Perfect for Any Occasion
With picture-perfect weather, extensive hiking trails, a state park that takes up an entire island and proximity to Napa and Sonoma wine country, Tiburon is perfect for date night, vacation travel or building your dream home (complete with an efficient heating and cooling system). Forbes magazine travel writer Stephanie Oroma describes Tiburon as the most beautiful California town you’ve probably never heard of.
Of course, we at Ongaro and Sons have heard of it, because we proudly serve the plumbing and heating and cooling needs of our residential and commercial customers in Tiburon. Here’s what makes this coastal California town so unique.
Shark Appeal
The name “Tiburon” means “shark” in Spanish. The story goes that Tiburon was given the name to the peninsula on which the city sits by Juan Manuel de Ayla in 1775 because of the many leopard sharks sighted off the coast when he anchored there. Another theory has it that the peninsula is shaped somewhat like a shark.
In any event, when European settler John Reed bought a land grant in 1834 for what is now southern Corte Madera, Strawberry Point and the Tiburon Peninsula, he kept the name. In 1842, after Reed died, the Irish-Amerian industrialist Peter Donahue bought a right-away from the Reed family to build a railroad terminal that was pivotal to the growth of the North Pacific Railroad.
Of particular importance to the growth of Tiburon was the connection to San Francisco and its ferry services. Tiburon naval yards built many of the ferries in service at San Francisco that were used to port goods from across the nation, notably codfish from Alaska, which spawned a number of canneries along the bay shore. Railyards also sprung up to repair and build locomotives and train cars.
The fish canneries eventually gave way to a Naval coaling station used to provide fuel to commercial and military ships. Of particular note was the docking of Theodore Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet (so-called because the ships were painted white instead of the usual grey) on its around-the-world-cruise. The station was closed in 1934, and then became a training base for merchant ship officers. Cranes that remained on site were later used to spin cables for the Golden Gate Bridge.
Explore the Mainland
Tiburon has a number of excellent restaurants, all of which offer choices as healthy as they are flavorful. Tiburon is the only city in the world that prohibits trans fats in all restaurant food.
Have breakfast at a local favorite Café Acri, where you can enjoy your morning espresso within view of the ferry. Sam’s Cafe has been serving diners since the 1920s, specializing in take-out picnic baskets.
Venture into the redwood forest at Muir Woods or picnic at Stinson Beach. Shop Main Street, then dine alfresco at local restaurants and bars. Alas, the Tiburon Playhouse, a cornerstone of the downtown, recently announced it was shutting its doors.
Take the Ferry to Angel Island
Angel Island State Park is a California Historical Landmark with panoramic views of San Francisco, Mount Tamalpais and the Marin County coastline. From the north, visitors see all the way to Sonoma and from the south, enjoy views of San Jose.
The only way to get to the island is by private boat or by a quick ten minute excursion via the Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry. If you take the ferry from Tiburon, the cost of passage includes park admission. Rent a bicycle on the ferry or bring a scooter or Segway from the mainland. Fish from a pier, hike the Perimeter trail or just lounge on one of the beautiful beaches.
The island has the remnants of Miwok Native American villages and Pre-Civil War cattle ranching. In 1893, it served as a quarantine station for immigrants from Asia. The island is covered in native grass and scrub, with evergreens, Incense Cedar and Live Oak throughout.
No Snow, You Know
It doesn’t snow in Tiburon, as you might expect of a town located in California. Most days are sunny, which is why Best Places gives Tiburon an 8.4 rating out of a possible10, noting that August, July and September are the most pleasant months in Tiburon, while January and December are the least pleasant months. Regardless of weather, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems are a must to stay comfortable indoors.
Not Much Rain Either
It also hardly ever rains, an average of only 80 days out of the year. California does experience periodic droughts. Tiburon 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.
The delivery of clean and safe drinking water delivered to Tiburon residents is an important health consideration. Water treatment plants test and treat water to ensure it is safe. However, a lot can happen to the water once it leaves the distribution plant and makes it to homesin Tiburon. One way to ensure household water is as pure, safe, and healthy as possible is to install a water filtration system.
Breathe Easier
And speaking of wet conditions, water damage to basements and home exteriors overtax plumbing systems. 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.
One thing you can’t escape from outdoors is seasonal allergies. Tiburon 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 Tiburon residents to breathe at home.
Ongaro & Sons Services Tiburon
Ongaro and Sons provides a full range of plumbing and heating and cooling services to Tiburon. When Tiburon 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 Tiburon 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.