An annual service visit on a Burnham gas boiler should include a combustion efficiency test, inspection of the burner and heat exchanger surfaces, a check of the low-water cutoff and safety controls, and a look at venting and, if applicable, the chimney connection.
Tell us what you need—we’ll call you back fast.
Quick answer
An annual service visit on a Burnham gas boiler should include a combustion efficiency test, inspection of the burner and heat exchanger surfaces, a check of the low-water cutoff and safety controls, and a look at venting and, if applicable, the chimney connection. Cast-iron boilers in particular benefit from yearly attention because scale and sediment inside the sections can quietly reduce efficiency for years before a homeowner notices anything wrong.
Need a licensed gas fitter for your gas boiler? Call CANRO at (604) 359-1081 — residential natural-gas heating and hot water across Metro Vancouver since 1999.
Burnham is a name long associated with heavy cast-iron sectional boilers, and while that construction is durable, it also traps sediment differently than a modern aluminum or stainless heat exchanger does. Mineral deposits and system sludge can settle in the bottom of the sections over years, insulating the water from the heat and quietly dragging down efficiency without producing an obvious symptom until the boiler is working noticeably harder to hit temperature.
An annual visit is the point where that kind of slow decline gets caught, rather than discovered the hard way on the coldest week of the year.
A yearly service catches most issues before they become emergencies, but a few signs mean it's worth calling sooner: a sudden change in flame colour, a new rumbling or popping sound from the boiler (often mineral scale on the heat exchanger surface), soot around the burner access panel, or the boiler cycling more frequently than it used to without a change in weather.
Homes on the region's reservoir-supplied municipal water generally deal with less mineral scale buildup than homes on well water further into the Fraser Valley, where hardness tends to run higher. That doesn't mean scale isn't a factor here — closed hydronic loops still accumulate sediment and sludge over years of operation regardless of source water hardness, which is part of why an annual check of the heat exchanger surfaces matters even in a soft-water area.
An annual service visit is maintenance, not a full inspection of every system component, and it isn't a substitute for addressing an active fault code, a leak, or a burner that won't stay lit. Those need a diagnostic visit on their own, ideally before the next scheduled service rather than waiting for it.
Safety note
If you ever smell gas, hear hissing near a gas line or appliance, notice soot or a burning smell near the boiler, or suspect carbon monoxide, leave the home immediately and call from outside. Do not flip switches, light anything, or use a phone inside. Call FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911 to report a gas emergency, then arrange for a Technical Safety BC licensed gas fitter to inspect the appliance before it's used again.
Once a year is the general standard for residential gas boilers, though a unit heating a larger home or running long hours might benefit from a mid-season check as well.
It measures the actual air-fuel ratio and byproducts in the flue gas, which is a far more reliable read on burner health than a visual inspection of the flame alone.
It's usually mineral scale on the heat exchanger causing localized boiling (sometimes called kettling), which reduces efficiency and can stress the cast-iron sections over time — worth having checked rather than ignored.
No maintenance schedule eliminates every failure, but it catches the gradual issues — scale, drifting combustion settings, weakening safety controls — that otherwise build toward a mid-winter breakdown.
Checking the boiler's general appearance and listening for new noises is fine, but combustion testing, gas leak checks, and safety control testing require a Technical Safety BC licensed gas fitter with calibrated equipment.
A straightforward annual visit on a single residential boiler usually takes under two hours, though access issues or a chimney inspection can extend that.
Family-run, TSBC-licensed (gas LGA0043870 · boiler LBP0046450), serving Metro Vancouver homes since 1999. Residential, natural gas only.
Call (604) 359-1081 Email info@canroheat.ca“Canro does an amazing job! Super professional and skilled with everything—boilers, furnaces, and AC. Always a pleasure working with them!”
“Five stars for Canro. We needed a replacement of a 30-year-old boiler. A new high-efficiency unit was installed—clean, professional work.”
“I can’t speak highly enough about George, who was recommended for a boiler service call for my parents’ home. George is excellent.”
25+ years keeping Metro Vancouver homes comfortable. Honest advice, upfront pricing, work that lasts.