New Pacific Energy NEO 2.5

[Dodgethis]

I let the stove cool down to inspect inside as I notice flame being pull toward the back corner on the right side. There seems to be a small gap that allow some smoke out, bypassing the baffle. The bracket that hold the baffle on the right side was about 1/4'' higher in the back then in the front. It was kinda stuck. I wiggle it and was able to bring it down. Now there is no more visible gap. Not sure if it is the cause of the problem but the fire seems more balance left to right now and the windows does not seems to be getting dirty anymore.

I will report back after a few more fire.

Thanks again for all the tips.

 

[begreen]

Good investigating. Shipping the stove can jostle the stove baffle and innards. It's good to do a quality check before burning.

 

[Dodgethis]

Load that thing north to south, and keep the ends of the splits a few inches away from the glass.

I really cant load north-south. The firebox is not square and a 16'' split will not fit.

 

[Hogwildz]

Ah, forgot this is a medium size. do what works best for you.

 

[Dodgethis]

I finally got time to finish the ceramic and brick work on my insert. Here`s pictures of before and after.

 

[linc1216]

I finally got time to finish the ceramic and brick work on my insert. Here`s pictures of before and after.

Looks Beautiful!

 

[begreen]

Great! That finished out very nicely.

 

[firefighterjake]

Very nice looking.

 

[Izengolf]

We were the first to order a Neo 2.5 from our dealer. Also get the dirty left hand corner compared to right from day one regardless of how stove is loaded. Biggest problem is that immediately to door handle got very loose on the bolt and has to be tightened with Allen key regularly. Mentioned to dealer who said would contact their PE rep. Nothing happened. Went into store last week and guess what - her stove handle is doing same thing! PE's response to her was to have them take photos and videos for PE meeting in March. Other than a crappy plastic handle with a bolt that won't hold (so plastic handle drops and touches door when stove door open), we love the look and burn of stove. It's heating our 1400sqft bungalow on the main floor no problem with about 2 cords for whole winter.

 

[originalfisher]

I purchased the Neo 1.6 free standing when they first came out and was one of the first owners (early January 2014). I had the same issue - the glass on the left side got really dirty. So I made them replace it with one about 6 months later (figuring that since it was one of the first - maybe it was defective). Same thing happened. Unfortunately - I think they are engineered that way due to a design defect. If you don't run the air full open - the glass gets black. I notice that it happens less (and can actually burn off a bit of the black on the glass - which covers about 1/3 of the total glass area on left) if you run it full open. But as soon as you push air vent lever to right to help increase the burn time (even after you get a good bed of coals and run full out) and decrease the heat output (so you don't have 90 degrees inside... at 78 degrees inside I have to tweak down the air) -- the black forms... and can get really bad if you choke it almost all the way down for a long burn while you sleep -- and then it gets really really hard to get off the glass just using a wet paper towel. When that happens - I have found that using EZ off oven cleaner (lemon scent) seems to take it off - but it is a pain to have to do that for a stove that is advertised as having an air wash system that keeps your glass clean. I've learned to live with it at this point... I burn dry wood -- no gasket issue etc.

 

[begreen]

Maybe insufficient draft?

 

[TedyOH]

The black glass is from wood not being dry enough or shutting the air down too soon. I had this problem last year with 1 year seasoned hickory and maple, this year (wood seasoned 2 years) my stove runs too hot, even with the air shut down all the way.
The stove runs hotter on the right side because there's another air intake hole that's always open on the right side of the adjustable air intake, take off the plate on the bottom of the stove and stick your hand under and next to the adjustable intake, you will feel it. I stuffed the open hole with tin foil, works like a charm, although you will have to learn your air flow all over again, I never shut mine all the way anymore, it takes 30 minutes or so to slowly adjust the air down for overnight burn, you can't just take it from full open right down to nothing, it needs to be feathered down slowly.

Edit - I found the picture where I stuffed the foil in the open, non adjustable air intake, the air adjustment plate on the bottom comes off with 2 screws, the surround has two pieces, take off the heavier internal surround by lifting it up then out, it's held in place by metal tabs, the screws to remove the bottom plate are next to the blowers

 

[Dodgethis]

As with TedyOH, I do not have the black glass on the left side anymore. It turns out in my case, I was closing the door too soon when lighting the fire. I am also using firestarter instead of newspaper / kindling. Now, I fill the firebox with a mix of medium and large split, light the fire starter, close the door but leave it a crack opened. Wait around 5 min, close the door with the air fully opened. Wait 15 min. then start closing the air intake gradually. Whiten 10 min. I am fully closed or 10-15% open and cruising at stove temp above the door at 550-575F. No dirty glass anymore. I got good draft and good wood.

