Mounting 46" LCD on brick fire place

[Celtics35]

I am planning on mounting a 46" on my brick fire place. Does anyone have specific instructions to complete this with a tilt mount? Thanks.

[bandphan]

is this fireplace used?:eek:

[Alex2507]

I would use Tap-Cons. Home Depot carries them. 1/4"X2" long with a 5/16" hex head should do. For under $20 you get a bunch of the fasteners and a 3/16" masonry bit all in one box. You'll need a homer-owner (cheap) hammer drill, or you can probably find somebody in the parking lot to drill the holes for a six pack. :)

[MDS]

I don't really know anything about mounting to a brick fireplace but I would second the idea of using TapCon bolts because they are designed to be drilled into concrete/masonry. I would fear that a normal bolt wouldn't hold properly in brick.

[Rickster71]

Hey Alex, good idea with the Tap-Cons. (did someone say sixpack?)
Lead anchors are another option; though I like yours better.
With only four holes to drill, I think he could get away with a non-hammer drill. Depending on what type of brick; some are pretty soft.
It will take a little longer, and no added expense of a hammer drill.

Try to line up the mounting plate, so that all the holes are drilled into the brick, and not a mortar joint.
To run wires, I suggest something like this: http://www.wiremold.com/www/consumer/project_ideas/easy_home.asp

[Alex2507]

Hey Alex, good idea with the Tap-Cons. (did someone say sixpack?)
Lead anchors are another option; though I like yours better.
With only four holes to drill, I think he could get away with a non-hammer drill. Depending on what type of brick; some are pretty soft.
It will take a little longer, and no added expense of a hammer drill.

Try to line up the mounting plate, so that all the holes are drilled into the brick, and not a mortar joint.
To run wires, I suggest something like this: http://www.wiremold.com/www/consumer/project_ideas/easy_home.asp

I honestly thought there would be more that just 4 fastening points. The reason I said to use a cheap hammer drill is because the carbide tipped masonry bit works best with the hammer action but you don't want a Bosch Bulldog Rotary Hammer Drill disintegrating the bricks. :eek:

Rick,
Unlike you, I am a fan of the mortar joint. Right or wrong, I have left a lot of stuff hanging in mortar, :D especially in cinder block construction. I wouldn't be afraid of letting a fastener land there as most of them would hit brick anyways.

[Rickster71]

I honestly thought there would be more that just 4 fastening points. The reason I said to use a cheap hammer drill is because the carbide tipped masonry bit works best with the hammer action but you don't want a Bosch Bulldog Rotary Hammer Drill disintegrating the bricks. :eek:

Rick,
Unlike you, I am a fan of the mortar joint. Right or wrong, I have left a lot of stuff hanging in mortar, :D especially in cinder block construction. I wouldn't be afraid of letting a fastener land there as most of them would hit brick anyways.

Hey Alex, how's things in Rhode Island?

You know what it is. I hang a lot of heavy switch gear, and other equipment; and ever anchor has to count and be solid.
It seems eight times of ten, the mortar joint crumbles and falls out when drilled, and an anchor put in.
With block and brick, they're manufactured under controlled conditions; where as a mortar joint, you never know it's quality. If it was a hot summer day when the block joint was made, it's going to have dried too fast, and be weaker.
It may work fine with Tap Cons, they don't seem to stress the joint as much as an expanding lead anchor.

T/C's are pretty strong, and the TV probably weighs maybe, eighty lbs.
Theoretically,;) one Tap-Con could hold that. I have four 5/16th inch lags holding up my 50" Pioneer.
We could meet up and mount the TV for him....if you don't mind splitting one six pack.:D
Rick

[Alex2507]

Split a six pack? There's hardly enough for one drinker, nevermind two. I just bought a Panny
TH-50PZ77U and am looking for a mount. Panny lists an Omnimount and I was just about to compare it to a Sanus. Any thoughts?

[mtrycrafts]

I am planning on mounting a 46" on my brick fire place. Does anyone have specific instructions to complete this with a tilt mount? Thanks.

Is there an alternate location for the TV?
While over the fireplace may look cool at first, the height might get tiring after a while of watching at such an elevated angle?

[Alex2507]

Is there an alternate location for the TV?
While over the fireplace may look cool at first, the height might get tiring after a while of watching at such an elevated angle?

Now that you mention it, that is the a very good arguement against placing the display there. Not using the fireplace is kind of an issue but staring up ALL the time is a huge problem. I was going to build a fake fireplace to house my electronics and set the display on the mantle until I got to the standard mantle height. Way too high.

Then again, maybe the OP doesn't have a mantle?

