1 Reason not to buy an Outdoor TV
Our outdoor space is bigger and better than ever before. We finally upgraded our outdoor living space, and we created a much bigger deck with a covered area. Living in the Great Lakes area, with a husband who wants to move tropical, we decided to make sure that we spent as much time outdoors as possible during the warmer months. I would love to say that He and I sit together after work discussing our days, playing cards, or working toward our dreams, but that would be a lie. Every few months I try to create a new plan for us to become more active or force us to try new activities, but by nature we are homebodies and find television time as our relaxing time.
Since we love watching television so much, we knew that we needed to install a TV outside to make it even more functional. When I started researching outdoor TVs, I was shocked at the cost. Even a small 32 inch outdoor TV could cost $1,500.
We could get a 32inch LED for less than $200. Do the math: Even if I had to buy a new TV every year, it would take 7 years to match the cost of an outdoor television. Since we have a covered area, we decided to just risk installing our indoor TV outside. So far it has lasted two seasons without any issues. We have a cover that we use every night that adds a bit of additional protection and still costs much less than an outdoor tv, about $30 to $40. We put the television outside after the last freeze of the season and leave it out until the first frost.
1 Reason Not to Buy an Outdoor TV (if you have a well-protected area)
It is too expensive!
He says: When we started looking into the idea of putting a television outside, we were constantly warned by people at tech stores that it was a tremendously bad idea to take a regular television outside. We had to buy either a special outdoor television or a special enclosure for outdoor televisions. We didn’t listen and so far we have avoided disaster after a couple summers of use. That said, your mileage may vary. Take our advice with a tremendous grain of salt. And if your television blows up or craps out, it’s not out fault.
Most consumer television/monitor type devices are designed to work and dissipate heat in temperatures up to ~110°F, and down to temperatures in the 50’s. Unfortunately, where I live, that means an outdoor TV might be a real requirement, but I agree – I’d take the route of burning through half a dozen ‘regular’ TV’s before I dropped the money on an outrageously expensive outdoor TV that will be obsoleted as quickly as any other.