East Vancouver's heritage houses often mix original radiators with newer additions, and CANRO keeps these hybrid hydronic systems balanced and reliable.
Tell us what you need—we’ll call you back fast.
Quick answer
Hydronic heating in an East Vancouver home circulates hot water from a gas boiler through radiators or, in more renovated houses, radiant floor loops added during a basement or main-floor renovation. The most common issue in this neighbourhood is a hybrid system, part original radiators and part newer radiant loop, that needs careful balancing rather than a single fix applied to the whole house.
Need a licensed gas fitter for your hot water / boiler? Call CANRO at (604) 359-1081 — residential natural-gas heating and hot water across Metro Vancouver since 1999.
A large share of East Vancouver's early-20th-century homes were originally built with cast-iron radiators fed by a coal or oil boiler that has since been converted or replaced with a modern gas unit. When a basement suite or main-floor addition goes in, it's common to add a radiant floor loop off the same boiler rather than extend radiator piping, which leaves many homes running a hybrid system with two very different types of heat emitters on one boiler.
That hybrid setup works fine when it's balanced correctly, but it does mean a technician needs to understand both the original radiator loop and whatever was added later, rather than treating the whole house as a single uniform system.
A permitted secondary suite renovation is also a common point where a homeowner discovers the original boiler is undersized for the combined system once a new zone is added, since many of these boilers were selected decades ago for a single-family heating load rather than two zones running through a full winter. Flagging that during the renovation planning stage, rather than after the new loop is already installed, saves a second round of work later.
| Component | Role |
|---|---|
| Boiler | Heats circulating water for the whole system |
| Original radiator loop | Often runs at a different flow rate than newer additions |
| Radiant floor loop (if added) | Usually zoned separately with its own manifold |
| Circulator pump(s) | May include a second pump if zones were added later |
| Expansion tank | Sized for the system's total volume, which grows with additions |
The most frequent complaint is one part of the house heating unevenly compared to another, which in a hybrid system is often traced to the expansion tank being undersized for the total system volume after an addition, rather than a fault in either loop individually. Knocking or banging in original radiators is also common, usually from trapped air or a radiator that has shifted slightly out of level over a century of settling.
Where a radiant floor loop was added later without properly isolating it from the original radiator loop, we sometimes find the newer zone starving the older one of flow during peak demand, which shows up as radiators running lukewarm even though the boiler itself is working correctly.
Safety note
If you ever smell gas, hear a hissing sound near a gas line or appliance, or notice soot, a persistent headache, or a yellow or flickering burner flame near your boiler or water heater, leave the house immediately and call FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911 from somewhere safe. Gas piping, venting, and combustion appliances must only be installed or serviced by a Technical Safety BC licensed gas fitter.
In a hybrid system with both original radiators and a newer radiant loop, uneven heat is often caused by an undersized expansion tank or a later addition drawing more flow than the original loop was designed to share.
Yes, radiators and radiant loops can run off the same boiler successfully as long as the system is properly balanced and, where needed, the expansion tank is resized for the added volume.
Trapped air is the most common cause, along with a radiator that has tilted slightly out of level over the decades. Bleeding the radiator usually resolves minor knocking.
Yes, adding a zone changes the total system volume and flow balance, and having a technician confirm the expansion tank and pump are still correctly sized prevents uneven heating down the line.
An annual check is generally sufficient, though a home with a hybrid system of original radiators and a later addition benefits from a technician who checks the balance between both loops, not just pressure alone.
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.