[Celtics35]

The living room is about 23x18. The far wall has the fireplace and shelving on either side. The side walls each have a picture window each taking up most of each wall. The wall oposite from the fireplace is where the entrance is to the room. The fireplace does have a small mantle that would not safely hold a large flat panel. I think the room is big enough to put the couch and other seating far enough back to the neck/eye strain will not be too bad. Thanks for your advice. I have sean lead anchors but have not seen tamp-cons. Thanks again.

[Alex2507]

A tap con is just a screw. It's blue and it's coarse threaded. You pre-drill a hole into a masonry product and drive the screw into the hole. They are very effective.

[TLS Guy]

The living room is about 23x18. The far wall has the fireplace and shelving on either side. The side walls each have a picture window each taking up most of each wall. The wall oposite from the fireplace is where the entrance is to the room. The fireplace does have a small mantle that would not safely hold a large flat panel. I think the room is big enough to put the couch and other seating far enough back to the neck/eye strain will not be too bad. Thanks for your advice. I have sean lead anchors but have not seen tamp-cons. Thanks again.

I hope you understand you can not use the TV when the fireplace is in use. It is well documented that the combination causes the TVs to fail and not uncommonly dramatically.

[Rickster71]

The small packages they sell at the Depot, also comes with the correct size carbide drill bit.
If you don't have have them already, pick up a few washers, just in case.

[mtrycrafts]

The living room is about 23x18. The far wall has the fireplace and shelving on either side. The side walls each have a picture window each taking up most of each wall. The wall oposite from the fireplace is where the entrance is to the room. The fireplace does have a small mantle that would not safely hold a large flat panel. I think the room is big enough to put the couch and other seating far enough back to the neck/eye strain will not be too bad. Thanks for your advice. I have sean lead anchors but have not seen tamp-cons. Thanks again.

Yes, you can move further back, but then you tend to defeat the higher video resolution on the TV.

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/assets/download/0602_tech_talk2_large.jpg

And, you will be back in the old days of watching a small screen TV:eek:

Preferably, the center of the TV or 1/3 up from the bottom should be level with your eyes when seated.

[unreal.freak]

I hope you understand you can not use the TV when the fireplace is in use. It is well documented that the combination causes the TVs to fail and not uncommonly dramatically.

Can you point me in the direction of some more reading on this subject. I am considering mounting over my gas fireplace as well. I would like to read the ins and outs of this. Do you mean its ok to watch the tv if the fireplace is not actually on fire? I would think if you did watch the tv set while burning, it would overheat the set?

Thanks,
Tommy

[bandphan]

Can you point me in the direction of some more reading on this subject. I am considering mounting over my gas fireplace as well. I would like to read the ins and outs of this. Do you mean its ok to watch the tv if the fireplace is not actually on fire? I would think if you did watch the tv set while burning, it would overheat the set?

Thanks,
Tommy

first i would measure the tempature where the mount is considered, second a frame of some sorts to reduce the temp around the tv. It seems aside the fact the heat is not friendly to our electronics, the viewing angle would seem to be off, even with pivot/pitch brackets. While it looks cool above the fireplace, it doesnt seem practicle. I would contact the manufacture and have them give an opinion. I would hate to reduce the life of any my electronics, and while i consider tv's a perishable elctronics item, my purchases need to be cost effective.

[unreal.freak]

Those are good suggestions! I also read some of the directions that came with the firebox. It has a guide to follow when mounting the mantle. It has a chart that tells you how high to mount the mantle above the firebox, according to the size of the mantle. I'm using a 12" mantle so my mantle has to be at or above 23" from the firebox. I'm assuming that this is for fire safety purposes. Going to call Sony now :D Still looking for some reading material on this subject if anyone can point me in the right direction.

Thanks,
Tommy

[Alex2507]

I just noticed tthat you live in Florida! :eek: Why do you have a fireplace? :confused: Put a small picture of a fire in the fireplace, don't install the mantle and mount your TV at the optimal height. :)

I don't have any articles on why not to light a fire under your display.;)

[unreal.freak]

I just noticed tthat you live in Florida! :eek: Why do you have a fireplace? :confused: Put a small picture of a fire in the fireplace, don't install the mantle and mount your TV at the optimal height. :)

I don't have any articles on why not to light a fire under your display.;)


The fireplace is for romantic purposes only :p In Florida it only gets cold enough for fireplaces a few days. But it is a nice thing to have on those days. We dont use the electric heat if possible.

I called Sony today, to ask about mounting the set over the fireplace. They gave me the number to a local electronics store who is an authorized Sony dealer and repair center. The owner told me that they mount flat panels over fireplaces all the time. He did say that he wouldnt recommend it IF there was no mantle. I told him i was gonna have a 12" mantle, and his reply was "no problem with mounting it there if you have a 12" mantle". I asked him about an extended warranty and coverage being null if mounted over the fireplace, He said it wouldnt affect the warranty in any way. They sell the Sony tvs, repair the Sony tvs, and even do repair work for other retailers including Best Buy.

