Hook a cheap float to it so the water does not run all the way down. Hope this helps

You can but it may eventually burn it up

The pump will pump that 2 inches down to 1/8 inch of standing water. When the pump starts to suck air and not move water, shut it off to prevent overheating.

No, it's a utility pump. You will have to add a float if you want to use it as a sump pump. It's not really expensive for the float, I think around $30. I had to do that to my sump pump because my float switch went up.