Mounting a TV on a patio or porch

A screen on the porch for football season is one of the most-requested upgrades in the South. It's also where the wrong equipment fails fastest. Here's how to do it so it lasts.

Indoor TV or outdoor TV?

Outdoor-rated TVs are sealed against moisture, dust and insects, built for a wide temperature range, and much brighter so the picture holds up in daylight. They're sold in versions for full shade, partial sun and full sun.

Indoor TVs aren't sealed. Humidity gets in, summer heat cooks them and bugs move into the vents. Manufacturers generally don't cover outdoor use under warranty.

Honest guidance:

• Open patio or anywhere rain or direct sun can reach: use an outdoor-rated TV.
• Deep covered porch or screened room, well back from the weather: many people use an inexpensive indoor TV with a weatherproof cover and treat it as replaceable. It can work for a few years. It's a gamble, not a recommendation.

The mount

Indoor brackets rust. Outdoors, use a mount with a weather-resistant finish and stainless or galvanized hardware. A full-motion or tilt mount helps you fight glare as the sun moves, and lets you swing the screen toward the grill or the seating.

What you're mounting to

• Brick or block: excellent; masonry anchors, stainless if possible.
• Wood siding or porch framing: lag into studs or posts, and seal every hole with exterior caulk so water can't get behind the siding.
• Vinyl siding: never hang from the vinyl; go through it into the framing with spacers so the siding isn't crushed.
• Stucco: drill carefully, anchor into framing or masonry behind, seal the holes.
• Porch ceilings are sometimes just thin beadboard under joists — find the joists.

Power

An outdoor TV should be on a GFCI-protected outlet with a weatherproof "in-use" cover — the kind that closes over the plug. No extension cords across the patio. If there's no outlet where the TV goes, have an electrician add one.

Sun and placement

• Face the screen north if you can, or at least away from the afternoon sun.
• Keep direct sunlight off the panel; it causes dark patches on LCDs and heat damage.
• Mount a bit higher than indoors — people stand and move around outside — and tilt down.

Heat, cold and storms

Check the TV's operating temperature range; Alabama summers reach it. Use a fitted cover when it's not in use, and take the TV down or secure it ahead of severe weather if the porch is exposed.

Sound

TV speakers get lost outdoors. A weather-resistant soundbar or outdoor speakers make a big difference.

For covered porches and patios, tell us the wall type when you book. Labor starts at $94, with $40 added for brick or block.