City with a Mission
San Rafael’s official slogan is “The City with a Mission.” The name comes from a mission built by three Spanish priests on land that was originally home to Coast Miwok Native Americans, in what is now downtown San Rafael. They named the mission after the Archangel Raphael, the angel of healing. Hence, the city’s name, San Rafael.
Abandoned in 1844, a replica of the mission was built in 1949. Ruins of the original mission were removed to make room for construction of the city of San Rafael; all that was left was a pear tree from the old mission’s orchard. Which is why it is sometimes known as the most obliterated mission in California.
Ongaro and Sons is a family-owned business that also has had a mission since 1932: To offer the best products available and professional service to our customers.
Across the Golden Gate Bridge
Located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. San Rafael is the county seat of Marin County, California. Cross the Golden Gate Bridge and head toward wine country and, before long, you’ll find yourself in sunny San Rafael. Of course, sunny weather means things can get hot, but certain parts of the year do get chilly. Which is why San Rafael residents depend on Ongaro and Sons heating and cooling services.
The Force is With San Rafael
George Lucas filmed his directorial debut THX 1138 in San Rafael; Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Ranch is in nearby Nicasio, also in Marin County. Several parts of the Lucas film American Graffiti were shot at San Rafael’s Marin County Civic Center, which also served as the set for Gattaca, starring Ethan Hawke.
Inspired by Lucasfilm Games, several major video game developers built studios in town. Broderbund Software created Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, Myst and SimCity. Visual Concepts created EA Sports titles and games for Sega Sports. Mind Control Software won top honors at the Independent Games festival for its game Oasis.
Arts and Culture
As you walk the downtown streets from American Graffiti, you can’t miss the splashy Gothic Revival Boyd Gate House. The classic Victorian mansion was built in 1879 and is now the Marin History Museum. It houses a collection of over 20,000 artifacts and 200,000 historic photographs.
The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin County Civic Center is a national- and state-designated historic landmark. This unique building was Wright’s last major commission, but which he did not live to see completed. The center houses the Marin Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium, a 22,500 square-feet Exhibit Hall, a Showcase Theater as well as meeting rooms that can accommodate anywhere from 20 to 150 attendees. Surrounding fairgrounds feature a 14-acre lagoon with walking paths and gardens that are used for exhibits and various activities.
The Smith Rafael Film Center offers special programs and screenings you won’t find anywhere else. The Marin Shakespeare Company not only performs the Bard’s works, but offers a number of educational programs as well as social justice programs such as classes in Shakespeare held in prisons and facilities for at-risk youth.
While Hamlet agonized whether to be or not to be, we at Ongaro and Sons have always known we were to be San Rafael’s choice for plumbing, heating and cooling and boiler services.
Great Climate
July, August and September are the most pleasant months in San Rafael; January and December are the least comfortable. Best Places rates San Rafael with a comfort index 8.5 out of 10. However, residences and businesses still need effective cooling and heating systems to stay comfortable. Which is why our customers in San Rafael trust Ongaro and Sons to provide no-risk, guaranteed service.
Climate Action
San Rafael’s Take Action program aims to promote increased energy efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Ongaro and Sons offers a variety of best energy practices both to prepare for winter heating and summer air conditioning.
San Rafael Outdoors
California has experienced a tremendous increase in wildfires, the smoke from which further contributes to air pollution. San Rafael has a number of large areas, identified as Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), with small forests and grasslands next to homes and businesses that are particularly vulnerable to wildfires.
Besides destroying property, wildfire smoke irritates the eyes and lungs. High levels of smoke particulates can cause serious problems for those with poor health conditions. When outside air is potentially dangerous, Ongaro and Sons has the products you need to breathe easier indoors.
One of the less serious exposure outdoors is seasonal allergies. For most of us, it’s annoying to endure a runny nose or headache caused by allergies. For some, however, allergies can pose significant health risk.
Ongaro and Sons offers a set of tips to help relieve your allergy suffering. Regular maintenance of your heating and cooling system, including changing air filters, is particularly important to making it easier for you to breathe at home.
Ongaro & Sons Services San Rafael
Ongaro and Sons provides a full range of plumbing and heating and cooling services to San Rafael. When San Rafael residents call us, they know they’ll receive quality workmanship and incomparable service.
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
San Rafael is about enjoying all life has to offer, but residents still experience everyday headaches when it comes to maintaining their properties and fixing problems. Ongaro and Sons is here for San Rafael 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.