Case Studies — RARE Plumbing London
These case studies document real plumbing and heating projects completed by RARE across prime Central London postcodes — including boiler installations, full central heating system replacements, underfloor heating, commercial plant room upgrades, Legionella compliance and smart thermostat installations. Each entry describes the specific problem, the technical solution and the verified outcome.
Mayfair, Hampstead, Knightsbridge, Belgravia, Marylebone, St John's Wood and surrounding prime London areas.
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Latest Case Studies
Hot Water Cylinder Pressure Loss in Belgravia: Case Study
A Belgravia apartment’s unvented cylinder kept losing pressure. See how RARE Plumbing identified the expansion vessel fault and restored reliable hot water.
Cold Radiators in Mayfair: Zoned Heating Case Study
A Mayfair home had cold radiators in one heating zone. Discover how RARE Plumbing traced the control and circulation fault without disrupting the property.
Underfloor Heating Not Warming in Hampstead: Case Study
A Hampstead property had uneven underfloor heating. Learn how RARE Plumbing isolated the manifold and control issues to restore comfortable, even warmth.
Heating System Redesign in Marylebone Townhouse
A five-storey Marylebone townhouse with persistent uneven heating, an oversized boiler and no zone control — how RARE identified five underlying faults and delivered a 22% energy saving.
Vaillant ecoTEC Plus Installation — Mayfair Townhouse
A 15-year-old Worcester Bosch boiler in a five-storey Mayfair townhouse was failing repeatedly. RARE replaced it with a Vaillant ecoTEC Plus 30kW in a single day — including a full power flush, magnetic filter and Heatmiser NeoHub 2 upgrade. The client now has a 10-year warranty, zero sludge contamination and seamless app-based heating control across four independent zones.
Heatmiser NeoHub Multi-Zone Installation — Marylebone
A six-bedroom Georgian townhouse in Marylebone was heating 14 separate rooms from a single, ancient Honeywell programmer — with no zonal control at all. RARE installed a complete Heatmiser NeoHub 2 system with 14 independent zones, app access across three devices, and individual room schedules tailored to the household routine. Energy bills dropped by an estimated 25–30% within the first month.
Megaflo Cylinder Replacement — Knightsbridge
A Knightsbridge client arrived home on a Friday evening to water pooling around the base of the airing cupboard and no hot water. RARE diagnosed a catastrophically failed Megaflo expansion vessel, sourced a replacement 210-litre Heatrae Sadia Megaflo Eco that evening, and had it installed and commissioned by Saturday afternoon — navigating extremely restricted access without a single scratch to the surrounding fixtures.
Full UFH Installation — Hampstead Extension
A Victorian detached house in Hampstead gained a 120m² ground floor extension with architect-specified wet underfloor heating across 8 independent zones. RARE designed the system, confirmed the existing Vaillant boiler had the capacity, installed a low-profile 18mm overlay system to protect ceiling heights, and integrated everything with the existing Heatmiser NeoHub — bringing the total property to 12 independently controlled zones.
Commercial Plant Room Upgrade — Belgravia
A prestigious Belgravia residential block was running on two Potterton commercial boilers from the early 2000s — both failing intermittently, parts increasingly unavailable. RARE specified twin Viessmann Vitodens 200W 49kW boilers in cascade, reconfigured the primary pipework, installed a new pressurisation unit, and completed Gas Safe certification — all within three days, with partial heating maintained to all eight apartments throughout.
Full System Power Flush — Primrose Hill
Two winters of cold radiators, one boiler service from another company that missed the real problem entirely. RARE's water quality test confirmed the diagnosis immediately: severe magnetite sludge throughout the entire primary circuit. A full 16-radiator MagnaCleanse power flush cleared the system in a single day. Every radiator in the house was hot by evening.
Worcester Bosch Greenstar Installation — Notting Hill
A cracked heat exchanger meant a Gas Safe engineer had to condemn the existing Baxi boiler on a Thursday morning in February — leaving five bedrooms and four floors without heating. RARE specified a Worcester Bosch Greenstar 8000 Life 30kW, planned an entirely new compliant flue route around a rear extension, and had the property fully heated again by Friday evening, with a 12-year warranty registered and a Tado smart thermostat configured.
