New Member with questions

Then it is full if you see that water added(not stayed always full) to the header tank after you drained main tank

Thanks for reply scorp, anyway just done another test to try and explain problem better.

Turned CH off on programmer.
Heated Store to 75 deg
Turned Programmer on, CH kicks in, and CH pump runs and you hear radiators in the house start to creak as they warm up.
Temp on Store drops to 74 after 1m 30s
Temp on Store drops to 73 after 2m 10s
Temp on Store drops to 70 by 2m 35s
Temp on Store drops to 68 after 2m 40s - Boiler kicks in
Temp on Store drops to 65 after 2m 45s
Temp on Store drops to 60 by 3:00
CH switches off when temp drops to 59 deg after only 3m 10s

Any advice regarding circulation problems and recommendations whether it is worth running any cleaner around the system ?

What is the procedure for draining and re-filling the system ?

If you have circulation problem then it is in boiler-to/from-BM pipes. Problem in heating pipes would show opposite effect. If you are 100% sure that temperature sensor is good then....sorry, I can't help with cleaning pipes advice, I'm electronics engineer :). But please, don't forget to tell us how you fixed the issue.
Another crazy idea is that when your heating pump starts, cold water leaks into the storage(through header tank or Plate Heat Exchanger). It is crazy idea and has a lot of buts(where hot water from storage goes, and why only when heating is on), but who knows...

Hi all. Excuse me as I know nothing about plumbing but found this site and it seems to have some useful help about Boilermate 11. I have one of these systems. It was in my property when I moved here 9 years ago, never seen anything like it but apart from having a pump changed it has been ok. I think it might have been installed in the 80's. Is that possible? I have a two questions.
1. My unit has a small tank at the top with a round lid that comes off. It is always dry inside though i have sometimes put water in it to see if it helped he system. The ball cock inside doesn't seem to be connected. Is this tank redundant or should I be filling it manually? I am not sure whether there should be water in it and if I should be keeping the boilermate topped up by filling this tank regularly
2. My boilermate runs off lpg. The system has a back boiler that fires up and is operated by a time switch separate to the boiler mate. I turn off the radiators at their temperature valves in the summer and use the timer to get hot water only in summer. The system seems to be taking longer to heat. The green light is on all the time when the timer is set to on so the boilermate is on constantly if the timer is at ON. I have the summer/winter dial set to maximum winter but it is taking about 1.5 hours to get enough hot water for a short shower. What should I do? It's costing a lot to run and my flat is freezing. Anybody advise this helpless female??

Hi RosieG,

If you have Boilermate II then I would recommend to create new topic in Boilermate II part of this forum, otherwise your question will be missed.
As for your questions, I can definitely say that small tank at the top must always contain water, roughly half full. Most likely the ball cock was broken and previous owner just switched off water access to the tank. Ideally you need to have it fixed. But for time being just fill it with water slowly until water stops going into main tank. Then keep an eye on the water level for few days and top it up if necessary. That will mean that main tank is full with water. Your second question most likely related to the first one, your system doesn't work properly because doesn't have enough water in the main tank.

Thank you very much for this. I put quite a lot of water into it and what a difference! It used to gurgle loudly now it's as quiet as a mouse. Be interesting now to see if it improves performance.