Blend of Historic with Upbeat Vibe
The lovely city of Larkspur, located just north of San Francisco in Marin County, blends the past with the present with a historic district listed in the National Register of Historic Places alongside a thriving, upbeat vibe. The town is just minutes from everything the city offers, but with a population of just over 12,000 manages to preserve the feel of a small town.
Ongaro and Sons shares Larkspur’s respect for tradition—we’re a family-owned business since 1932. And we’re upbeat about providing the very best plumbing, boiler, heating and cooling services to Larkspur’s customers.
A Flower by Any Other Name
Larkspur opened its first post office in 1891 and was incorporated in 1908. The story goes that the town got its name from the wife of C.W. Wright, who purchased the land where Larkspur is located in 1866. Georgiana Wright mistook the local lupine flower for larkspur, which it was not.
The name took, however, as Larkspur became a summer weekend hunting and fishing excursion for San Francisco residents. The Hotel Larkspur was built to accommodate the tourist trade; a saltwater bath house across the street became a popular destination for guests to escape the summer heat.
Speaking of escaping summer heat, Ongaro and Sons offers these five tips to improve indoor air conditioning performance, none of which require you to get wet.
Historic Downtown
Old Downtown Larkspur is a historic district that includes Larkspur City Hall, the Blue Rock Hotel, several businesses and railroad buildings that look much like they did after Larkspur incorporated in 1908. The Heritage Preservation Board encourages self-guided tours down Magnolia Avenue and also offers walking tours and special events.
Getting Around
Golden Gate Transit offers public transportation throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, taking riders to Sonoma and Marin Counties or to San Francisco itself. Larkspur Landing is the main ferry terminal, transporting an average of 8,500 individuals every day of the year. There’s even a direct service to San Francisco’s AT&T Park for Giants fans. There’s also rail service to the Sonoma County Airport and Cloverdale Depot.
Recreation
Larkspur Community Garden offers residents space to plant in small garden spaces and a community orchard. The city also has one regional park and ten neighborhood parks. Many of the neighborhood parks have tennis courts and soccer or softball fields. The Larkspur Walkers offer morning walks that start and finish at Piper Park. and traverse various bike paths, trails, and easement staircases around Larkspur.
Notable Residents and Appearances
Several famous actors, performers and athletes called Larkspur their home. Buddy Biancalana, baseball player for the Kansas City Royals, the Broadway actor Matt Doyle, Stever Perry lead singer of the rock band Journey and the TV actress Erin Gray all lived within the city limits. Janis Joplin’s last recorded address was on West Baltimore Avenue. Leon Uris wrote Battle Cry and Leonard Gardner created Fat City while living there.
The ending of the1971 movie Dirty Harry starring Clint Eastwood was filmed at what is now Larkspur Landing. Also, the 1948 flick Impact took place in the fictional Larkspur, Idaho, but was actually filmed in several locations in the actual Larkspur, as well as surrounding sites in nearby San Francisco.
Best Weather
According to Best Places, August, July and September are the most pleasant months in Larkspur, while January and December are the least comfortable months. Even during the best weather conditions, Larkspur residents still require reliable heating and cooling systems. And, of course, plumbing maintenance is always essential, regardless of what’s going on outside.
Enjoy the Outdoors
Given the pleasant weather conditions, it’s no surprise that Larkspur residents and visitors enjoy a range of outdoor activities. As enjoyable as it is to be outside, one thing decidedly not enjoyable is seasonal allergies. At best it’s annoying to have to endure a runny nose or headache caused by seasonal allergies, especially when the weather is getting better. It’s also not healthy, especially for people who have other respiratory issues.
Ongaro and Sons offers a set of tips to help relieve your allergy suffering. And for better breathing indoors at home, regular maintenance of your heating and cooling system, including changing air filters, is particularly important.
