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Sep 01, 2026      Robert Eklund

Can an AODD Pump Run Dry? Yes — But Should It?

One of the unique advantages of an air-operated double diaphragm (AODD) pump is its ability to tolerate dry running.

Unlike many other pump technologies, an AODD pump does not depend on the pumped liquid for lubrication or cooling in the same way. It does not use close tolerances as it pumps, and when the parts wear it is typically not mechanical in nature. This is due to the open tolerances the check and diaphragm design provide. As a result, an AODD pump can generally continue cycling when its liquid supply is exhausted without suffering the immediate catastrophic damage that dry running causes in some other pump types.

But just because an AODD pump can run dry does not mean it should.

When an AODD pump loses its liquid supply, the pump will begin cycling much faster. There is no resistance in the discharge line or in the liquid chambers to slow the pump down and they can run away dry. Although the pump may sound like it is operating, it is consuming compressed air and accumulating cycles without transferring useful product. Sometimes they will struggle to re-prime if operating too quickly or the system can even vapor lock when the pump fills the discharge lines with compressed air while dry running.

The consequences generally fall into three major areas.

1. Premature Parts Wear and Failure

Assuming the pump's materials of construction have been properly selected for compatibility with the liquid being transferred, component life is strongly influenced by the number and severity of operating cycles the pump experiences. The longest running pumps are oversized and run slower.

Diaphragms are primary wear components in an AODD pump, and different diaphragm materials and designs provide different service characteristics and cycle life.

When a pump runs dry, there is little or no liquid resistance on the fluid side. This can allow the pump to cycle significantly faster than it would under normal pumping conditions. The shafts can also over-travel when there is no resistance on the discharge side of the pumps. Those additional cycles provide no productive liquid transfer but still contribute to diaphragm fatigue and wear on other internal components.

A pump that is rapidly cycling while moving no liquid is using up component life without performing useful work.

2. Unnecessary Energy Consumption

An AODD pump operates using compressed air. Sometimes the mode of operation can be even more expensive like natural gas, or clean dry air or even nitrogen. Every time the pump cycles, that energy is consumed regardless. When liquid is being transferred, that compressed air is performing useful work.

When the pump is running dry, however, it can continue consuming SCFM while transferring little or no liquid. It will speed up and consume even more energy (compressed air or gas or nitrogen) than its normal rate while pumping.

Compressed air consumed + zero liquid transferred = wasted energy.

Compressed air can be a significant utility cost in manufacturing facilities. Allowing pumps to continue rapidly cycling after a tank, drum, tote, or other supply source has been emptied creates an unnecessary operating expense.

One dry-running pump may not appear significant, but multiple pumps operating this way throughout a facility can add considerable compressed-air consumption over time.

3. Increased Ancillary Costs

The true cost of unnecessary dry running extends beyond the pump itself. Accelerated component wear and wasted compressed air can lead to additional expenses such as:

• More frequent pump repairs
• Additional maintenance labor
• More frequent diaphragm and wear-part replacement
• Higher spare-parts inventory requirements
• Additional compressed-air costs
• More maintenance interruptions
• Potential production downtime

Depending on the application and the importance of the pump to the production process, an avoidable pump failure can cost considerably more than the replacement parts themselves.

The Better Solution: Stop the Pump When There Is Nothing Left to Pump

Dry running does not necessarily have to be accepted as part of operating an AODD pump. Depending on the application, several methods can be used to detect a loss of liquid supply and stop or control the pump.

Dry Run Protection Devices

A dry run protection device can detect operating conditions associated with a pump that has lost prime or exhausted its liquid supply and shut down the pump before excessive dry cycling occurs. These systems will react within seconds to a dry running pump and shut it off.

Liquid Level Sensors and Controllers

Liquid level controls can monitor tanks, drums, totes, sumps, or other containers and signal the pump to stop when the liquid reaches a predetermined level. There are many types of monitoring devices out there and Yamada offers a line of pneumatic liquid level control options for AODD pump applications. These will operate on compressed air only without using a mechanical float or laser etc.

Pump Controllers

Pump control systems can integrate operating signals and automatically start or stop the pump based on process conditions. These can be basic timer system or all the way up to integrated PLC controls and solenoid valves as part of a complicated batching system. Depending on the application, this can be accomplished with pneumatic or electrically controlled systems. Learn more about solenoid-controlled AODD pump options.

Dry-Run Capability Is a Feature — Not an Operating Strategy

The ability to tolerate dry running remains an important advantage of AODD pump technology. It provides an additional level of protection and forgiveness in applications where a liquid source may occasionally run empty or operating conditions are unpredictable.

However, dry-run capability should be viewed as protection against an operating condition—not as a reason to routinely allow the pump to run dry.

Preventing unnecessary dry running can help:

• Extend diaphragm and internal component life
• Improve mean time between failures
• Reduce compressed-air consumption
• Lower maintenance and repair costs
• Reduce spare-parts requirements
• Improve overall process efficiency

AODD pumps may be capable of continuing to run when the liquid is gone. The more important question is whether there is any reason to keep them running when there is nothing left to pump.