A look at gas-fired hydronic and in-floor radiant heating in Richmond's Terra Nova, and why it suits the area's newer construction.
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Quick answer
Hydronic heating circulates hot water from a gas boiler through radiators, baseboards, or in-floor tubing instead of pushing heated air through ducts. In Terra Nova, where much of the housing was built from the 1990s onward with concrete slab foundations common in reclaimed floodplain construction, in-floor radiant loops are a particularly good fit because they work directly with the slab rather than requiring extensive ductwork.
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Terra Nova sits on reclaimed land near the mouth of the Fraser River, and a lot of homes and townhomes built here from the 1990s onward use slab-on-grade or slab-supported foundations rather than full basements, partly because of the high water table. That construction style pairs naturally with in-floor radiant tubing, since the PEX loops are embedded directly in or under the slab and heat the living space evenly from the floor up.
For homes with a crawlspace instead of a full basement, hydronic baseboard convectors are often the more practical choice, since running forced-air ductwork through a shallow crawlspace can be tight, while a hydronic pipe run is far more compact and flexible around the framing.
Because the water table here sits close to the surface, it's worth confirming that any exposed piping in a crawlspace is properly insulated and that the crawlspace itself is adequately vented or sealed, since excess ground moisture can affect both comfort and the longevity of piping and hardware over the years.
Cold spots on an in-floor system, particularly near exterior walls or large windows facing the water, are usually a sign of trapped air in that specific loop rather than a boiler problem. A zone that never gets warm while others heat normally almost always points to a stuck zone valve or a failed circulator pump serving that loop specifically.
A mixing valve that's drifted out of calibration can make an in-floor zone run either too cool to notice or, less commonly, uncomfortably warm underfoot — this is a straightforward adjustment for a technician rather than a sign of a bigger problem.
An annual boiler service covering combustion, pressure, and a check of circulator pumps and zone valves is the baseline for keeping a Terra Nova hydronic system running well. Bleeding trapped air from radiators or high points in baseboard loops once a year, typically before the heating season starts, prevents most of the cold-spot and noise complaints homeowners run into.
When it's time to replace an aging boiler, the existing in-floor tubing or baseboard distribution can almost always stay in place, since it's the boiler and its controls that wear out first, not the embedded piping. Ballpark, not a quote: a boiler replacement here typically runs $7,500–$15,000+ depending on output and the condition of the existing distribution system, confirmed after an in-home assessment.
Safety note
If you smell gas or suspect a carbon monoxide problem, leave the home immediately and call FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911 from outside before doing anything else. Never try to relight a pilot or reset a gas appliance yourself if you smell gas.
In-floor systems intentionally run cooler water than baseboard radiators for comfort and to protect the flooring, so a slight temperature difference between floors is expected rather than a fault.
Retrofitting tubing into an existing poured slab is difficult and usually impractical; it's much more common to add radiant heat to new construction or a renovation where the floor is already being opened up.
Trapped air moving through the loop is the most common cause, and it's usually resolved by bleeding air from the system's high points, typically located near the top of the piping run.
If an in-floor zone consistently feels too cool or too warm relative to what the thermostat is calling for, a mixing valve that's drifted out of calibration is a likely cause, and a technician can check and adjust it.
Not the piping itself if it's properly installed, but it does mean crawlspace moisture and insulation are worth checking during a service visit to protect exposed pipe runs and hardware over time.
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