Noise from the Central Heating/Hot Water System

[Keefa]

I am a central heating novice and so I'm hoping someone can help me...

This morning my Central Heating/Hot Water system woke me making a continuous mooing/moaning sound. The sound seems to be coming from the upstairs airing cupboard which houses the hot water tank and programmer. When I switched off both the central heating and hot water at the programmer the noise stopped.

I have only recently moved into my house, an old Victrorian semi, but the details of the CH/HW system are as follows:
Boiler: Ideal 'System'
Hot water cylinder has header tank.
No cold water storage tank.
Radiators each have individual TRV(?) thermostats.

I have noticed that the hot water really splutters out of the taps, especially from the upstairs and downstairs bathroom sinks.
I also suspect that not all of the radiators are heating up properly (we've only just turned on the heating!). Is this likely to be air trapped in the system?

I don't know if these problems are related or not. Can anyone advise me on this?

 

[croydoncorgi]

If you open the bleed valve on an UPSTAIRS radiator, does water come out? air? nothing?
If nothing, check you've actually got water in the F&E tank.
A lot of (mechanical) noise from the airing cupboard could be from the pump. Might be dry or just knackered.
If you've no cold water tank, have you got an unvented system? or a heatstore? What name is on the cylinder?

 

[Keefa]

I've bled all the rads, but they were all fine (water only).
I originally suspected that it might be a pump noise but I can't find one!
I do not know for sure if it is an unvented system, but that would be my guess. How can I find out for sure? I will check the name on the cylinder tonight.
I did notice though that there is a three-port control valve on one of the pipes from the cylinder. The pipe comes from the cylinder, then past a safety valve, then the control valve, onto a gate valve before disappearing into the floor. The control valve also has a flexible metal hose attached which connects to the pipe coming from the F&E tank, but the 'tap' (like the type used on washing machine hoses) is in the closed position (as I found it when we moved in). The control valve is labelled 'Mid Position Actuator Code', model no. BGMVSP-23. There is also a three-way switch (W,M,H) which is set to 'H'.

Reading the manual for my boiler (Ideal, model FF230, auto fully controlled, balanced flue, fanned gas type) it stated that it cannot be used on gravity circulation systems. Therefore there SHOULD be a pump somewhere (yes?), but I can't find it!

Your help would be greatly appreciated as I've got the CH and HW turned off and the missus is getting cold!

 

[Keefa]

There's no label on the cylinder so I don't know what make it is, but it has a Drayton thermostat if that is any indication...

 

[PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN]

Maybe it's the missus moaning and mooing, have you locked her in the airing cupboard.