Plumber & HVACin Little Falls, New Jersey.
Little Falls is named for a waterfall on the Passaic River, and the river still shapes the township: much of Singac, on the west side, borders it, and the Peckman River cuts through on its way to the Passaic. At the gauge here, Hurricane Irene crested at 14.19 feet in 2011, more than double flood stage.
- Dispatch 24/7, live
- Emergency 90 min or $50 off
- Diagnostic $79, credited
or $50 off the job
- 1868
- incorporated as a township
- 14.19 ft
- Passaic crest in Irene, 2011 (flood stage 7 ft)
- 33
- homes bought out or raised with FEMA money after 2011
- 70–100
- ppm water hardness (2023 report)
Dispatch
How we get to Little Falls
from our shop at 2 John St, Haledon, as the crow flies.
- Dispatch
- 24/7, a real person
- Emergencies
- 90 min or $50 off
- Diagnostic
- $79, credited
- ZIP codes
- 07424
- Singac
- Great Notch
- Downtown (Center of Town)
Also nearby: Woodland Park, Totowa, Wayne, Clifton, Cedar Grove, Montclair.
What we see here
Little Falls homes, and what they mean for the work
The patterns below come from the town's housing and utilities. The technician still checks your house before saying anything about it.
- Singac
- Along the PassaicThe township's westernmost section, much of which borders the Passaic River; 3,602 residents in 2020.
- Great Notch
- The east sideThe easternmost part of Little Falls, with 3,289 residents in the 2020 Census.
- Aug. 30, 2011
- Irene: 14.19 feetSecond-highest crest on record at the Passaic River gauge here, behind 17.5 feet in October 1903; flood stage is 7 feet.
- Water
- NJ American WaterThe Little Falls System buys its water from the Passaic Valley Water Commission and other suppliers.
Homes & neighborhoods
Little Falls neighborhoods and the homes we work in
Little Falls has three parts people actually name. Singac is the west end, and much of it borders the Passaic River. Great Notch is the east end. Between them is downtown, the "Center of Town." The township's history goes back to 1711, the old Beattie Carpet Mill buildings are now condominiums, and most of Montclair State University sits inside township lines.
We could not find a current, published breakdown of Little Falls housing by age or type, so this page does not guess at one. What matters for your plumbing and heating is your own house: when it was built, where the equipment sits, and how close it is to the river or the Peckman.
In older houses, the places we check first are the drain stack and sewer line, the supply piping, and the heating plant. A boiler or furnace may have been replaced since the house was built while the radiators, piping or ducts behind it are original. See boilers and heating and furnaces. For a house with no ductwork, central air or a heat pump starts with working out where ducts can run; see AC installation.
Water in Little Falls comes from New Jersey American Water's Little Falls System, and its 2023 water quality report lists total hardness of 70 to 100 ppm. That is worth knowing when you decide how often to flush a tank water heater, since sediment collects at the bottom of the tank either way. In condominium buildings, including the converted mill, check with your association about which pipes and equipment are yours before scheduling work on shared lines.
Water & utilities
Who supplies Little Falls, and what the water does
Dates that shaped the work here
- 1903Record flood
Passaic River crests at 17.5 ft at Little Falls.
- 1999Hurricane Floyd
9.84 ft at the gauge.
- Aug 2011Hurricane Irene
14.19 ft, the second-highest crest on record.
- Sep 2011Tropical Storm Lee
11.05 ft, days after Irene.
- 2018Peckman flash flood
State of emergency after August flash floods.
PSE&G supplies electricity and gas in Little Falls. Drinking water comes from New Jersey American Water's Little Falls System, which buys its supply from the Passaic Valley Water Commission, the North Jersey District Water Supply, and the Montclair and Cedar Grove water departments. The township's Public Works department maintains the sanitary sewers, which feed the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission system.
The Passaic River gauge here has a long flood record. National Weather Service figures put flood stage at 7 feet and the record crest at 17.5 feet on October 10, 1903. Hurricane Floyd crested at 9.84 feet on September 18, 1999. In 2011, Hurricane Irene crested at 14.19 feet on August 30, the second-highest on record, and the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee followed at 11.05 feet on September 9. That September, CBS New York reported that FEMA had come up with close to $6 million to buy four Little Falls homes and elevate 29 others. NBC New York noted in 2024 that flooding near Singac can lag the rain by a day or more, because runoff takes time to come down from the far reaches of the watershed.
The Peckman River is the other threat, and it brings flash flooding. On August 11, 2018, storms flooded the Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealership in Little Falls near the Peckman, and a state of emergency was still in effect two days later. In January 2022, Rep. Mikie Sherrill's office announced full Army Corps of Engineers funding, $146.2 million, for the Peckman River flood project, saying flash flooding has historically hit Woodland Park and Little Falls.