 

[TedyOH]

As with TedyOH, I do not have the black glass on the left side anymore. It turns out in my case, I was closing the door too soon when lighting the fire. I am also using firestarter instead of newspaper / kindling. Now, I fill the firebox with a mix of medium and large split, light the fire starter, close the door but leave it a crack opened. Wait around 5 min, close the door with the air fully opened. Wait 15 min. then start closing the air intake gradually. Whiten 10 min. I am fully closed or 10-15% open and cruising at stove temp above the door at 550-575F. No dirty glass anymore. I got good draft and good wood.

I do pretty much the same except I let my first load (1/2 a firebox load with small splits) run with the air full open and burn to a bed of coals.

 

[highanddryinco]

Not familiar with the NEO line but have a PE 27 that sometimes does the same low left corner thing.
Does the NEO have the removable iron plate with the air holes just inside the door on the bottom. If so, the next time you clean out your firebox, make sure that that plate is slid all the way to left, tight up against the left frame. That pretty much cured my issue along with what Hogwildz said about keeping more space between the wood and the glass.
I'm not sure if that's part of the air wash or the after burn or both. But when I look close, it look s like that lazy flame that blackens my glass originates in the gap between that plate and the wall frame.
Good luck.

 

[Grimlock13]

The black glass is from wood not being dry enough or shutting the air down too soon. I had this problem last year with 1 year seasoned hickory and maple, this year (wood seasoned 2 years) my stove runs too hot, even with the air shut down all the way.
The stove runs hotter on the right side because there's another air intake hole that's always open on the right side of the adjustable air intake, take off the plate on the bottom of the stove and stick your hand under and next to the adjustable intake, you will feel it. I stuffed the open hole with tin foil, works like a charm, although you will have to learn your air flow all over again, I never shut mine all the way anymore, it takes 30 minutes or so to slowly adjust the air down for overnight burn, you can't just take it from full open right down to nothing, it needs to be feathered down slowly.

Edit - I found the picture where I stuffed the foil in the open, non adjustable air intake, the air adjustment plate on the bottom comes off with 2 screws, the surround has two pieces, take off the heavier internal surround by lifting it up then out, it's held in place by metal tabs, the screws to remove the bottom plate are next to the blowers

View attachment 169488

To be clear you closed up the secondary air? The one with the small metal flap the opens and closes on it's own? How does the stove burn now that you made this adjustment? Does it burn even?

 

[begreen]

Sounds like it might have been the boost air that was closed off.

 

[TedyOH]

To be clear you closed up the secondary air? The one with the small metal flap the opens and closes on it's own? How does the stove burn now that you made this adjustment? Does it burn even?

No not that one, as i said it is right next to the adjustable air intake to the right, its a wide open hole about the size of a nickle or quarter, need to take of the bottom plate to get your hand under there to feel it.

 

[TedyOH]

Sounds like it might have been the boost air that was closed off.

That may be what its called, boost air, i surely do not need it open, even with it plugged im still running very hot, maybe its meant to run like this, possibly because the firebox is free floating? I may call them tomorrow and ask.

 

[Grimlock13]

Ok, I'm going to check it out when I get home. Thanks

 

[begreen]

That may be what its called, boost air, i surely do not need it open, even with it plugged im still running very hot, maybe its meant to run like this, possibly because the firebox is free floating? I may call them tomorrow and ask.

How tall is the chimney? What type of wood is being burned and how large are the splits?

 

[TedyOH]

2 story colonial so probably about 26', with about 1/4 of the chimney exposed, uninsulated liner, no block off plate, elm, soft maple and hickory, multiple size splits.

 

[begreen]

To slow things down a bit try saving the smaller stuff for starting fires. Burn the larger splits on reloads.

 

[TedyOH]

Thanks, that's what I do, small splits first load to establish coal, then large splits. It's not that the flames (primaries?) off the wood get out of control, I think it's the secondaries coming out of the baffle that are getting the stove so hot. Even when I have the air close 75 - 80% the stove will climb to 750+ deg for about an hour or so. I'll shut down the air so low that the coal bed only glows about the size of a baseball right where the air intake is, no flames coming up and off the charred logs just 6 to 8" blue secondaries from the baffle blowing down on the wood. I guess it's a good problem to have....
Maybe I'll shoot a video tomorrow night, it's amazing how hot it gets.

 

[begreen]

Blue secondaries mean very hot clean combustion. The stove is doing a good job of extracting the heat from the wood. Sounds like the wood is very high btu content too.