Triangle Tube's stainless fire-tube boilers are lighter and more compact than the cast-iron heritage many Burnham units still carry, a difference that shows up clearly when retrofitting a heritage home with existing radiators and older floor framing.
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Triangle Tube and Burnham are both long-established North American boiler brands, but they come from somewhat different traditions. Triangle Tube built its reputation on stainless fire-tube condensing boilers designed for hydronic and radiant heating from the outset. Burnham is one of the oldest names in American boiler manufacturing, historically associated with cast-iron sectional boilers, and while it now also produces condensing lines, many existing Burnham installations in Metro Vancouver's older housing stock are still the heavier cast-iron type. For a heritage home replacement project, that weight and venting difference between old cast iron and either brand's modern condensing option often matters more than which brand you ultimately choose.
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Triangle Tube has focused specifically on fire-tube condensing technology for residential hydronic heating, with a design philosophy built around efficient modulation and a smaller footprint than older cast-iron equipment.
Burnham's history runs deep in cast-iron sectional boilers, a design still valued for durability and simplicity, though the company has expanded into condensing technology as efficiency expectations and building codes have evolved.
A Vancouver-area heritage home with an original cast-iron boiler, whether Burnham or another maker, is likely carrying a heavy appliance that has been in place for a long time, often venting through the home's original masonry chimney.
Replacing that unit with either a Triangle Tube fire-tube boiler or a modern Burnham condensing model means a significantly lighter appliance and a new horizontal venting path through PVC or polypropylene pipe rather than the old chimney, which is usually welcome news for a floor structure that has carried that cast-iron weight for decades.
Older Vancouver basements weren't always built with a modern boiler's compact footprint in mind, and removing a large cast-iron unit can actually open up meaningful floor space for storage or a future finished area.
Both Triangle Tube and a modern Burnham condensing unit are considerably lighter and smaller, so floor loading concerns that applied to the old cast-iron boiler generally aren't a factor with either replacement option.
| Factor | Triangle Tube | Burnham (condensing line) |
|---|---|---|
| Design heritage | Stainless fire-tube from the outset | Cast-iron legacy, newer condensing lines |
| Weight versus old cast iron | Much lighter | Much lighter (condensing models) |
| Best fit | Radiant and hydronic-focused retrofits | Homes wanting a legacy US brand with modern efficiency |
| Venting | Horizontal PVC/polypropylene | Horizontal PVC/polypropylene (condensing models) |
Before removing an old cast-iron Burnham boiler, have a technician confirm the condition of the existing radiator loop, circulator, and expansion tank, since a boiler swap is a practical time to address the rest of the hydronic system together.
Also plan the new vent path before demolition begins; a heritage home's finished basement ceilings can make routing new PVC venting to an exterior wall more involved than in a newer home, and it's easier to plan around that than to discover it mid-project.
A heritage home replacement project is often a good time to also address related hydronic components — an aging expansion tank, a circulator nearing the end of its service life, or radiator valves that no longer seal properly — rather than tackling them separately later.
If your home is also planning other renovation work, such as a basement finishing project, coordinate the timing so the new venting route and any gas line changes are planned before walls are closed in rather than after.
A licensed technician can walk through the full scope with you up front, which tends to reduce surprises partway through either a Triangle Tube or Burnham installation.
Safety note
If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds or you smell gas near a boiler, leave the building first and call FortisBC's emergency number, 1-800-663-9911, from somewhere safe. Only a Technical Safety BC licensed gas fitter is permitted to install, convert, or vent a residential gas boiler here.
Yes, both Triangle Tube and a modern Burnham condensing unit can typically be piped into an existing cast-iron radiator loop, provided the flow and volume requirements are checked.
Not for combustion venting, since the new boiler vents horizontally through plastic pipe. The chimney can often be capped or repurposed depending on the rest of your home's needs.
Modern fire-tube and condensing boilers are considerably lighter and more compact than a cast-iron sectional boiler of similar heating capacity, which is one of the more noticeable changes during a replacement.
Burnham offers both traditional and condensing product lines depending on the model, so ask your installer which type is being proposed and how it fits your home's existing system.
As a ballpark, not a quote, boiler replacement in this region commonly runs $7,500 to $15,000 or more, depending on venting changes and any distribution work involved.
It's possible. Decades-old cast-iron boilers can sometimes mask wear on nearby piping or the basement floor beneath them, so it's worth having your technician inspect the area once the old unit is out.
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