Peace,
Tommy

[Alex2507]

A nice romantic fire sounds great a handful of times a year.
The other 360 days should be filled with porno on the plasma, but only if you mount it at the right height. You don't want anybody hurting their neck. :cool:

[unreal.freak]

A nice romantic fire sounds great a handful of times a year.
The other 360 days should be filled with porno on the plasma, but only if you mount it at the right height. You don't want anybody hurting their neck. :cool:


How high is too high? I have 8ft ceilings and the top of the set will be around 3" to 6" below the ceiling. I should say also that we will be viewing the set from around 12ft. It doesnt seem like it will be to far up but i really havent had any experience viewing tvs above 4ft from the floor. Any comments are welcome.

Peace,
Tommy

[Alex2507]

You're suppose to be at eye level with the bottom third of the screen.

[unreal.freak]

Where does that theory come from? I seen in some safety training that when using a PC you are supposed to be at eye level with the top of the screen. I dont know why that is either.

Tommy

[Alex2507]

Where does that theory come from? I seen in some safety training that when using a PC you are supposed to be at eye level with the top of the screen. I dont know why that is either.

Tommy

That's a good question and I can't find the source. Might have something to do with when you're at a computer you're sitting up and looking down while when watching TV you're sitting back and looking forward. By bottom third I mean that if you divided the screen by 3 your eye should be at the line in between the bottom and middle third. I haven't been able to get my TV that low but I'm working on it.

[TLS Guy]

Can you point me in the direction of some more reading on this subject. I am considering mounting over my gas fireplace as well. I would like to read the ins and outs of this. Do you mean its ok to watch the tv if the fireplace is not actually on fire? I would think if you did watch the tv set while burning, it would overheat the set?

Thanks,
Tommy

There was a warning against over fireplace mounting in Home Theater mag a while back.

I have personal experience with it. My son in law and daughter did it against my advice. They are on their third LCD screen in just over two years. The first one failed with smoke and flame. The location is terrible, I get a pain in the neck as soon as I look at the screen.

If you have older relatives, that location can cause a devastating brain stem stroke, and that's no joke. The reason is that the vertebral arteries supplying the brain stem are located in two canals in the C-spine either side of the spinal cord. If there is some arthritis in the facet joints, and a little atherosclerosis in the vessels, both common, then the continued neck extension caused by looking up at the TV can interrupt the brain stem circulation enough to cause a devastating problem.

There tends to be a rash of these events during spectacular astronomical events, due to prolonged periods of upward gaze.

A flat screen TV over a fireplace is a worst case location.

[unreal.freak]

There was a warning against over fireplace mounting in Home Theater mag a while back.

I have personal experience with it. My son in law and daughter did it against my advice. They are on their third LCD screen in just over two years. The first one failed with smoke and flame. The location is terrible, I get a pain in the neck as soon as I look at the screen.

If you have older relatives, that location can cause a devastating brain stem stroke, and that's no joke. The reason is that the vertebral arteries supplying the brain stem are located in two canals in the C-spine either side of the spinal cord. If there is some arthritis in the facet joints, and a little atherosclerosis in the vessels, both common, then the continued neck extension caused by looking up at the TV can interrupt the brain stem circulation enough to cause a devastating problem.



There tends to be a rash of these events during spectacular astronomical events, due to prolonged periods of upward gaze.

A flat screen TV over a fireplace is a worst case location.


Do you have any info that supports brainstem strokes can be caused by looking at an elevated tv!! That sounds kinda extreme to me. I have googled this and cant find anything, anywhere, stating that looking upward can cause this. Im not saying it is untrue....Im just saying it sounds extreme, and i would like to read more on it. I do have older relatives, but i would have to say they wouldnt be straining to see the tv from 10 ft away. Also just becasue the tv will be elevated doesnt mean you have to tilt your head up, you can look up with the eyes. What about when you are reclined and you have to tilt your head/eyes down. Will that casue the same thing?

Also all hospitals have the tvs mounted near the ceiling. Wouldnt that be a Oxymoron so to speak? Anyway those are some questions i have on brainstem strokes. Im not stating that it isnt true, im stating that if it is true, i would like to study more on the subject. Thanks for you input.

One last question, Did your relatives use the fireplace during the time the television was on?

Thanks,
Tommy

[Alex2507]

He's a doctor.

[TLS Guy]

Do you have any info that supports brainstem strokes can be caused by looking at an elevated tv!! That sounds kinda extreme to me. I have googled this and cant find anything, anywhere, stating that looking upward can cause this. Im not saying it is untrue....Im just saying it sounds extreme, and i would like to read more on it. I do have older relatives, but i would have to say they wouldnt be straining to see the tv from 10 ft away. Also just becasue the tv will be elevated doesnt mean you have to tilt your head up, you can look up with the eyes. What about when you are reclined and you have to tilt your head/eyes down. Will that casue the same thing?

