He said it just happens sometimes. I asked him whether these boilers are designed to be run pretty much every day and he said, yes. They're not intended to be left off for long periods. He did say in future I could remove the outside cover and press the button on the transparent cover. But if it happens frequently, i.e. more than twice a year, then it needs to get checked out.
No idea. Brownish gunk from a tube.
I don't know whether he'd agree to that, so no.
MM