Pacific Energy Neo 2.5 set in alcove question

[cuda]

This is my first time posting after perusing this forum for about a year. I have leaned a lot from many of you. I'm finally going to pull the trigger and rip out our builder's grade prefab fireplace and turn the exterior chimney chase into an alcove. Since we only have about 48.5" side to side clearance, we are opting for the Pacific Energy Neo 2.5, which has a side to side to combustibles clearance requirement of 45". The stove will be in our living room with a cathedral ceiling, which also opens to the upstairs loft. We have a ceiling fan in the living room, so that should come in useful.

Anyway, I have a couple questions regarding some of the options for the stove. We like the fact that we can store wood underneath the stove. We were initially thinking about getting an outside air adapter and a circulating fan for the stove, but reading the installation manual it seems like you would then need to run the outside air adapter down vertically (vs. horizontally) and require some heat shield for the air adapter vent. Would this shield nix our idea of storing wood underneath? I don't have any dimensions for how far back the shield would go. Also, would the fan even make a material difference for our alcove configuration? If yes, how 'noisy' is the fan? And would you also definitely recommend I get the outside air adapter (my assumption is a resounding yes, but thought I'd ask)?

Thanks so much in advance for your help!

 

[begreen]

The outside air kit (oak) can connect from below or from behind the stove. Looks at page 9 of the manual for options. It might also be possible to come up thru the hearth pad behind the stove a few inches to a 90º elbow that connects to the rear. I would recommend a blower to help convect heat out of the alcove. I haven't heard the Neo blower, but have found PE blowers to be reasonable for noise level, especially at low to medium speed.

 

[cuda]

The outside air kit (oak) can connect from below or from behind the stove. Looks at page 9 of the manual for options. It might also be possible to come up thru the hearth pad behind the stove a few inches to a 90º elbow that connects to the rear. I would recommend a blower to help convect heat out of the alcove. I haven't heard the Neo blower, but have found PE blowers to be reasonable for noise level, especially at low to medium speed.

Thanks begreen. I looked at page 9 in the manual, but when I look at page 15...

Installation of Optional Outside Air Adaptor (OAIR.1A) -- Place adaptor over the desired hole in either the bottom or rear of the leg adapter and secure with #8 x 1/2" screws. NOTE: If using a WODC.BLOW then use the hole in the bottom of the leg adapter.

... it reads like you must use the bottom connector for the outside air kit when having the optional blower installed. Am I reading that correctly? I don't even know where the blower attaches on the NEO 2.5. I do see now that the pipe shield is optional to hide the visible outside air intake pipe, which may be a nice touch (just don't know if that would affect the ability to store wood underneath).

Any additional insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[begreen]

Good questions. The pipe shield is to protect the OAK pipe from logs banging into it. It also provides a cleaner look, but it does reduce the depth under the stove by about 1/3d. I think 16" wood would still store under there, but it would be best to bring a tape measure to the stove shop and verify.

I haven't seen the blower kit for this stove, but if it's like other PE stoves then it probably is wide enough to cover the rear oak outlet option.

 

[cuda]

Good questions. The pipe shield is to protect the OAK pipe from logs banging into it. It also provides a cleaner look, but it does reduce the depth under the stove by about 1/3d. I think 16" wood would still store under there, but it would be best to bring a tape measure to the stove shop and verify.

I haven't seen the blower kit for this stove, but if it's like other PE stoves then it probably is wide enough to cover the rear oak outlet option.

I took your suggestion, begreen, and went to a stove store. It took some sleuthing to find one that had the NEO on display. I'm glad I went. Not only was the Neo even nicer in person, but I also learned that they changed things on the stove. After not seeing the bottom knockout right away, I took a look at the manual that came with the Neo stove on display. That manual, unlike the one online, states that you can hook up the blower AND the OAK to the rear. This is great news. The Neo they had on display was quite new, maybe within a year, so I'm guessing that all new ones can be configured like that, but the stove store will verify this with PE next week. Just thought I'd let folks know about this change.

 

[begreen]

Good deal. Thanks for the updated info and field report. That's nice to know.