Daikin Multi-Room AC Installation — South Kensington
A high-net-worth client in a South Kensington mansion block needed air conditioning across four rooms — but the building management company would accept no visible pipework on the primary facade, no units visible from the street, and required pre-approval for all external works. RARE specified a Daikin 5MXM90 multi-split system, secured building management approval before a single tool was lifted, routed all pipework internally or through service voids, and completed the two-day installation with zero visible trunking in any living space.
Full Central Heating System Upgrade — Belsize Park
A full renovation of a five-bedroom Edwardian semi in Belsize Park demanded a complete central heating system replacement — new ATAG boiler, 18 designer radiators in a custom RAL colour, two-zone Heatmiser controls, and all ground floor pipework concealed in service voids to meet the architect's brief. RARE were involved from design stage through to commissioning, and the installation was completed in five days without a single specification error.
Commercial PPM Contract — Mayfair Members Club
A prestigious Mayfair private members club needed to replace their long-standing maintenance contractor. RARE put together a bespoke commercial PPM contract covering quarterly boiler services, monthly plant room inspections, bi-annual Legionella monitoring, annual Gas Safety certificates and a 4-hour emergency response guarantee — all delivered with the discretion and professionalism the club's environment demands.
Viessmann Vitodens 100W Installation — Pimlico
A Pimlico solicitor's boiler failed beyond repair the week before Christmas. Access was through a narrow utility corridor. RARE specified a Viessmann Vitodens 100W for its compact footprint and quiet operation, installed and commissioned it in a single day, and had heating and hot water restored before Christmas — with a 10-year warranty registered and a new Heatmiser NeoStat thermostat configured.
Concealed Leak Detection & Repair — Marylebone
A Marylebone rental flat had a slow concealed leak causing water damage to the flat below. The bathroom floor had recently been tiled with expensive Italian porcelain. RARE used acoustic detection equipment to pinpoint the leak exactly, removed just five tiles, repaired the compression joint failure beneath the screed, matched the original tile, and left the floor looking indistinguishable from the day it was laid.
Gas Safety Certificate Portfolio — West Hampstead Landlord
Annual Gas Safety certificates across a portfolio of 8 rental properties in West Hampstead and Hampstead — all coordinated, completed and delivered in two days, with tenant communication handled entirely by RARE. Three properties needed minor remedial works, completed on the same visit. Every certificate was emailed to landlord and tenant the same day as the inspection. The landlord has since described it as the least stressful CP12 cycle he's experienced in 12 years of property management.
ATAG One Boiler Installation — Belgravia
A six-storey Belgravia townhouse with a master bedroom directly above the boiler cupboard needed the quietest possible combi boiler replacement. RARE specified an ATAG One 25 — one of the lowest-noise wall-mounted boilers available in the UK — and installed it in a single day, with a Heatmiser NeoHub 2 upgrade and five-zone recommissioning. The client confirmed it was inaudible from the room above.
Heatmiser NeoHub Installation — Hampstead Heath
A Hampstead homeowner had a five-bedroom house with five separate heating zones and five separate programmers — one per zone, none of them synchronised and none accessible remotely. RARE consolidated the entire system onto a single Heatmiser NeoHub 2 with five NeoStat thermostats, floor sensors on the ground floor timber zone, and full app control across the household's devices. The house now runs from one app, with independent schedules per zone and remote access from anywhere.
Lateral Apartment Power Flush & System Rebalance — Knightsbridge
A Knightsbridge lateral apartment had a complete power flush and system rebalance following a boiler service that flagged severe water quality issues. Eight radiators across the apartment were partially blocked with magnetite sludge — three were barely warm. RARE carried out a full MagnaCleanse flush, fitted a Fernox magnetic filter and rebalanced the system. Every radiator in the apartment was at full temperature by early afternoon.
