Burnaby Heights spans nearly a century of hydronic heating approaches, from original cast-iron radiators to modern in-floor retrofits added during renovations.
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Hydronic heating in Burnaby Heights covers a wide range because of the neighbourhood's age: many character homes from the 1920s through 1940s still run some or all of their original cast-iron radiator system, while homes that have gone through major renovations often have modern in-floor radiant heat added in a basement suite, addition, or kitchen renovation, sometimes running alongside the original radiators upstairs. Understanding which parts of the home are on which type of system, and how they're zoned relative to each other, is the starting point for any service or upgrade decision in this neighbourhood.
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Few Burnaby Heights homes have a single, simple hydronic system, since nearly a century of ownership typically means at least one heating-related renovation somewhere along the way. It's common for CANRO to find original cast-iron radiators still serving the main and upper floors of a character home, while a basement suite added more recently runs modern in-floor radiant heat off a separate zone, sometimes even off a second small boiler rather than sharing the main system.
This layered history matters practically: a homeowner calling about heating problems needs to know which part of the system is affected, since a radiant floor added five years ago behaves very differently, and fails differently, than a radiator system installed when the house was built.
| System type | Common location in these homes | Typical concern |
|---|---|---|
| Original cast-iron radiators | Main and upper floors of the original house | Sludge buildup, uneven flow after decades of use |
| Retrofit in-floor radiant | Renovated basement suite, kitchen addition | Manifold balancing, thermostat placement |
| Towel warmer or bathroom radiant loop | Renovated bathrooms | Usually a small dedicated loop off the main system |
Where a renovation added radiant floor heat and the homeowner chose to run it off the existing boiler rather than a separate unit, the two systems have quite different flow and temperature requirements. Cast-iron radiators generally want hotter water moving at a certain rate to radiate heat effectively, while in-floor radiant tubing typically runs cooler water to avoid overheating the floor surface, so a mixing valve or separate zone control is usually needed to serve both properly from one boiler.
If your Burnaby Heights home has both, and one part of the system seems to perform worse since the renovation, it's worth having a technician confirm the mixing and zoning setup was done correctly rather than the two systems simply sharing water without any temperature separation.
If you're renovating and considering adding radiant floor heat to part of a Burnaby Heights home that still has original radiators, it's worth discussing with your technician early, since the decision affects boiler sizing, whether a mixing valve is needed, and whether the new zone should run on the existing boiler or its own smaller unit.
Safety note
Gas boiler and water heater work involves combustion, venting, and gas piping that must be handled by a Technical Safety BC licensed gas fitter. CANRO holds gas licence LGA0043870 and boiler licence LBP0046450. If you ever smell gas near mechanical equipment, leave the home immediately and call FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911 from a safe location.
Yes, this is common during a renovation, but the new radiant loop typically needs a mixing valve to run cooler water than the original radiators require, which your technician can set up.
This usually means the radiant loop isn't on a proper mixing valve and is receiving the same hot water temperature the cast-iron radiators are designed for, which is too warm for a floor surface.
Not if they're in sound physical condition, since cast-iron radiators are durable and can usually be reconnected to a new boiler with appropriate flow and temperature settings.
A technician can trace and map the piping during a service visit, which is especially useful in a character home with a renovation history, before diagnosing any specific problem.
Not necessarily, a suite can often be added as its own zone on the main boiler if it has enough capacity, though a separate small unit is sometimes chosen for independence between the suite and main house.
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