Also all hospitals have the tvs mounted near the ceiling. Wouldnt that be a Oxymoron so to speak? Anyway those are some questions i have on brainstem strokes. Im not stating that it isnt true, im stating that if it is true, i would like to study more on the subject. Thanks for you input.

One last question, Did your relatives use the fireplace during the time the television was on?

Thanks,
Tommy

The last question first, yes they do use it when the fireplace is burning. They won't anymore though!

Now the head extension issue. Hospitals have the TV high, because people ar in bed and reclining. This issue is entirely due to neck extension and the fact the vertebral arteries supplying the posterior portion of the circle of Willis travel in two Canals in the C-spine. Now if a patient comes in and tells you he gets dizzy and or he looses limb strength when he extends his neck to look up, then if the physician is sensible he has the patient's cerebral circulation studied promptly. This symptom is one of the classic warning signs for stroke.

Now in patients with known atherosclerotic vascular disease, prolonged neck extension is something to caution them about. Now with elderly individuals you are on pretty safe ground to assume they have some burden of disease. Osteo arthritic degeneration of the facet joints is also very common in that age group. The resulting spurs, can and do impinge on the vertebral arterial canals further aggravating the situation.

Now the four arteries supplying the brain, the two internal carotid arteries and the two vertebral arteries are all connected around the base of the brain by the circle of Willis to provide redundancy to the circulation. So in order to have symptoms and a problem the circle of Willis also has to be compromised by vascular disease in some way. However because of the high incidence of vascular disease in the older population, the fact that vascular disease is seldom localized and the silent nature of the progression of vascular disease, getting the perfect storm so to speak does happen.

[Alex2507]

The last question first, yes they do use it when the fireplace is burning. They won't anymore though!

Now the head extension issue. Hospitals have the TV high, because people ar in bed and reclining. This issue is entirely due to neck extension and the fact the vertebral arteries supplying the posterior portion of the circle of Willis travel in two Canals in the C-spine. Now if a patient comes in and tells you he gets dizzy and or he looses limb strength when he extends his neck to look up, then if the physician is sensible he has the patient's cerebral circulation studied promptly. This symptom is one of the classic warning signs for stroke.

Now in patients with known atherosclerotic vascular disease, prolonged neck extension is something to caution them about. Now with elderly individuals you are on pretty safe ground to assume they have some burden of disease. Osteo arthritic degeneration of the facet joints is also very common in that age group. The resulting spurs, can and do impinge on the vertebral arterial canals further aggravating the situation.

Now the four arteries supplying the brain, the two internal carotid arteries and the two vertebral arteries are all connected around the base of the brain by the circle of Willis to provide redundancy to the circulation. So in order to have symptoms and a problem the circle of Willis also has to be compromised by vascular disease in some way. However because of the high incidence of vascular disease in the older population, the fact that vascular disease is seldom localized and the silent nature of the progression of vascular disease, getting the perfect storm so to speak does happen.

Yeah, but where's the proof?:rolleyes:

[TLS Guy]

Yeah, but where's the proof?:rolleyes:

I don't think any body has done blood brain flow studies of patients watching Tvs above a fireplace. However you can infer from basic anatomy pathology and a wide body of clinical experience.

Here is a study on cerebral blood flow as it relates to neck position.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10478768?ordinalpos=18&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

[Alex2507]

I don't think any body has done blood brain flow studies of patients watching Tvs above a fireplace. However you can infer from basic anatomy pathology and a wide body of clinical experience.

Here is a study on cerebral blood flow as it relates to neck position.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10478768?ordinalpos=18&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Just in case you didn't get it, I was being an a$$. :D I can't infer anything, I didn't go to medical school. :)

Edit: Even better! I wish I had replied with something like, "The proof needs to be in English? Duh!"

[Rickster71]

I don't think any body has done blood brain flow studies of patients watching Tvs above a fireplace. Here is a study on cerebral blood flow as it relates to neck position.


Thanks Doc.
This just proves that my wife is right. She says I lack cerebral blood flow.:D

Rick

[unreal.freak]

i read the article and it was somewhat informative, but it doesnt appear that they have been able to draw any conclusions without further study.

I was talking about the tvs in the waiting rooms of the hospitals and doctors offices, not in the actual rooms.

I was sure i had seen in one of the threads here that you are a Dr.

If you dont mind me asking what is your field?

Peace,
Tommy

[TLS Guy]

i read the article and it was somewhat informative, but it doesnt appear that they have been able to draw any conclusions without further study.

I was talking about the tvs in the waiting rooms of the hospitals and doctors offices, not in the actual rooms.

I was sure i had seen in one of the threads here that you are a Dr.

If you dont mind me asking what is your field?

Peace,
Tommy

I'm a retired critical care physician