[SOLVED] TV in front of radiator - good idea?

[tomtaylor0109]

Hello,
I‘d like to buy a smart tv into my room and the only place I would be able to put it is slightly above and in front of a radiator unit.
During winters I prefer having clothes on rather than creating a sauna, but the radiator would be turned on nevertheless.
Would it be a good place for the tv? Would aluminium help diverting the heat if I were to put it on the back of the tv?
Unfortunately there are no other spots for the tv.
Thank you for the answers and the help in advance!

 

[tennis2]

Are we talking a big oldschool floor-standing radiator (waist-height) or the more modern baseboard radiator?

 

[kanewolf]

Hello,
I‘d like to buy a smart tv into my room and the only place I would be able to put it is slightly above and in front of a radiator unit.
During winters I prefer having clothes on rather than creating a sauna, but the radiator would be turned on nevertheless.
Would it be a good place for the tv? Would aluminium help diverting the heat if I were to put it on the back of the tv?
Unfortunately there are no other spots for the tv.
Thank you for the answers and the help in advance!

Heat mostly goes UP. In front is better than above. How much distance would there be from the top of the radiator and the bottom of the set ?

 

[revodo]

Although it's not as bad as putting it in front of an AC unit, heat will also damage it over time. I would rather stick the TV on a pile of books in the middle of the room rather then put it in front of a heat or cold unit.

 

[tomtaylor0109]

Are we talking a big oldschool floor-standing radiator (waist-height) or the more modern baseboard radiator?

It‘s an oldschool one. It pushes the heat up

 

[tomtaylor0109]

Heat mostly goes UP. In front is better than above. How much distance would there be from the top of the radiator and the bottom of the set ?

They would be about 25-30 cms apart from each other

 

[kanewolf]

They would be about 25-30 cms apart from each other

That is pretty close together. I don't think I would put a TV in that environment.

 

[tennis2]

If you have no other options, use something thermally insulating as a heat shield/duct. Wood is actually a great thermal insulator (and easy to obtain). Obviously you don't want it TOUCHING the radiator, but if you can keep it 30 cm away, it shouldn't pose a fire risk. Wood starts to burn (not flame) at roughly 160C, which is probably double the surface temp of the radiator, so....

For all practical purposes, if you're setting the TV on a stand* of some sort, pushing the stand top against the wall (over the radiator, same distancing rules apply) would cause the stand to act as a duct to channel the radiator heat out the front of the stand top. Keep the TV set back from the front of the stand so the heat isn't just radiating up the screen.
*Consider the material of the stand top. If it's a cheaper stand, the top is probably laminated particleboard. While particleboard is even more insulative than pure wood, you need to consider the melting temp of the laminate outer covering and/or glue that holds the laminate to the particleboard. Even if the laminate doesn't straight-up melt, the heat could weaken it and cause the top to sag under the weight of the TV (depending on where the TV feet sit in relation to the stand legs) which is just something to keep an eye on. Even mounting a relatively thin sheet of wood (0.5cm for example) under the stand top will shield the laminate from heat also.

Double bonus: Mount a small quiet fan(s) under the stand top to push the hot air further out into the room! This has the added benefit of reducing the heat build-up on the bottom side of the stand top also.

 

[tomtaylor0109]

Thank you for all your answers, they were helpful in making my decision! I‘ve gone forward with the idea since I do not use the radiator that much during winter