Does running out of fresh water damage the pump?

[kyle86]

Just curious if it's okay to run the tank dry. Why does the pump get loud?

[wa8yxm]

Depends. Generally no but I suspect if you left it turned on dry for like a Month or more you'd have issues.

The pump is what is called a diaphragm pump. there are 3 moving parts that contact water plus one more that does not plus a switch

The inlet check valve (if the tank is dry this is going to just site there)
The outlet check valve (See inlet)
The diaphragm. It has contact with only one other part (A metal plunger) and it does not move relative to said plunger so nothing for it to rub against..

The plus one is the plunger, which is inside a magnet (Solenoid style) and of course the switch (And spring) that turns the magnet on and off.

[Jbrowland]

Once while we were in a restaurant, we forgot to turn off the pump and our dog turned on the water (he does that easily) and ran the entire system dry. We didn't return for a few hours with the pump running dry. No problems. After that incident, I came here and asked the same question and the answer was overwhelmingly no. Enjoy!

[Old-Biscuit]

They are diaphragm design that only move 1/8" and do NOT require any fluid for cooling so running them dry does no harm.

Pump generates no heat.....just the motor which is thermal protected and will shut down if motor overheats.

[nineoaks2004]

Not a good idea to run any pump dry,

[Johno02]

Many of us have done it, but wouldn't advise it as a regular thing to do.

[MitchF150]

It's usually not the pump that is "loud", it's the water lines attached to it that vibrate on the floor or where ever they are attached to..

Ever hear a pump run when it's empty? It's actually very quiet...

It's the water thumping thru the lines that make all the noise.

I insulated my lines coming from the pump, as well as adding a 2' length of looped hose before it goes to the main lines to also help insulate the noise.. Sure, it still makes some noise, but I kinda like that, just so I know when it's running and when it's not...

Mitch

[kyle86]

Awesome! Good to hear thank you both for the reply

[KD4UPL]

Mine once ran for several hours accidentally with no water. No damage that I can tell.

[wrgrs50s]

Yes, its ok. Ive heard of cases where the pump was left on accidently for several days without damaging the pump.