Plumber & HVACin Totowa, New Jersey.
Totowa is a borough of about 11,000 people along the Passaic River, bordered by Paterson, Wayne, Little Falls, Woodland Park and Haledon. Its water is bought from the Passaic Valley Water Commission, its sewage runs through seven borough pumping stations, and Hurricane Irene in 2011 damaged one neighborhood, Norwood Terrace, badly enough that demolition began there in 2016.
- Dispatch 24/7, live
- Emergency 90 min or $50 off
- Diagnostic $79, credited
or $50 off the job
- 1898
- incorporated as a borough
- 3
- ZIP codes: 07512, 07511, 07502
- 7
- sewer pumping stations
- 2.5M
- gallons of sewage moved a day
Dispatch
How we get to Totowa
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
- 07512, 07511, 07502
Also nearby: Woodland Park, Little Falls, Wayne, Paterson, Haledon.
What we see here
Totowa 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.
- Incorporated 1898
- A borough since March 15, 1898Formed from parts of Wayne Township and the old Manchester Township.
- Water
- Bought from PVWCThe borough buys all of its drinking water from the Passaic Valley Water Commission, which treats Passaic River water.
- Sewer
- Seven pumping stationsBorough sewage runs through seven pumping stations to a central station, then on to the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners in Newark.
- Irene, 2011
- Norwood TerraceA neighborhood of 1930s vacation bungalows badly damaged by Hurricane Irene; demolition began in December 2016.
Homes & neighborhoods
Totowa neighborhoods and the homes we work in
Totowa was incorporated in 1898 from parts of Wayne Township and the old Manchester Township, and it takes its name from the Native American name for the Passaic Falls in Paterson. Today it is a borough of 11,065 people (2020 Census) crossed by Route 46 and Interstate 80, with the municipal building on Totowa Road and the 188-acre North Jersey Developmental Center campus within its borders.
We could not find a current, published breakdown of Totowa's housing by age or type, so this page does not guess at one. One documented example of the older stock is Norwood Terrace, a neighborhood of bungalows built in the 1930s as vacation homes, which Hurricane Irene damaged badly enough that demolition began in 2016. Every house is different, and the technician looks at yours before saying anything about it.
In any house built before the 1960s, 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 homes in the lower parts of town near the river, where the equipment sits matters as much as how old it is. A water heater or boiler on a basement floor can be raised on a pad at its next replacement, which costs little and keeps a few inches of water from turning into an equipment replacement.
PSE&G supplies gas in Totowa. For a house still heating with oil, an oil-to-gas conversion starts with confirming service at the street. For a house built around radiators with no ductwork, adding central air or a heat pump starts with working out where ducts can run; see AC installation.
Water & utilities
Who supplies Totowa, and what the water does
Dates that shaped the work here
- 2011Hurricane Irene
Passaic River crests at 14.19 ft at the Little Falls gauge; Norwood Terrace badly damaged.
- 2016Norwood Terrace
Demolition begins on the neighborhood's 1930s bungalows.
- 2024Still a choke point
Totowa listed among the areas that flood along the Pompton and Passaic.
PSE&G supplies electricity and gas in Totowa. The borough buys all of its drinking water from the Passaic Valley Water Commission, which treats water drawn from the Passaic River, and bills it through the borough Water Department. Sewage is handled by the Totowa Sewer Department, which moves roughly 2.5 million gallons a day through seven pumping stations to a central pump station and on to the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners in Newark, through a pipeline shared with Little Falls and Woodland Park.
Totowa is part of what a January 2024 NBC New York report described as "a choke point along a network of streams and rivers." The report named Totowa, Wayne and Singac among the places along the Pompton and Passaic that flood when heavy rain hits. At the National Weather Service's Passaic River gauge in neighboring Little Falls, Hurricane Irene crested at 14.19 feet on August 30, 2011, more than double the 7-foot flood stage. In Totowa, Irene damaged the Norwood Terrace bungalows badly enough that demolition began there in December 2016.
For basements near the river, a sump pump with battery backup is the first line of defense, because the storms that flood basements also cut power. A backwater valve on the main drain keeps a surcharged sewer from pushing water up through a floor drain. If drains slow down after heavy rain, drain cleaning and a camera inspection through sewer line repair show whether the problem is in your line.
If a pipe bursts or a line fails, emergency pipe repair is covered by our guarantee: on site within 90 minutes of your emergency call, or $50 off. Dispatch is live 24/7.
Permits
Permits in Totowa: what's required and who files
Most equipment swaps in Totowa 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 borough 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. Anything 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.
Totowa's Building Department is at 537 Totowa Road, 2nd Floor, (973) 956-1000, open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Inspections are scheduled by phone at least one day in advance. The borough also runs an online Construction Permit Self Service portal where property owners can look up permits and permit history for their address, which is useful when buying a house. The department's page posts the FEMA flood map volumes for the borough.
Rescue files permits when a job requires one. Our NJ permits guide explains the process step by step, 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 Totowa: 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 Totowa 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 Totowa
PSE&G supplies both electricity and gas in Totowa, 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. Current details are on our NJ rebates page.
Everything we do
Services available in Totowa
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 Totowa: the questions we get
Where do permits get filed in Totowa, and do you handle them?
At the Building Department, 537 Totowa Road, 2nd Floor, (973) 956-1000. Rescue files permits when a job requires one. A like-for-like water heater, boiler, furnace or AC replacement is "minor work" under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.17A: the borough is notified before the job, the application follows within five business days, and the work is inspected. Owners can look up permits on their property through the borough's online Construction Permit Self Service portal.
Does Totowa flood, and do I need a sump pump?
Parts of it do. Totowa sits along the Passaic, and Hurricane Irene in 2011 damaged the Norwood Terrace neighborhood so badly that demolition began there in 2016. If your basement has ever taken water, a sump pump with battery backup and a backwater valve on the main drain are the two upgrades that matter most. The borough's Building Department page posts the FEMA flood maps if you want to check your street.
I bought an older house in Totowa. What should I have looked at first?
Three things: the sewer line, by camera, before tree roots or a sag turn into a backup; the water heater, whose age is on its label; and the heating system, including the piping or ductwork behind it, which is often older than the boiler or furnace itself. The borough's online permit portal can also show what work has been permitted at the address.
How fast can you get to an emergency in Totowa?
Dispatch runs 24 hours a day with a real person answering, and an emergency in Totowa 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 Totowa?
A real dispatcher, any hour of any day.