Small Town Quaint
The quaint town of Sebastopol is 52 miles north of San Francisco and only 20 minutes from the Pacific Ocean. It has a small town feel, full of antique stores, fine restaurants and apple orchards. Visitors and residents enjoy the whimsical trash art on Florence Avenue and find fresh produce on the Sonoma County Farm Trails.
The Sebastopol terrain gently slopes from 65 to 250 feet above sea level and sits on the banks of Laguna de Santa Rosa. The wetland is home to numerous rare and endangered species along with mountain lions, osprey, golden eagles, mink and grey foxes. Stream erosion deposits organic matter from the mountains to create rich soil perfect for growing grapes, apples and plums.
Gold Rush Settlers and Unsettling Sebastopol
The first inhabitants of the region were Pomo and Miwok Indians, peaceful tribes who hunted and gathered throughout Sonoma County. In the 1850s, a small United States Post Office and an agricultural trade center caused the population to swell. The Gold Rush drew more settlers, and when many didn’t strike it rich, they found the area perfect for farming.
The Russian seaport of Sebastopol was known for violence during the Crimean War, and residents compared the prolonged period of fighting in California, particularly the lively fistfights taking place in the town’s saloons, to the Ukrainian base’s year-long siege. Hence the slightly Americanized name Sebastopol.
Sebastopol was thriving in 1906 with schools, churches, wineries and farms when an earthquake shook buildings to the ground. The town rebuilt and grew steadily to a region known for its plum and apple-growing orchards. Although most of those orchards are today primarily used as vineyards, Sebastopol continues to hold an annual Apple Blossom Festival. The event lasts two days and brings food, crafts and music to Ives Park.
Arts and Culture
For a small town, there’s a lot going on in Sebastopol in terms of concerts, art studios and live performances year-round. According to Emily Brady writing in The New York Times, “there’s plenty to explore…[in] Sebastopol, where in recent years new restaurants, shops and live music venues have opened, securing the town’s position as West County’s arts and culture hub.”
Plumbing the depth and breadth of cultural activities includes:
- Patrick Amiot Junk Gallery. The fanciful sculptures and wall reliefs created by artists Patrick Amiot and Brigitte Laurent are fashioned from discarded metal. One of the more famous sculptures is a giant Holstein cow made out of discarded hubcaps.
- The Sebastopol Center for the Arts sponsors Art at the Source in spring and the Sonoma County Art Trails every fall.
- Sonoma County musicians normally play monthly jazz, classical and blues concerts throughout the year. One highlight is the Sebastopol Guitar and Music Festival.
- Explore the Barlow outdoor bazaar for 220,000 square feet of local wine, beer, coffee and cheese.
- Lynmar Estate Winery comprises three vineyard sites: Quail Hill Vineyard, Susanna’s Vineyard and Adam’s Vineyard. nPurchased by Lynn Fritz in 1980, Quail Hill Vineyard is at the heart of Lynmar, with 17 distinct blocks planted with 14 Pinot Noir and four Chardonnay clones that make up the backbone of its wine collection.
Weather Conditions
According to Best Places, which rates the Sebastopol general climate conditions 8.4 out of 10, “July, August and June are the most pleasant months in Sebastopol, while December and January are the least comfortable months.“ Temperatures typically vary from 38°F to 81°F, rarely going below 29°F or higher than 92°F. But even during the best weather conditions, Sebastopol residents still require reliable heating and cooling systems. And, of course, plumbing maintenance is always essential, regardless of what’s going on outside.
As to what is going on outside…
“Sebasto-Pool”
Recent flooding conditions in Sebastopol led some commentators to refer to the town as “Sebasto-pool.” Floods can not only potentially damage basements and home exteriors, but overtax plumbing systems. Just the presence of water ican be quite irritating, but that is the least of potential issues. If water is not thoroughly removed, there is potential damage to furnishings and carpeting overtime. Worse is the likely growth of mold, which can aggravate your allergies and, in some cases, result in respiratory-related illnesses.
Breathe Easier
One thing you can’t escape from outdoors is seasonal allergies. Sebastopol is no different. At best it’s annoying to endure a runny nose or headache caused by allergies, especially when the weather is getting better. At worse, it’s not healthy and can be a cause of significant discomfort.
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.
Water, Water, Not Everywhere
California does experience periodic droughts. Sebastopol residents are well aware of the need to practice good water conservation efforts. 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.
Wildfire Threats and Smoke Pollution
California has experienced a tremendous increase in wildfires, the smoke from which further contributes to air pollution. Sebastopol, alas, is continually on alert for potential outbreaks during dry seasons combined with high wind conditions. Besides irritating 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.
Ongaro & Sons Services Sebastopol
Ongaro and Sons provides a full range of plumbing and heating and cooling services to Sebastopol. When Sebastopol 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 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 Sebastopol 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.