On Wed, 25 Jan 2017 17:45:56 -0500, wrote:

buy a spare pump and keep it on the shelf, run it once a month as well

mark

Why would you ever run a new pump dry every month???? Most pumps are
NEVER to be run dry.

That's right. If it just sits on a shelf, in it's original box, there is
no reason to run it. I'd test it when I first bought it. Put a hose on
it, and pump a 5 gal bucket of water. As long as it works, just put it
back in the box (after it drys), and keep it in a safe place until
needed. There is no reason to run it monthly or even yearly. (They dont
run the ones on the shelves in the hardware store).