boiler mate 11 and ideal classic boiler firing three or four times

Hi,

I have had my boilermate 11 for 10 years and have had it maintained each year, the present maintenance contract is with British Gas. Every time it is checked i get the same feedback from them which is that the sysytem is not very good and will not last long. That being said there has been nothing to replace in the 10 years so can't be that bad. The latest visit required a rope seal in the ideal classic boiler. One month later when i put the heater on there was a sound of gurgling water comng from the Boiler mate 11. I called an engineer who subsequently bled a valve on the bolier mate 11 which reduced the urgling sound. He again commented that the system wouldn't last long. Within days each time the boiler fired up it did so three/four times plus there are loud bangs throughout the system (the bangs are not continuous). I called the engineer out again today and he hs traced the fault he says to a problem with the cold feed which has apparently blocked (sludged up). The remedial work he has recommended is to drain the thermal store and run new cold feed to the system, which is not covered by the gas maintenance contract. He also stated that this should resolve the banging,gurgling and frequent firing of the boiler, I reiterate he 'believes'. As the gas maintainers are constantly condemning the system I wonder what is going to go next, according to them.

Banging noises suggest the boiler pump is not running. It needs freeing by spinning the motor shaft with a screwdriver. Do this by removing the big silver screw from the centre of the pump.

Alternatively, the boiler pump drive board may have failed. You need a competent technician to diagnose this, not a guesser.

Cheers, Mike