Tried that 'run the pump dry for 30 seconds' trick my old foreman swore by

Last Tuesday on a job near the Port of Tampa, I let the suction run empty for exactly 28 seconds before shutting down. Ended up with a seal failure that cost me $600 and a full afternoon of repairs. Guess that hack only works if your pump isn't a 20-year old Ellicott that's held together with hope. Any of you guys actually had success with that method or is it just a way to sell more parts?

3 comments

3 Comments

henry_anderson543d ago

I read somewhere that the whole dry run trick came from guys running old diesel pumps with mechanical seals that were way more forgiving than the ceramic ones they use now. That old Ellicott you got probably has a seal that's been baked and worn for years, so even a few seconds without water is like sandpaper on glass. I remember a forum post where a guy tested it on a newer pump and found anything past 15 seconds starts pulling air and destabilizing the seal face. Honestly, your foreman's trick might have worked in the 90s but these modern seals just can't handle it. You're better off just replacing the seal and forgetting that old hack exists.

mitchell.thomas3d ago

Stop relying on that old trick. It works maybe if you have a newer pump with decent seals but NOT on a worn out machine like yours. Just replace the seal and move on.

shane1703d agoTop Commenter

My old neighbor Frank had a 1983 pump he swore by, and he tried that same trick for years until it finally locked up on him during a hot July afternoon. I watched him spend three hours wrestling with it before he gave in and ordered a new seal kit from a place upstate for 12 bucks. Sometimes you just have to admit the old ways stop working, especially when the equipment is older than most of the people on this forum.