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The TV went over the fireplace because that is where the couch points. Then the first movie night ends with everyone rubbing their necks.
A pull-down mount is the fix built for that wall. The TV sits up over the mantel when you are not watching and comes down to eye level when you are. It is worth it when the mantel pushes the screen far above eye level and a tilt cannot fix it. It is not worth it when the wall cannot carry it, the fireplace runs hot, or another wall would simply do the job.
Are pull-down TV mounts worth it?
Yes, when the mantel puts the screen far above eye level and the wall can carry the mount. A pull-down brings the TV down in front of the mantel to watch and parks it up high after. No, when a tilt mount or another wall would do, the wall is drywall alone, or the fireplace gets too hot.
How a pull-down mount works
A manual pull-down rides on gas springs. You take the handles and pull the TV out and down, and the springs carry most of its weight. MantelMount's MM540 fits 44 to 80 inch TVs from 20 to 90 pounds, drops 27 inches, clears a mantel up to 18 inches deep and sits 5.7 inches off the wall when raised.
Its handles turn red at 110 F to warn that it is too hot for the TV.
The springs are set for the weight of your TV. MantelMount adjusts them with a tension bolt, and Mount-It's larger manual model needs a TV of at least 75 pounds to lower properly.
A motorized mount does the same job with a motor and a remote. MantelMount's MM860V2 takes 65 to 100 inch TVs up to 125 pounds, drops 30 inches and reaches up to 24 inches off the wall. It pulls the TV back up on its own if it senses unsafe heat, and it remembers its position after a power cut. The mount alone weighs 90.2 pounds.
Manual vs motorized pull-down mounts
| What matters | Manual | Motorized |
|---|---|---|
| How it moves | You pull it down by the handles, and gas springs do most of the lifting | A motor lowers it from a remote or a smart-home system |
| Power | None | Runs on power, with a remote |
| Heat protection | Some handles turn red at 110 F. The MM340's do not change color | The MM860V2 retracts on its own when it senses unsafe heat |
| TVs, in the models we read | 42 to 100 inches, 17.6 to 154 pounds | 37 to 100 inches, up to 125 pounds |
| Drop | 25.8 to 27 inches | 22.6 to 30 inches |
| Install | Two people, and extra cable length so nothing pinches as it moves | Two people, and a heavier mount: 90.2 pounds for the MM860V2 |
When a pull-down is worth it, and when it is not
It earns its place when the height is badly off. Samsung suggests a screen center about 42 inches from the floor. Bob Vila notes that a TV over a fireplace can end up with its center around 75 inches, and suggests keeping the viewing angle to 15 degrees or less. A tilt mount angles the screen, but it cannot bring it down 2 feet. The pull-downs we read drop 22.6 to 30 inches.
The mount alone weighs 25 to 90.2 pounds, and a manual one still sits 5.5 to 5.7 inches off the wall when raised. Its springs are set to one TV's weight, so a new TV can mean resetting them. It should not stay lowered with the fire on, and a motorized one needs power.
Manual suits most TVs up to about 90 pounds and needs no power. Motorized suits bigger TVs, up to 125 pounds on the MM860V2, and anyone who wants a remote and an automatic retract.
It is the wrong buy in a few cases. If another wall gives a good view, a plain mount there is simpler. If the wall above the mantel is drywall with no studs where the mount needs them, or the brick is not solid, the mount has nothing to hold.
And a mount does not make a hot wall safe. Samsung does not recommend mounting its TVs over a fireplace at all, and says they should never go above 104 F. MantelMount suggests not keeping the TV lowered while the fire is on.
Our post on mounting a TV above a fireplace covers the heat test and the height in more detail.
What to check before you buy a pull-down mount
1. Measure the mantel
Note how far the mantel sticks out from the wall. The MM540 clears a mantel up to 18 inches deep, and one Monoprice model allows 16 inches. The arms have to bring the TV down past it.
2. Find out what the wall is
Wood studs or solid masonry, never drywall alone. Check the stud spacing the mount allows, from 16 to 28 inches depending on the model. MantelMount's FAQ asks for brick several inches thick that can carry five times the weight of the TV and mount. Mount-It lists metal studs for its MI-384L, but most models we read list only wood studs and masonry.
3. Check the wall thickness
Two of the manuals we read cap the wall covering at 5/8 inch. Old plaster runs 3/4 inch to just over 1 inch, so ask the maker before fixing one to a plaster wall.
4. Match the TV to the mount
Check the TV's size, weight and VESA pattern against the mount's range. Spring mounts are balanced to the TV's weight, and some need a minimum weight to lower correctly.
5. Plan the cables and power
Leave every cable extra length so it is not pinched or kinked as the mount moves, and plan power at the wall for a motorized mount.
6. Test the heat
Run the fireplace and check the wall above it with a thermometer. The bar is the TV: Samsung says 104 F. The 110 F in Monoprice's manual is the mount's limit, not the TV's.
Chicago fireplaces and pull-down mounts
Not every older Chicago home has a working fireplace under the mantel. The Chicago Bungalow Association notes that many bungalow fireplaces were removed over the decades, some were later put back, and one 1928 bungalow had an artificial fireplace by 1947. A decorative fireplace changes the heat question, and Mount-It recommends one of its motorized models for decorative fireplaces only.
The walls are the other half. An estimated 100,000 bungalows went up in Cook County between 1910 and 1940, brick outside and plastered inside. If the chimney breast is brick, the mount goes into the brick, as our post on mounting a TV on brick explains. If it is plaster on wood studs, it may be thicker than the manual allows, and our guide to mounting a TV on plaster walls covers what that means.
We install motorized drop-down mounts over fireplaces across Chicago and the suburbs, and we look at the wall before recommending one. If a tilt mount or another wall would serve you better, we will say so. More on our fireplace TV mounting.
Common questions
What is the best pull-down TV mount for over a fireplace?
The one rated for your TV's size and weight, your mantel's depth and your wall. Manual models such as MantelMount's MM540 cover 44 to 80 inch TVs up to 90 pounds. Motorized ones such as the MM860V2 go up to 100 inches and 125 pounds.
How do you pull down a TV mount?
On a manual mount, take both handles, lean back and pull the TV out from the wall and down, and the gas springs carry most of the weight. Do not let it drop so far that the arm hits the mantel. A motorized mount lowers from a remote.
Can you leave the TV lowered with the fire on?
Better not. MantelMount suggests keeping the TV raised while the fireplace is on, and Samsung says its TVs should never go above 104 F. Some mounts help: handles that turn red at 110 F, or a motorized mount that pulls the TV back up on its own when it senses heat.
What type of TV bracket can move up and down?
A pull-down or drop-down mount, also called a mantel mount. Manual ones move on gas springs and handles, and motorized ones on a motor and a remote. A tilt mount only angles the screen. It does not lower it.
Can a pull-down mount go on drywall?
Not on drywall alone. MantelMount and Mount-It both require wood studs or solid masonry. Two of the manuals we read also cap the wall covering at 5/8 inch, so a plaster wall in an older home is a question for the maker first.
- #Pull-down mounts
- #Fireplace TV
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