In Singac and other low areas, the practical steps are a sump pump with battery backup, a backwater valve on the main drain so a surcharged sewer cannot push water up through a floor drain, and equipment raised off the basement floor. After a flood, a camera inspection through sewer line repair shows whether silt or damage is in your line. If a pipe bursts, emergency pipe repair is covered by our guarantee: on site within 90 minutes of your emergency call, or $50 off.
Permits
Permits in Little Falls: what's required and who files
Most equipment swaps in Little Falls fall under New Jersey's minor work rule, N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.17A. Replacing a water heater, boiler, furnace or air conditioner with one of like capacity is minor work: the township is notified before the job starts, the permit application follows within five business days, and the work is still inspected. In plain English, the job can start right away, the paperwork follows, and an inspector still checks it. Work that is not like-for-like, such as new gas piping, relocated equipment or a new circuit for a condenser, goes through a regular permit first.
The Little Falls Building Department is on the second floor of the Town Hall Municipal Complex at 225 Main Street. Call (973) 256-6182, ext. 1, for permits and inspections. Counter hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Floodplain questions go through the township's zoning contact in the same department, which matters if you are replacing equipment in a basement in a mapped flood area.
Rescue files permits when a job requires one. Our NJ permits guide covers the process in more detail, and our Passaic County page covers the neighboring towns.
When a replacement needs a permit, Rescue files it and coordinates the inspection. Straight repairs usually don't need one, and we tell you which yours is before you commit.
Before we arrive
An emergency in Little Falls: what to do first
Three things that limit the damage while the van is on the way.
Water: shut the main
A burst pipe or a failed water heater is usually stopped at the main shutoff, typically where the water line enters the basement. Our shutoff guide shows how to find it. Then call us.
Gas smell: get out first
Don't flip switches or use the phone inside. Leave the house, then call your gas utility's emergency line or 911 from outside. Once the utility has made it safe, we handle the repair. See gas line service.
No heat: three quick checks
Check the thermostat batteries and setting, the furnace or boiler switch and breaker, and a clogged filter on a furnace. If it's still down, call. No heat in freezing weather gets a van now, any hour. See furnace repair.
How we price
You see the number before we start
Every visit works the same way, in Little Falls and everywhere else we go.
- A licensed technician on site finds the actual problem
- The full price in writing before work starts
- The $79 comes off the total when you go ahead
If you decide not to go ahead, the $79 is all you pay. Every job carries a one-year parts and labor warranty, and when a job needs a permit we file it as part of the work. Technicians are background-checked. NJ Master HVACR Contractor Lic. #19HC00145700 · bonded · insured · $2M liability coverage.
Rebates in Little Falls
PSE&G supplies both electricity and gas in Little Falls, so its residential programs are the ones that apply here, including instant rebates on qualifying furnaces, boilers, central air, heat pumps and water heaters that come off the invoice instead of arriving later by mail. Eligibility and amounts change, so check before you buy.
The federal 25C tax credit for this equipment ended for anything placed in service after December 31, 2025, so the utility programs are what remain. If flood damage has you replacing equipment early, current details are on our NJ rebates page.
Everything we do
Services available in Little Falls
Every service page carries published prices. What changes from house to house is what the technician finds, and you see that in writing before anyone starts. See also our Passaic County page.
Plumbing and HVAC in Little Falls: the questions we get
Do I need a permit to replace a boiler or water heater in Little Falls?
Usually yes, but a like-for-like swap is "minor work" under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.17A: the township is notified before the job, the permit application follows within five business days, and the work is inspected. The Building Department is at 225 Main Street, 2nd Floor, (973) 256-6182, ext. 1. Rescue files permits when a job requires one.
I live in Singac. What should I do before the next Passaic River flood?
Get the basement ready before the rain, not during it. A sump pump with battery backup, a backwater valve on the main drain, and a water heater and boiler or furnace raised off the floor are the main steps. Watch the river even after the rain stops: NBC New York reported in 2024 that flooding near Singac can lag the rain by a day or more.
Is Little Falls water hard enough to matter for my water heater?
New Jersey American Water's 2023 report for the Little Falls System lists total hardness of 70 to 100 ppm. Sediment collects in any tank water heater over time, so flushing it periodically is worth doing. If your heater is rumbling or slow to recover, the technician will look at the tank itself rather than guess from a number.
How fast can you get to an emergency in Little Falls?
Dispatch runs 24 hours a day with a real person answering, and an emergency in Little Falls goes out from our shop at 2 John St in Haledon. Our published commitment is a technician on site within 90 minutes of your emergency call, or $50 off the job.
What does a visit cost?
The diagnostic is $79. A licensed technician finds the actual problem and prices the repair in writing before any work starts. Go ahead with the job and the $79 comes off the total; decide not to, and $79 is all you pay.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. NJ Master HVACR Contractor License #19HC00145700, bonded, and insured with $2M in liability coverage. Our technicians are background-checked, and the work carries a one-year parts and labor warranty.
Need someone in Little Falls?
A real dispatcher, any hour of any day.