How Long Can Rv Water Pump Run Continuously

Topic: How long can a water pump run,without water?
Posted By: restorodder on 11/17/10 03:19pm I have heard it over and over again,"the pump will burn up if run without water". Well today I went out to the motor home, to place a light bulb in the water bay(to make sure the sewer lines don't freeze),and found the pump running. It was real quiet because it was not pumping anything. I winterized the coach last week,before I took it to a repair shop,for warranty work.Monday on the trip home I stopped at a rest area and used the toilet,then flushed with antifreeze. The system still had pressure,and I thought it was residual pressure,that would bleed off. Tuesday I worked out in the MH and flushed again,then left the coach until this afternoon. I think the pump has been running since Tuesday afternoon. The pump was warm,but when I connected it to another bottle of antifreeze it started pumping then shut off when it built up pressure. I went inside and checked the pressure,it seems Ok. Am I really lucky or what?
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Posted By: Hank MI on 11/17/10 03:25pm Well some model pumps say they can run dry for extended periods. What an extended period is I'm not sure. I guess if yours still works you lucked out.

Put it on your list and check it first thing in the spring.


Posted By: RayChez on 11/17/10 03:25pm I would say with your kind of luck, you need to go to a casino. Usually the impeller will wear out without water.
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Posted By: restorodder on 11/17/10 03:31pm We are not putting the coach away for the winter. We will be living in it soon,for the winter. It is cheaper to winterize than to keep the heat on for the next few weeks.
Posted By: Mr.Mark on 11/17/10 03:32pm I guess this is going to be a silly question... Would the pump be running if there are no faucets turned on? What is the pump doing in an 'idle' mode?

Thanks,
Mark


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Posted By: Lancers on 11/17/10 03:42pm Newbie, but I used my water pump for 2 days with no water in the fresh water tank. I was hooked up to city water the entire time. Didn't seem to hurt anything.
Posted By: mowermech on 11/17/10 03:45pm

Mr.Mark wrote:

I guess this is going to be a silly question... Would the pump be running if there are no faucets turned on? What is the pump doing in an 'idle' mode?

Thanks,
Mark

I have never seen a pump with an "idle mode". It is usually either ON or OFF. If it is not pumping any fluid to build pressure, it will run continuously until the switch is turned off.
The pump is controlled by two (or more) switches: One or more wall switches (my Tioga has two of them), and the pressure switch that is built in to the pump body. If the wall switch is on, and the pump does not build pressure, it will run until it burns up or until the wall switch is turned off.


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Posted By: skipnchar on 11/17/10 03:55pm You have heard incorrectly. the RV water pump does NOT use the water to cool as some believe. It will run just fine with no water going through and will not be apt to do any damage to it. It's not difficult to forget to turn the pump off if you drain the water tank and with no water being pumped they run surprisingly quiet. I can only hear mine if I get on my knees just outside the service panel where the pump is located.
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Posted By: restorodder on 11/17/10 04:05pm Yes,I forgot the switch in the water bay. Our coach has three switches,two inside,and one outside. As soon as it built up pressure it turned off.
Posted By: Sandia Man on 11/17/10 04:06pm I've also had the water pump run dry a few hours when I forgot to turn it off while in the middle of winterizing our rig. That was several years ago and it has worked fine ever since.
Posted By: AFChap on 11/17/10 05:16pm I have a Shurflo variable speed pump, and it will run at what some might call "idle" mode for various reasons ...no water, improper adjustment, etc. I have found it running on very slowly, and the pump body so hot I could not touch it. Some even say they can run dry with no damage. So, how long can a water pump run without water and not incur damage? ...it depends on the pump, and probably also how long "long" is.
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Posted By: ScottG on 11/17/10 05:53pm I goofed and left my Sensor 5.7 running dry for nearly 3 days. The pump is located in a small unvented area under the bed and was warm to the touch when I found it. It ran fine all last season so it doesn't look like it suffered any damage.
Posted By: Lancers on 12/09/10 04:20pm Thanks, everyone. Everything seems to be alright with the pump.
Another question. My toilet was full when I purchased it from a private party. I've tried the ice in the holding tank and chemicals, but the sensor is still reading 3/4 full. It's a Jayco J 5th wheel,any suggestions?
Posted By: Gary. on 12/09/10 04:52pm Have you emptied the black tank and are pretty sure it is empty. Most RVers will tell you that the black tank sensors are famous for being inaccurate in that any toilet paper or anything that will stick to the sensors will cause an inaccurate reading. ie, they always say full when they in fact are empty.
Posted By: javaseuf on 12/09/10 05:31pm Most all RV water pumps on the market today use a diaphram and chambers to pump water, NOT an impeller. This design is extreemly tolerant to running dry. How long is anyone's guess but running dry will not damage them.
Also, a previous poster was correct when they said these pumps DON'T rely on water for cooling. They don't.


