An indirect water heater lets a Burnaby home's existing gas boiler double as the heat source for domestic hot water, a common upgrade in houses with cast-iron radiator systems.
Tell us what you need—we’ll call you back fast.
Quick answer
An indirect water heater is an insulated storage tank that uses your home's gas boiler as its heat source, drawing hot water through an internal coil rather than burning gas of its own. In Burnaby, where a meaningful number of character homes still run boiler-fed cast-iron radiators or hydronic baseboard heat, an indirect tank is often a natural fit for adding or replacing domestic hot water without installing a second gas appliance.
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.
An indirect tank has no burner or flue of its own. Instead, hot water from the boiler circulates through a coil inside the tank, transferring heat into the stored domestic water without the two supplies mixing. Because boilers generally have more heating capacity than a small dedicated water heater burner, an indirect tank paired with a well-sized boiler can often recover hot water supply quickly after heavy use.
Since all combustion happens at the boiler, the indirect tank itself doesn't need its own venting or combustion air path, which simplifies the mechanical room layout compared with squeezing in a second, fully independent gas water heater.
Many of Burnaby's older character homes, particularly in established neighbourhoods with original hydronic heating systems, already run a gas boiler feeding cast-iron radiators. For homeowners in these houses, adding an indirect water heater is often more straightforward than installing a completely separate gas water heater, since the boiler and its venting are already in place and doing much of the work.
Burnaby also has a growing number of properties with a laneway home or basement suite drawing on the same mechanical systems as the main house. Where a boiler already serves the whole property, an indirect tank can sometimes be sized to help meet that combined demand, though your installer needs to confirm the boiler has enough reserve capacity during peak winter mornings when heating and hot water calls can overlap.
| Factor | Indirect Tank with Existing Boiler | Separate Standalone Water Heater |
|---|---|---|
| Additional venting required | No, shares boiler's venting | Yes, needs its own flue |
| Best suited to | Homes already running a gas boiler for space heat | Homes without a boiler |
| Mechanical room footprint | Generally smaller addition | Requires space for a second full appliance |
For a home without an existing boiler, installing one purely to support an indirect tank is a larger project, with boiler installation priced by output and system size and confirmed after an on-site assessment rather than quoted sight unseen. For homes that already have a boiler, adding the indirect tank itself is usually the more modest piece of the project.
Safety note
If you ever smell gas, hear hissing near a gas line, or suspect a carbon monoxide problem, leave the home immediately and call FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911 from a safe location. Only a Technical Safety BC licensed gas fitter should open, adjust, or repair gas piping, venting, or combustion components on a boiler or gas water heater.
Most boilers can, provided they have enough spare heating capacity beyond current space heating demand. A licensed technician checks this before recommending an indirect tank for your specific system.
Yes, indirect tanks are commonly paired with exactly this kind of system, since the boiler is already running for radiator heat and can share its output with domestic hot water production.
A correctly sized system and properly configured zone controls should let both space heating and hot water work well together, though a technician needs to confirm your specific boiler has enough capacity for both.
Timing depends on whether your existing piping and zone setup can accommodate the new tank directly or needs modification, so your installer can give you a more specific estimate after seeing your mechanical room.
It's possible in some setups, provided the boiler has enough reserve capacity and the piping run supports it, which needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Periodic checks of the coil, expansion tank, and relief valve, similar to other tank-style water heaters, help keep the system working efficiently. Your technician can recommend an interval based on your water conditions.
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.