By Myles Ma
One side effect of living in a recession is the increased prevalence of home repairs. Ostensibly, the goal is to save money, but that’s doesn’t always happen if the repair is botched.
Frank Lavacca, comptroller for Lawrenceville Fuel, which sells and maintains heating, air conditioning, plumbing, home heating fuel and diesel fuel, recommends against home repair projects.
“They try to do repairs themselves, and that’s not really cost efficient,” he said.
A recent customer tried to repair his sink and ended up breaking a pipe in his wall.
“It may look as easy as changing the oil in your car, but sometimes there’s more to it,” Lavacca said.
The company has come a long way since it opened in 1925, selling ice and coal. Back then, a coal train ran right through what is now the company’s parking lot.
The company has been owned by the Hullfish family for the past 79 years. Gary Hullfish, the current owner, is the latest Hullfish to own Lawrenceville Fuel.
“I think it says something about the company, and hopefully it will be around another 75 years,” Lavacca said.
Lavacca said family ownership set the company apart from the customer service offered at conglomerates.
“The customer is important and you should treat them with dignity,” he said.
As for Lavacca, there haven’t been too many changes in his 30 years with the company, outside of changing regulations. For example, a hot water heater now requires a chimney liner to be vented through a chimney.
“Each township has their own regulations, and it’s hard to keep up with this stuff,” Lavacca said.
As times change, Lavacca said, people also want higher-efficiency equipment, which is better for the environment and also saves money in the long run.
Aside from that, Lawrenceville Fuel has been selling the same Rheem products since Lavacca started working there.
“If you believe in a product, you sell that product,” he said.
Customers in tight times might also skimp on regular maintenance of their equipment, but Lavacca said regular maintenance can prevent serious, more costly problems.
“You would tune your car, you should service your heater,” he said.
Another common mistake, according to Marvin Rule, service manager, comes during the winter months.
“The one that always gets me is the one that goes away on winter vacation and expects nothing to happen to the house for two months,” Rule said.
Rule said he has seen frozen pipes burst, destroying rooms and flooding basements.
“That happens more often than you would think,” he said.
Lawrenceville Fuel is active in the community, sponsoring local Little League and soccer teams and lending their parking lot to the Lawrenceville Farmer’s Market.
“I believe in the community and the company participates in promoting the community,” Lavacca said.
For more information, call Lawrenceville Fuel at (609) 896-0141, or go online to their Web site at lawrencevillefuel.net. Business hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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