Water Conservation
California experiences periodic droughts, to the point where a state government advisory points out that, “Our changing climate requires Californians to move beyond temporary emergency drought measures and adopt permanent changes to use water more wisely and prepare for more frequent and persistent periods of limited water supply.” Larkspur residents should be aware how leaky faucets and toilets are a significant source of water waste. Thorough inspection of plumbing fixtures and pipes ensures water is being distributed in the most efficient and least wasteful manner.
When Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
California has experienced a tremendous increase in wildfires and resulting smoke pollution. Besides irritating the eyes and lungs, high levels of smoke particulates can cause serious health problems. When outside air in Larkspur is irritating and potentially dangerous, Ongaro and Sons has the products you need to breathe easier indoors.
Ongaro & Sons Services Larkspur
Ongaro and Sons provides a full range of plumbing and heating and cooling services to Larkspur. When Larkspur residents call us, they know they’ll receive quality workmanship and incomparable service. Ongaro & Sons understands that you want to be able to depend on your heating, cooling and plumbing systems every day of the year. Our consumer reliability reports highlight several issues you need to know to make sure your heating, cooling and plumbing systems are ready when you need them.
Plumbing
For any and all plumbing jobs related to your home, Ongaro and Sons provides a variety of residential services including inspection, installation and repair. Our technicians are experienced with drain cleaning and maintenance and repair, including installation and repair of garbage disposals. Experienced certified plumbers carefully and thoroughly explore your plumbing, using drain line cameras when necessary, so that we can identify the problems and fix exactly what is wrong.
HVAC
Ongaro and Sons designs a Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) system using a diagnostics approach to provide the highest levels of efficiency and comfort. Ongaro and Sons technicians are trained for all residential makes and models of forced air and air conditioning repair. Our fully stocked trucks have replacement parts on hand for most required repairs, and if we don’t have the part on hand we can get the part quickly so that you’ll be up and running in a very short time.
Boiler Repair
Ongaro and Sons technicians make use of the latest diagnostic equipment and years of experience to determine a problem quickly and get you back up and running as soon as possible. They are highly trained in boiler repair and regularly attend boiler manufacturers training courses. We work on most all major manufacturer models. Regular boiler system maintenance and annual tune-up ensure longer lasting equipment and lower utility bills. Should your boiler need replacement, we carry most major brands.
Duct Cleaning, Repair and Replacement
Central air conditioning and heating are the top energy consumers in most California homes, so ensuring the efficiency of your entire HVAC system can yield big improvements in energy efficiency. When we think about saving energy, we usually focus on the furnace and air conditioner units, but a leaky duct system can reduce your climate control system’s efficiency 20 to 30 percent. These leaks also bring unwanted dust, unconditioned outdoor air and humidity into your living space and take money straight out of your wallet.
If your home is over seven years old, have your ducts professionally tested by one of our certified Home Energy Rating System (HERS) technicians via an energy audit. If needed, we can do a thorough and effective cleaning, repair or even replace leaky ductwork.
Indoor Air Quality
Ongaro and Sons puts the “V” back into the HVAC. Ventilation is the process of bringing fresh air into your home to replace stale air filled with indoor pollutants such as cooking smells, pet odors and/or tobacco. Proper ventilation is not only key to the efficiency of your home heating and cooling system, but to your indoor air quality and you and your family’s health. While air filters and air fresheners remove particles from circulating, they don’t bring in fresh air. One simple way to correct this is to open doors and windows, but this is not always practical. It also allows outside allergens and pollutants into the house.
Ongaro and Sons offers a number of solutions to increase the quality of your indoor air, including everything from a filtration system to a complete home purification system and fresh air exchanger system. We’re a family-owned business. No one knows better than us the importance of protecting the health of you and your family.
Contact Us
Ongaro and Sons is here for Larkspur residents as well as commercial businesses to provide full-service heating and pooling, plumbing and boiler installation, maintenance and repair. Contact us with any questions or discuss your needs, and experience 100 percent customer satisfaction.