Posted By: wagonmaster2 on 11/17/10 08:46pm

AFChap wrote:

I have a Shurflo variable speed pump, and it will run at what some might call "idle" mode for various reasons ...no water, improper adjustment, etc. I have found it running on very slowly, and the pump body so hot I could not touch it. Some even say they can run dry with no damage. So, how long can a water pump run without water and not incur damage? ...it depends on the pump, and probably also how long "long" is.

I also discovered my Shurflo 5.7 running very slowly and almost silently a couple month ago but the reason I found it is because it wouldn't pump to a faucet until the switch was turned off then back on again. When I felt of the motor it was too hot to keep my hands on it. Found I could turn the phillips screw in the middle of the head counter clockwise 1/4 turn and it would stop the slow running. Had to do the 1/4 turn a couple of times to stop it completely.

Wagonmaster2


Posted By: restorodder on 11/17/10 09:44pm Well,after all these responses I feel better about my mistake. I think the pump is a Shure Flo(looks like the one in the catalog). At least they are not too expensive,and I think I could change it myself,if I needed to. My wife uses the pump to boost water pressure in the shower,when hooked up to city water. Like I always said"operating a MH requires a huge learning curve".
Posted By: kalynzoo on 11/17/10 10:14pm Yup, your lucky. My Surflo fried after a few hours of being dry.
Posted By: Mr.Mark on 11/17/10 11:43pm

restorodder wrote:

Well,after all these responses I feel better about my mistake. I think the pump is a Shure Flo(looks like the one in the catalog). At least they are not too expensive,and I think I could change it myself,if I needed to. My wife uses the pump to boost water pressure in the shower,when hooked up to city water. Like I always said"operating a MH requires a huge learning curve".

If I'm not mistaken, when you hit the pump button, it is pumping water from your fresh tank and not using the shore water. Your wife is not 'boosting' the shore water, just pumping from the fresh tank.

That's what our manual says about ours.

MM.


Posted By: ArchHoagland on 11/18/10 10:50am Had a trailer that the pump went two days running dry. Had it for two more years and never had a problem with the pump.
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Posted By: Robin1953 on 11/18/10 12:12pm

restorodder wrote:

I have heard it over and over again,"the pump will burn up if run without water". Well today I went out to the motor home, to place a light bulb in the water bay(to make sure the sewer lines don't freeze),and found the pump running. It was real quiet because it was not pumping anything. I winterized the coach last week,before I took it to a repair shop,for warranty work.Monday on the trip home I stopped at a rest area and used the toilet,then flushed with antifreeze. The system still had pressure,and I thought it was residual pressure,that would bleed off. Tuesday I worked out in the MH and flushed again,then left the coach until this afternoon. I think the pump has been running since Tuesday afternoon. The pump was warm,but when I connected it to another bottle of antifreeze it started pumping then shut off when it built up pressure. I went inside and checked the pressure,it seems Ok. Am I really lucky or what?

I attended a Fleetwood Rally several years ago and one seminar was conducted by a Shurflo technician. He said they had run a Shurflo pump for a week dry without damage. So you can take it for what it is worth but at least he wasn't a salesman...lol


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Posted By: 7ofus on 11/18/10 01:05pm Our Shurflo ran dry for at least 3 days.

That was over 2 years ago and it is still going strong.


Posted By: SooperDaddy on 11/17/10 08:10pm SureFlo and FlowJet both state their potable rv water pumps can be ran dry "indefinately!" They both have thermal overload shut off switches.

"The Flojet pump can run dry indefinitely"...

Shur-Flo-"Run dry without damage; Built-in check valve prevents backflow up to 200 PSI; ... Can also be used for potable water. Includes on/off switch. ... Max. fluid temperature: 110°F – Pump can run indefinitely without damage"


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Source: https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/24571653/print/true.cfm

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