A Safety Guide On Installing A Wall Mounted TV | Aerialforce
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A Safety Guide On Installing A Wall Mounted TV

TV AerialsTV Installation
Mar-2020 / 4 min read

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Nowadays, almost every home has a wall mounted TV in the living room, home office, or bedroom. More than it being a way to save up on some adequate floor space due to the absence of TV stands, and the like, wall-mounted TVs often represent cleanliness and minimalism in the home. However, people often forget to implement some safety measures that will make sure nobody gets hurt, and nothing gets damaged during and after mounting a TV on the wall. 

To help you better understand and minimize the risks of having a wall-mounted TV, here is a list of things you should remember while installing one:

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  • Consider the location

Before you even start drilling holes into the walls of your home, figure out if the location you’re considering is ideal. Take into consideration things such as viewing angles, sun exposure, space, and even proximity to the power outlet. Such considerations will help prevent overheating, future occurrences of sore necks, and space-related and power cord-related accidents. Mount your TV at a place where it is cool, safe, and out of bumping distance. Also make sure to place it at a height where the TV screen is at eye level, or at least close to it. 

  • Find out if your wall can handle holding the TV up and make sure you are using the correct anchor

To ensure that your hard-earned money does not go to waste, check if your designated TV wall can carry the weight of your TV. Keep in mind that TV size is directly proportional to your TV’s weight. This means the bigger your TV is, the heavier it will be. So, make sure to check if the material of your wall is sturdy enough to carry your new TV, and that your wall mount is made for the specific size and weight of your TV. Also take note of what type of wall you are mounting on, as there are specific wall anchors needed for each:

  • If you are planning on mounting your TV on concrete or brick, attach the wall bracket or wall mount with a sleeve or wedge anchor. Such anchors are not very difficult to find, as you may simply purchase them at any hardware store. If you’re on the hunt for deals on prices, you may also opt to buy online. Once secure, you may hang your TV onto the bracket.
  • Meanwhile, if you’re mounting on drywall, make sure to anchor your bracket or wall mount onto the studs behind your wall before attaching your TV onto the bracket. If your wall has no studs, anchor the TV bracket using toggle bolts. 

Note: To find the studs, you may use stud finders or knock on your wall until you hear a solid sound. Hollow wall sounds mean there are no studs behind it. Make sure you are not drilling into water pipes, gas pipes, and electrical wiring. 

In this video, LRN2DIY, a YouTube channel specializing in how-to videos, demonstrates how to mount a TV onto drywall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTrgoqtfjDg

  • Conceal your cords and cables

Aside from it being unsightly and messy, cords and cables left exposed can be quite dangerous. Because these cords and cables are left dangling and lying around, it is possible for it to come in contact with spilt liquids. Unconcealed cords may also be cause for accidents involving kids and adults alike. To prevent such accidents and occurrences, you may hide your wires or cords behind the walls using a power relocation kit. You may also choose to mount your TV in front of a power outlet or add a power outlet behind your TV to keep it from dangling. A paintable wire channel is also ideal in keeping your cords and cables tucked, tidy, and in order.

A tip: For electrical work such as rewiring and adding power outlets behind your TV, contact a professional. 

  • Make sure all ports are accessible

While you may not find an extra HDMI port necessary at the moment you’re mounting your TV, you may find a need for it in the future. The same goes for all input and output ports on your TV, including, but not limited to the USB, component, composite, VGA, antenna, and S-Video ports. 

Ports that are not fully accessible may cause damage to the jacks, wires, and cables being connected to them. Making sure that they are all accessible from the moment you mount your TV saves you the chore of unmounting and making access for such ports in the future when you find yourself wanting to connect DVD players, bluray players, a gaming console, smart home devices, home security devices, streaming devices, and many more.

  • Is it level?

Try and find out if your television is levelled and mounted properly. This, otherwise, could cause your TV to get dislodged or unmounted in the future. 

  • Can the kids reach it?

Kids reaching for and potentially knocking your TV off the wall mount when it is not properly secured can cause major accidents, or worse, death. It is therefore best to, aside from making sure the TV is mounted securely, mount the TV out of children’s reach.

  • Know what you’re doing

Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to mount your TV to the wall without doing some research on it. Aside from reading and understanding the buyer’s guide that comes with your TV and wall mount, you may also search for demonstration videos on the internet. What’s important is that you figure out just exactly what you’re doing before attempting to do it yourself. This could otherwise only put you and your TV in a lot of danger.

  • If in doubt, call a professional

If you think you can’t do it, don’t hesitate to call a professional. There will be installation costs and labour costs, no doubt, but those will definitely be less expensive than undoing any potential damage you may inflict on yourself, the people around you, your furniture, your appliances, and your home in the event that you are unable to complete the mounting job properly. 

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