Two Hot Water tanks in Series, with only the 2nd one powered

by Edgar Mitchell
(Burin, NL., Canada)

I am in a Cottage with water supplied from a well on the pond shoreline, c/w submersible Pump. This is course filtered for most applications, like the Hot Water Tank, and showers, toilets, sinks, etc. There is a Reverse Osmosis system for the drinking water off this line.

The problem is with the Hot water smelling 'boggy'. It is likely due to sediment in the bottom of the Hot Water Tank.

We are thinking of putting two Tanks in series, with only the 2nd one powered (electrical) for heating the water. The first tank in line will just be a reservoir, and the course filtered water will go into this one, with the 'hot' water output serving as the cold water input for the 2nd one.

This would serve two purposes - 1) the sediment would just be collected in the bottom of the 1st tank, and that would stop most of the sediment from getting into the 2nd tank that has the electrical hookup for heating. 2) The reservoir tank would 'pre-heat' the water, since it would increase to house temperature on it's own, while in the tank for a period of time, decreasing heating costs of the 2nd tank.

We could then even put a further filter between the output of Tank #1, and the input of Tank #2, to clear any remaining sediment.

Does anyone see any pitfalls or problems with the above setup?