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[Roger2561]

Roger, if you don't have a drain valve on each side of the valve, you have no way to purge all the air out of your supply and return line.
Owners manual instructs how to use domestic water pressure to purge back from front side of valve to push water/air back through supply side and through the pump to the Eclassic and then from the down side of valve to push water/air through the return side of the boiler. Needless to say, unplug your pump when purging and plug back in when finished. Since you had the system opened up this summer to install more baseboard, there is a good chance you have a partial air lock.  I would think you could grab the water line infront of the thermostatic valve by hand and on the back side of the thermostatic valve and possibly feel a water temp difference if valve is not opening fully.  If you had the drains on both sides of the valve, you could a washing machine hose as a jumper around the valve to purge or check system flow as well.
If you are drawing water from the OWF you should pull from the water level site gauge as this is where your water coming to your house is drawn from and will be considerably hotter than the sample you would draw from the bottom drain valve. Especially if you were pulling heat off indoor exchange and returning water with a 20 degree temp drop or more. There could be a 20 degree or more temp difference between the top water and the bottom water. I don't understand why other brands draw off the bottom, except if they are looking for more feed pressure to their pumps. CB seems to understand the hottest water rises to the top on both their Classics and Eclassics.

Boilerman,

Early this morning before heading off to work I did exactly as you said - touch the feed line before and after the thermostatic valve feeling for a temp difference.  Due to they being very hot, the touch was not more than a second, if that long, I didn't feel a difference in temp.  If there was a difference in temp, I couldn't tell with my bare hands. 

I believe this spring I'll spend a little time installing the drains before and after the thermostatic valve.  If ever I have a question of water, it will aide me in troubling.