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Can You Lay a Flat Screen TV Down? (Explained!)

The flat-screen TVs offer a tremendous tv-watching experience while being compact and lightweight. Due to the construction of flat-screen TVs, their screen is very delicate.

So, you might wonder if you can lay a flat-screen TV down and how to transport them while shifting the house. Let’s take a look at all your queries and break them down one by one.

Can you lay a flat screen tv down?

It is not a wise idea to lay down your flat screen TV. This is because flat-screen TVs are engineered in such a way that when they are kept upright, the weight is uniformly distributed. So, if the TV is laid down, all the weight will transfer to the screen, damaging its LCD crystals or plasma.

Can you lay a flat screen LCD TV down?

An LCD TV contains a cover glass placed between two polarized glass sheets, which are incredibly delicate. If these components get damaged, the screen will lose pixels, ruining the display.

Laying the LCD TV without moving for a short time on a plane surface might not damage it. However, if the TV is being transported, a small bump on the road can damage the screen permanently. So, you should avoid laying a flat screen down.

Can you lay a plasma tv down flat?

The plasma TV is more likely to sustain damage if laid flat down. This is because the plasma screen is made up of a double layer of glass that binds millions of tiny cells together.

These glass layers are highly fragile. As a result, you should always keep your plasma TV upright while transporting.

Can you lay a LED TV down on its back?

Although LED TV has an extra layer for providing the best picture quality, it is not recommended to lay it down on its back.

If the TV is laid down on its back, the screens’ canter receives low support. Thus, the screen can get damaged when it is laid flat down on its back for a long time.

Can you lay a flat screen tv down in the box?

Flat-screen TV has multiple layers of glass that hold millions of pixels, which can get damaged if additional weight is applied to it.

You can save the screen from scratches by laying it down in the box, but the glass layer can get damaged due to the TVs’ weight. So, you shouldn’t lay the flat screen TV down even in a box.

Is it ok to lay a flat screen tv down?

The way flat-screen TVs are manufactured involves an extraordinary balancing act. Their weight is dispersed around the edges. The weight remains balanced when it is kept upright to take force off the screen’s surface, which is quite sensitive.

If you lay down your flat screen TV, you affect the balance and shift the weight to the centre of the device. In such a case, your TV might develop cracks, which will damage it immediately. Needless to say, it is not okay to lay a flat screen TV down.

What happens if you lay a flat screen tv down? Why should you not lay down?

There are numerous reasons why it is unwise to lay a flat screen TV down. Here are some of the most fundamental reasons why you shouldn’t lay down your flat screen TV:

Develop cracks:

Flat-screen TVs are reasonably fragile, as they are made of multiple layers of glass and other components. The sandwich of glass layers is so delicate that it can crack due to any non-uniform pressure.

There are a lot of bumps and potholes in the road. So, when the TV is placed flat down while transporting, the display can get damaged immediately.

Damage plasma or LCD crystals:

The most common flat screen TVs are plasma and LCD TVs. The plasma TV contains plasma crystals in between the glass layers. LCD TVs also have LCD crystals in the sandwich of glass layers.

The flat-screen TVs are specially engineered to distribute the weight evenly while standing up. If the TV is laid down flat, all the wait of the TV will fall on the glass layer, which will damage it.

If the glass layer gets damaged, the plasma or LCD crystal will eventually get damaged, and the TV will stop working.

Incur scratches:

The surface on which you want to lay the TV down might seem clean to you. However, there might be small particles like sand and dirt on that surface that can damage and scratch your flat-screen TVs display.

These small microscopic particles are very hard to clean as they reside in the air. If the display of the flat-screen TV gets scratched, the picture quality will degrade by large.

How to lay a flat screen TV down safely?

As you have already understood, laying a flat screen TV down in the right way is very difficult. The TV can get damaged due to the slightest mishandling. Let’s take a look at some of the steps to lay a flat screen TV down safely.

Unmount the TV and remove the power cord:

First and foremost, you should unplug the TV from the power socket. You should also remove each cord and cable from the back of the TV so that unmounting and packing becomes simple.

After that, you should unmount the flat-screen TV carefully. If you are not sure about unmounting the TV yourself, you should take help from a professional. Then, pack the cables, screws, and bolts separately to prevent any damage.

Cover the screen:

The screen is the most fragile portion of television. While moving the flat-screen TV from one place to another, the screen can get damaged due to the slightest bump on the road. So, you should ensure the highest level of protection for the screen.

You should cover up the screen with a couple of pieces of foam to provide maximum protection. After that, cover your whole TV with bubble wrap for protection against any scratches. For further protection, you can use blankets, furniture pads, or cushions.

Place the TV in a box:

After covering and wrapping up the flat-screen TV, gently box it up. It’s best to place it in the original box of the TV. If you don’t have the original box, get a cardboard box in which the flat screen fits perfectly. You should put it in the box slowly.

If you notice any gap between the TV and the box, fill it with rubber pads so that the TV doesn’t move around when it is laid down.

Carefully lay down the TV:

If you don’t have any other option of transporting the flat-screen TV other than laying it down, you should do it with utmost care.

First of all, select a plane surface so that the TVs’ weight gets evenly distributed throughout the screen. Then lay it very slowly and steadily, don’t just let it fall on its own.

After laying down the TV, make sure that it remains in place while being transported somewhere else. You can use straps, scotch tape, or anything else to stick the box to the surface for safe transportation.

Can you transport a flat screen TV lying down?

You can transport a flat-screen TV lying down if you can take proper safety measures whole packing and moving. However, it is not recommended at all.

Even if you follow proper steps for safe transportation of the flat-screen TV lying down, there will be some risk as these TVs are highly fragile. So, it is best to transport a flat screen TV upright.

How to transport a flat screen TV?

To transport a flat-screen TV safely, you will have to divide the process into multiple steps. First and foremost, you should trace the trip. The preparation will mainly depend on how far your destination is.

If the location for transportation is close by, you can transport it either by laying it down or keeping it upright. In case your destination is far, you should transport the flat-screen TV in the upright position.

You should make sure that it has enough protection to prevent any scratches and damage in both situations.

Do flat screen LED TVs need to stay upright?

Flat-screen TVs are built in such a way that their weight gets balanced when they remain upright.

If you lay the TV down, there won’t be enough support in the center of the screen, which could lead to cracks on the edges and middle. So, flat screen TVs should remain upright.

Can you lay a flat screen TV on its side?

The flat-screen TVs should not be laid on their side because they are designed to stay upright. While in an upright position, the weight of the glass layers and other components remains balanced.

If you lay the flat-screen TV on its side, all the weight will go on its side, cracking the screen immediately.

Can you store a flat screen TV on its back?

You should never store a flat screen TV on its back; always do it upright. If you keep the TV on its back, heavy pressure will transfer to the back, damaging essential parts.

Final Thoughts:

It is not recommended to lay a flat screen down. You should always try to place it on its edge and upright as if it were sitting on its base. However, you can lay your flat screen TV down if you don’t have any other option. In that case, you will have to ensure that the TV is packed correctly.