citytransplant
Silver Member
Greetings and happy 2023 to all.
When we moved into our semi-rural cottage in 2005 our water was supplied by two separate systems. System A supplied cold water (high in iron) drawn from a shallow well by a 1/3 HP jet pump (pressure tank and pump manufactured in 1988). Hot water (System B) consisted of soft rainwater collected from roof into a large open cistern in cellar. The water from cistern was pumped into water heater by a similarly sized pump. The hot water was used in bath, laundry, and kitchen. In principle this worked perfectly. My hair was soft as silk.
After a few years it became clear however that the cistern was a repository for rodents, bird droppings rinsed from roof, and other contaminants. The standing water triggered a moisture issue that contributed to additional problems. I decided to discontinue the dual-system and tie the water heater into System A. We were able to pay for associated labor from savings in anti-diarrheal medication (just kidding).
It appears the pressure tank bladder in System A has finally failed. My question is: can I swap out the 35 year old pump and waterlogged tank, replace it with pump and tank from System B and then connect the waterlogged tank downstream from the replacement tank/pump simply to add greater capacity to the system?
When we moved into our semi-rural cottage in 2005 our water was supplied by two separate systems. System A supplied cold water (high in iron) drawn from a shallow well by a 1/3 HP jet pump (pressure tank and pump manufactured in 1988). Hot water (System B) consisted of soft rainwater collected from roof into a large open cistern in cellar. The water from cistern was pumped into water heater by a similarly sized pump. The hot water was used in bath, laundry, and kitchen. In principle this worked perfectly. My hair was soft as silk.
After a few years it became clear however that the cistern was a repository for rodents, bird droppings rinsed from roof, and other contaminants. The standing water triggered a moisture issue that contributed to additional problems. I decided to discontinue the dual-system and tie the water heater into System A. We were able to pay for associated labor from savings in anti-diarrheal medication (just kidding).
It appears the pressure tank bladder in System A has finally failed. My question is: can I swap out the 35 year old pump and waterlogged tank, replace it with pump and tank from System B and then connect the waterlogged tank downstream from the replacement tank/pump simply to add greater capacity to the system?
Last edited: