What is the opening in the brick floor on my stove for?

[Lyrl]

I have a Pacific Neo stove (relatively new, used just three times so far). The firebricks on the floor do not cover a space about half the size of a brick. This is per the installation manual, and there are steel tabs sticking up in this spot to keep the bricks from sliding into it. It looks like just steel floor here, though admittedly I didn't investigate too closely before our first fire and now it's covered in ash.

What is this area for?

 

[brenndatomu]

Typically it would be a ash dump "door". Pull the door up, scratch ash down the hole into the ash pan (if you have one, optional?), then replace the "door". For most people it is easier to dig the ashes out directly into a bucket (metal bucket BTW)...just one less step.
Oh, welcome to hearth!

 

[brenndatomu]

(broken link removed to http://www.pacificenergy.net/technologies/wood/ash-dump)

 

[Lyrl]

Thanks for the quick reply - that makes sense that that spot would be a door if we'd taken the ash pan option.

Our stove is a Neo 1.6, series A.