There’s a rapidly growing trend in TVs being used in outdoor and semi-enclosed environments. Some for home use, others for commercial applications such as outdoor seating areas for food and drink establishments. Obviously, as social distancing has become the norm, outdoor space is increasingly being looked at as a way to continue social gatherings - and with these gatherings comes the need for Audio and Video. However, these outdoor areas present new problems for the installation of TVs rated for outdoor use.
Challenges for Outdoor TV Mounting
Unlike being indoors, Mother Nature will put a TV mount to the test by exposing it to sunlight, humidity, rain, snow and wind. A mount that hasn’t been designed for outdoor use can malfunction, and at worst become a safety hazard should hardware fail. Not to mention, with conventional indoor TV mounts rust can occur over time as the mount’s hardware and surface areas are subjected to heat, water and humidity, leaving behind unsightly traces of rust on the TV, wall and flooring.
Solutions to Solve Outdoor Installation Problems
In order to solve the problems mentioned above, outdoor-rated TV mounts were designed and developed to address the effects of long-term exposure to UV, rain, humidity, wind, snow and other outdoor elements that are common to outdoor areas. Next, we’ll delve into more specifically how outdoor TV mounts handle those challenges faced when placed in an outdoor environment.
Layers of Protection
Steel used in the mount is covered by galvanized plating, outdoor paint primer, and outdoor-rated paint to form layers of protection.
Galvanized steel, known for its corrosion-resistant characteristics, is used heavily throughout the manufacturing of outdoor TV. The finishing process is more complex than a standard TV mount. Outdoor TV mounts go through a process of being first coated using a specially formulated outdoor paint primer followed by a thicker layer of paint that delivers longer life and better resistance to the outdoor elements. Surface coatings go through a strict adhesion, resistance, corrosion and salt spray tests to ensure performance and longevity.
Special Hardware and Plastics
Hardware and accessories are also an important part of the outdoor TV mount. Hardware used for conventional indoor mounts will rust over time, creating stains on TVs, walls and flooring – ultimately resulting in a hardware failure, becoming a safety that poses a serious risk to the TV and people around the installation area. To eliminate these risks, stainless steel hardware is used throughout an outdoor TV mount. Plastic used in outdoor TV mounts must also be weather-resistant. Conventional plastic fail as well, due to their inability to resist sun UV and extreme temperature changes, causing the plastic to fade, become brittle, cracking and ultimately failing in a short period of time.
Minimize Connection Points
The wind is especially hard to handle compared with other outdoor elements. So it takes careful planning and design to reduce connection points or adapt protective covers on connection points. Plus, coating the outdoor paint primer and paint over the welds to minimize or eliminate weld points can also improve the outdoor performance of the mount.
Conclusion
To sum it all up, TVs used in outdoor or semi-enclosed spaces will face all kinds of outdoor elements requiring outdoor-rated mounts to ensure installations are safe and will last over time. Outdoor-rated mounts use galvanized steel, outdoor paint primer and paint to protect form oxidation and corrosion. Stainless steel hardware and UV-resistant plastics offer additional protection from weather to the mount. In addition, minimizing connection points or weld points can prevent the outdoor TV mount from possible damage from weather.