Legionella Risk Assessment & Tank Cleaning — St John's Wood Estate
A private estate manager received a compliance notice from their insurers requiring current Legionella risk assessments and tank cleaning records across all four properties under their management. RARE completed ACoP L8 compliant risk assessments, tank inspections, deep cleaning, biocidal disinfection and water quality testing across all four properties in a single day — and delivered exactly the documentation the insurers required.
Electric Boiler Replacement — Marylebone Mansion Flat
A Grade II listed mansion flat in Marylebone had been running on a 22-year-old Heatrae Sadia electric boiler that was beyond economical repair — intermittent heating, rising energy bills and no spare parts available. RARE specified a modern EHC electric combi boiler, navigated the listed building constraints on flue-free installation, upgraded the electrical supply to handle the new load, and had the flat fully heated within a single day — with no gas certification required and a 5-year warranty registered.
Plant Room Rebuild — Oversized Boiler System Downsized for Efficiency
A London property's plant room had two Keston 55kW boilers — 110kW of combined output that was significantly oversized for the actual heat demand. RARE rebuilt the plant room with a correctly sized 45kW + 30kW Keston system, reconfigured all pipework for proper zoning, and cleaned up the system operations. The property now has even heating and hot water temperature, independent control of underfloor heating and hot water, and measurably lower gas consumption.
Ohme Home Pro EV Charger — Mayfair Townhouse
A Mayfair townhouse owner needed an EV charger for a new Porsche Taycan but had a listed building facade, a shared service entrance, and a 100-year-old electrical supply that needed assessing for capacity. RARE installed an Ohme Home Pro with dynamic load balancing, ran all cabling through existing service voids with zero visible surface mounting, and protected the listed interior throughout with full dust sheets, floor protection and corner guards.
18th Edition Consumer Unit Upgrade — Hampstead Victorian Home
A Hampstead family had a 25-year-old rewireable fuse board with no RCD protection — a serious safety risk in a home with young children. RARE replaced it with a full 18th Edition (Amendment 2) consumer unit with surge protection, individual RCBOs for every circuit, and a dedicated EV-ready spare way. The original parquet flooring and hallway were fully protected throughout, and the client received a full EICR certificate the same day.
EICR & Remedial Works — Marylebone Rental Portfolio
A Marylebone landlord with six rental properties needed EICR certificates before tenancy renewals — and had been let down by two previous contractors who issued unsatisfactory reports and then didn't return to do the remedial works. RARE completed all six EICRs, identified and repaired every code C1 and C2 fault on the same visit, and delivered satisfactory certificates for all six properties within three days. The landlord described it as the smoothest compliance cycle he had ever experienced.
Full Electrical Rewire — Belgravia Apartment Renovation
A full-scale renovation of a Belgravia lateral apartment required a complete electrical rewire — new circuits throughout, smart lighting control, a dedicated AV rack, and a future-proofed network backbone. RARE were involved from design stage, coordinated with the main contractor and interior designer, and completed the eight-day installation with a level of home protection that the client said she had never seen on any previous project. Every surface was protected, every cut was vacuumed, and the apartment was left spotless at the end of each day.
Zappi EV Charger + Solar Integration — Hampstead Eco Home
A Hampstead homeowner with a 6kW solar PV array and a home battery wanted to charge their EV from surplus solar — not from the grid. RARE specified and installed a myenergi Zappi 7kW charger with solar diversion, integrated it with the existing PV system and battery storage, and configured it to prioritise self-generated renewable energy. The client now charges their EV at no cost during sunny periods, with automatic fallback to off-peak grid power when solar is insufficient.
Emergency Consumer Unit Replacement — Notting Hill
A Notting Hill flat owner called at 9pm on a January evening after hearing a buzzing sound from the consumer unit and smelling burning plastic. RARE's emergency electrician was on site within 90 minutes, identified a catastrophic connection failure on the main switch, isolated the supply safely, and had a new 18th Edition consumer unit installed and certified by 1am. The client was back with power and heat before the end of the night — and the burnt unit was documented for insurance purposes with detailed photographs.
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