Fireplace TV stand issues

[Totoro]

My parents are senior citizens and they have really wanted a big screen tv and a fireplace TV stand for awhile. Anyway, they bought their system and set it up. Here is the picture they sent me.

The first thing I told them is that the receiver must go somewhere else, because there is not enough (any) clearance for air circulation. I suggested they put the center speaker there instead.

My other concern is the whole issue of a fireplace stand. Don't these things throw off a lot of heat? Won't this damage the electronics?

It seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

Any thoughts?

 

[Rickster71]

I agree, it's too hot a place for their electronics; If that's a real (assuming electric) fireplace.
Do you have any details on the fireplace, gas / electric?
Does it blow the heat out and away from the front?
If electric, I'd wonder how much power it draws.

 

[Totoro]

I agree, it's too hot a place for their electronics; If that's a real (assuming electric) fireplace.
Do you have any details on the fireplace, gas / electric?
Does it blow the heat out and away from the front?
If electric, I'd wonder how much power it draws.

Electric - not sure about the power draw. According to my parents, the heat does not affect the shelf above. However, since heat rises, I find that hard to believe. On the other hand, these things are designed as TV stands, so who knows.

 

[Rickster71]

Next time you go to see them, you can check it out and see how it all works.

It's hard to see from the picture, though it looks as if there is a horizontal slot, just under the shelf.
That appears to be where a fan blows the heat out from.
So maybe it's not as bad as it looks.

 

[sawzalot]

Hey Guys good morning,My neighbor has a similar fireplace entertainment unit and I am positive that the heat blows from the bottom the top slot is the intake and I am 100 % sure that the heat won't be a problem the thing just doesn't get very hot its more for show or The Ambiance if you will.Like he always says to me ,hey man its made by The Amish look at that detail....

 

[AV Expression]

We get our customers asking us to mount the TV on top of the fireplaces all the time. We try and make sure there is always sufficient ventilation behind the TV. Even when we do that, the TV manufacturer will automatically VOID the warranty on the TV.

So if the TV fails for any reason even unrelated to heat damage, the customer is not covered by any warranty.

Muzzi

 

[Alex2507]

Any thoughts?

It seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

You seem to have read my mind. Let's try another one ... what number am I thinking of? (just kidding)

The TV is a too high on top of everything else but that won't be an issue once it goes up in smoke.
I wonder how long a rec'r is good for without ventilation.

For the sake of the equipment you could get a wall mount and further raise the TV by at least 4"-6" inches and install a fan behind the rec'r but to me it just all seems wrong, wrong, wrong. Yeah it's built by the Amish. It's their plot to destroy everybody's electronics and drag us back into the stone age.