The 30-minute heat check on a Deer Park fireplace
Almost every ranch and two-story in Deer Park has a fireplace on the main wall, usually brick with a wood mantel and drywall above. That wall is where the TV is wanted, and heat decides whether it can go there. We run the firebox at full burn for 30 minutes, then read the surface above the mantel with an infrared thermometer. Drywall above a properly mantled gas box normally settles between 95 and 110 degrees, which a modern panel handles without complaint. Past 120 degrees we recommend a pull-down mount that brings the screen to eye level, or a deflector on the mantel edge. Drywall above the surround stays standard stud work at the flat rate. Where the brick runs to the ceiling, the bracket takes 1/4-inch Tapcons seated about 1-3/4 inches deep through a 3/16-inch carbide pilot, drilled slowly so the brick face does not spall, and the published +$99 masonry surcharge applies. A tilt bracket angled 5 to 10 degrees down keeps a fireplace-height screen watchable. Figure 80 to 105 minutes including the heat sweep.