Water pump - any harm if tank is dry?

[Rob&Deryl]

I am working on getting the weight of the trailer down by reviewing all we haul before we start our trek to AZ next month.

One place I know I can reduce is the fresh water we carry. Before we moved yesterday, we used fresh tank water for a couple of days but still show 2 lights on the panel.

I want to empty it as much as I can so I can only add back a few gallons for rest stops along the way & then fill for dry camping in January.

Will it harm the pump if it runs dry for a bit while we use up the water?

thanks

 

[crawford 111]

no just don't live it on and for get it like some old timers do LOL

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

"Dry" is OK, but at least for the Shurflo I have it's shown as an "intermittent duty" motor with no details of duty cycle. They're thermally protected so I wouldn't worry too much about damaging it, I've actually run a near full tank out with mine but I wouldn't leave it run continuously for hours.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[ChasA]

Don't you have a freshwater tank drain?

 

[Skookum]

Don't you have a freshwater tank drain?

This. You don't need to run your pump to empty the system. Just open the drain and let it all out.

You can also dump your water heater (that's another 5-10 gallons, or 42-83 lbs). Just don't forget to refill it and reset the bypass before turning it back on.

 

[Kirk]

no just don't live it on

Correct. They are designed to run dry as long as it isn't for excessively long periods. A few minutes hurt nothing.

 

[NY_Dutch]

Don't you have a freshwater tank drain?

The pump out works better if you have a sewer hook up and don't want to leave a large puddle behind when you leave the site.

 

[Utclmjmpr]

There is nothing wrong about opening the drain valve and driving down the road either as long as it's fresh water..>>>Dan

 

[Ray-IN]

There is nothing wrong about opening the drain valve and driving down the road either as long as it's fresh water..>>>Dan

A state trooper stopped me because I was leaving a wet trail behind my 5er once. I explained it was fresh water tank draining. He said there was no way to determine that without testing and told me to turn it off until I reached home. Otherwise he would call in the local hazmat team to test the liquid, on my dime. He mentioned something about $3K/hr.

 

[Utclmjmpr]

At which time I would have grabbed a cup and taken a sample and drank it in his presents to prove my point.. >>>Dan