for fireplaces that will look great with your television. Request a consultation with a local certified pro today to get started on your project.