Should I mount a TV over a ‘Hole in the Wall’ Gas Fire?
In the 70’s we had disco, flared trousers and the birth of punk, the 80’s brought us techno, shoulder pads and the shell suit! In the 90’s we had boy-bands, more dodgy haircuts and inflatable furniture…. What we are trying to say is fashion changes and fireplaces are no different. We’ve had it all through our doors here at Rigby’s from retro gas fires with bars that heat up on the front to full wall brick installations. The market however is once more, with people ultimately trying to maximise floor space and a modern contemporary straight line approach, whilst still attempting to maintain that focal feature in the living room for the family to gather round on a cold evening.
More recently we have witnessed the birth of the glass fronted hole in the wall gas fire which provides a stunning elegant look and also fantastic heat out-put. These by all means are superb products, many of which are for sale at Rigby’s both on our website and on display in our showroom. Traditionally these gas fires were designed to be inserted into a chimney breast however significant developments in technology allow for slimline options if being inserted into a cavity wall or the increasing number of balanced flue options. These fires not only look good but also perform brilliantly, for example, Gazco’s Studio 1 Conventional Flue producing up to 4.97 Kw of heat at 72% efficiency with the balanced flue version as high as 92%. Also Capital’s DL500 (one of the smaller in its range) producing 4 Kw of heat at a snip over 80% efficiency. Fantastic news for everyone out there of course, however there is one slight problem. Our customers and the general public who often inquire into this range tend to always ask the same question:
Q: ‘Can I put my T.V. above the fire?’
A: ‘Erm, not really…..’
Q: ‘What? Why not?….’
To be precise, with such heat output and efficiency to put your beautiful new shiny T.V. above it, is probably equivalent to at the very least manslaughter, no doubt reducing all gadget inspired husbands to a weeping mess.
There is however another way!! That’s right you still have options. You could maintain both your T.V. and glass fronted gas fire, but mount something on your wall between both which will essentially deflect the heat away from your TV’s essentials for example a wooden beam, fireplace surround or some kind of non-combustible shelf which aesthetically doesn’t compromise the look that you are going for. Or you could go for another option which is the Open Fronted gas fire. Manufactured by Gazco, these fires are not only cheaper than their glass fronted counterpart but also don’t require anything which has to be mounted on the wall, and thus the problem is solved! There is however one catch, that is that the heat output is reduced to 1.7 Kw with the efficiency rating taking a hit also. It does however offer up a few additional styling options which allow you the customer to enhance your centrepiece even further.
For further information on our range of hole in the wall gas fires or contact us on 0208 868 7899.