An outdoor TV is a great form of entertainment in your backyard for your family and guests. It is luxurious and fun to watch your favorite movie or programs while relaxing on your patio, deck or porch.
However, outdoor elements such as heat, humidity, snow, rains, bugs, and dust can take a toll on your television.
To make your TV last longer and serve you without issues, here is how to protect it:
How to Protect Outdoor TV
Protect your outdoor TV from elements through the following
1. Buy an Outdoor TV
If you are about to have a TV on your patio, go for an outdoor TV. These are high-definition TVs specifically designed for outdoor use. They have great picture quality and withstands harsh weather elements such as bright sunlight, temperature fluctuations, humidity, snow and more.
Outdoor patio TVs comes in different sizes and varied features such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Although expensive than indoor TVs, these models can really last longer especially when offered more protection form harsh outdoor elements as illustrated below.
2. Create a shade
Mounting your TV in a shade such as screened patio, enclosed porch or sunroom effectively protects it from humidity, sunlight, mildew, dust, snow, rain bugs and even theft. Condensed humidity and rain water droplets can cause short circuiting of an electrical system or make metallic parts to rust and disintegrate.
When choosing the right location to mount your TV consider the direction of light. Direct sunlight can shorten your TV’s life and reduces screen glare thus interfering with picture quality. Place it in a cool area away from fire and where everyone will enjoy watching without straining.
In addition to protecting your TV, enclosed outdoor spaces helps in keeping your guests warm during a cold weather, keeps away bugs and also adds a stunning feature to your home. All you need is to choose a suitable design for your home.
3. Outdoor TV Covers
Weatherproof covers are ideal for protecting outdoor TV from dust and rain and other elements. Covers help in protecting your electronic especially when you are not using it. During a hot humid summer, TV covers can come with some challenges such as mold and mildew buildup due to a hot humid weather.
To ensure that is not happening, invest in quality covers that are designed to allow air flow while protecting your TV. You should also be checking up if some moisture is collecting up which might end up condensing into the electrical parts of the television.
4. Create a TV Case
Like covers, an enclose unit for your TV will offer good protection from harsh weather elements and vandalism as well. TV cases can be metallic, wooden or plastic boxes which can be bought from a hardware store or be custom made at your home based on the measurements of your TV.
TV case is opened up the front when you want to watch and closed when you are away. TV case still pose a heat and moisture trapping challenges in hot humid areas which are still a threat to a TV. Before you switch on the TV, check and open the box for some minutes air to circulate so that any condensed moisture can disappear.
5. Weatherproof Installation
Outdoor TVs should be mounted using weatherproof sturdy brackets and cables which are resistant to tough outdoor conditions. Rust is a common problem for iron and metallic materials.
Rust-corroded cables can cause breakage in power or signal transmission. Wall mounting brackets may also get weakened due to oxidation thus risking a fall off.
Ordinary cables will wear down and even break or crack when used outdoor. Similar to TV and mount, your cables need to be rated for outdoor use. During cable connection, it is important to create a drip loop. This is a complete round loop formed where the cable connects to an outdoor device to help in preventing water from entering the system.
6. Regular Cleaning
Dust, mildew and mold can buildup in your plasma television causing it to break down. Regular cleaning is thus a good step for protecting your outdoor TV. However, using a wrong cleaning method can void the warranty or damage the LCD or Plasma screen.
Unplug from power and dust your TV with a dry microfiber cloth beginning with the screen and finally the frame and back side. Do not use any cleaning solution you are not sure about. Stubborn smudges may be spot-cleaned with a pre-moistened wipe designed for screens and electronics.
Finally clean speakers and a remote control device. Tap the device on your hand to dislodge debris from the button crevices. Wipe the surface with pre-moistened wipes and use a toothpick to remove stuck crumbs and let it air dry before inserting the batteries back.
Use a vacuum upholstery tool to vacuum the speakers to suck up all dust, lint and even pat hair that usually get stuck in the fabric covers.
Conclusion
Placing a TV outdoor is a great idea to keep people informed and entertained. TVs are also placed outdoor in many restaurants, theme parks and businesses. Installers need to make informed decision before your investment goes down the drain. Install an outdoor TV and protect it from outdoor elements.