A Vinings sump pump usually stops keeping up because of a stuck float, a failing check valve, a tripped outlet or a worn motor. A plumber can repair or replace it and route the discharge onto the yard, not into the Cobb County sewer. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Vinings.
Vinings basics
Vinings is an affluent unincorporated community on the Chattahoochee River, across from Buckhead's Paces area; ZIP 30339 mails as Atlanta. Census survey figures put the median home at 1996, with about 21% built before 1980. Many homes sit on sloped lots off Paces Ferry Road with basements, where a sump pump carries much of the load in wet weather.
Cobb County Water System serves unincorporated Cobb, including Vinings, for water and sewer. Cobb owns the line from the main to the meter; the pipe from the meter to the house is the owner's. Pumped groundwater should never go into the house drain, since it ends up in county sewer.
On a hillside lot, the discharge also has to end somewhere downhill, or the water just runs back toward the foundation and the pump moves it again and again. Many Vinings homes from the 1990s still have the original pump, often sized to the minimum. If a basement has been finished since then, a battery backup and a high-water alarm protect a lot more than they used to.
What to do now
- Turn off the pump's breaker if water is near the outlet.
- With power off, see whether the float is pinned or tangled, and free it.
- Restore power. If the pump hums without moving water, turn it off.
- Check the outdoor discharge; on a hillside, make sure water isn't running back toward the house.
- Lift rugs and stored items off a finished basement floor.
- Call a plumber if the water keeps rising.
Symptoms and likely causes
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Pit overflowing in heavy rain | Pump undersized for a hillside lot, or stuck float |
| Pump runs, level holds | Clogged intake or blocked discharge |
| Rapid cycling | Check valve or float issue |
| Backrush at shutoff | Check valve not sealing |
| Wet basement wall after rain | Discharge too close to the foundation |
Cost factors
- Part repair versus replacement
- Upsizing for heavy inflow on a slope
- Finished basement access
- Extending the discharge downhill
- Battery backup; a water-powered unit falls under Cobb County's annual backflow testing by a county-registered tester
- Permits through Cobb County's Building Division, since Vinings is unincorporated
Sump Pumps questions in Vinings
Does a water-powered backup pump need a backflow device?
Where should the water end up once the pump pushes it outside?
Will a bigger pump fix one that can't keep up?
Does the pump need its own outlet?
More plumbing services in Vinings
Sump Pumps nearby
Helpful guides
Sources
- Vinings housing by year built (via Point2Homes)
- Vinings, Georgia (Wikipedia)
- Cobb County Water System: water service
- Cobb County Water System owns and maintains the line from the water ma: service line ownership
- Cobb County Water System Backflow Prevention Program: any property wit: backflow prevention
- Cobb County Community Development - Building Division: permits
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