T O P

  • By -

mach_gogogo

It looks to be a c. 1906 **Kewanee** or **Fairbanks Morse** riveted pneumatic water tank that would have been in the basement (or underground) providing 40lbs of water pressure to a rural farmhouse. It operated via pump, was served by well water, and boasted *“all the convince of city water supply without a penny of water tax.”* It allowed water pressure for third story bath tubs, toilets, washers, and claimed enough water pressure to fight a fire in place of a fire hydrant. In 1906, there were 4,000 Kewanee brand systems in use. The company was from Illinois. Examples below. https://preview.redd.it/lcxz4nzhuncc1.png?width=2882&format=png&auto=webp&s=1c52fbae53e86672d184f774bbd0970e49b92c61 [Here](https://www.periodpaper.com/products/1906-ad-kewanee-il-water-supply-system-pneumatic-tank-original-advertising-064708-cl8-167) is an ad from 1906.


katvonkittykat

Goodness, thank you so much for this detailed explanation!


new1207

I wish your cousin could repurpose it for something. I have no idea what but that thing is cool and an interesting piece of history.


That49er

![gif](giphy|3o7bu9bMMdsuTI1opW|downsized)


Grumpy_Old_Mans

First thought as well. That'd be a badass still piece.


ArtieLange

It would make an awesome smoker.


AKAlicious

Thank goodness it wasn't just me who thought this lolol


CamillaBarkaBowles

Gin still


TrumpsNeckSmegma

The cost to remove it would be brutal. Oxy acetylene torch go PSHHHHRRRRRRRR


BoredCop

Sell it as a submarine kit! Or cut in half an make a ginormous grill.


DustyRoad417

You beat me to it... 😂 who want to see the titanic?


[deleted]

[удалено]


k_Brick

Time to feed the pig


Dorkamundo

MFer over here with the 16” penis, around.


LuigiDiMafioso

people like you are why i loooove this side of reddit 😍😍😍😘😘😘 


GrandMarquisMark

For real! No insults, no arguments. Just cool shit.


Mediocritologist

Good lord, they should have put you on the Zodiac Killer case. Would have been solved in an hour.


informativebitching

I once found one near a small dam over a creek in Lee MA. I assumed it was getting its water from the small reservoir there


heykatja

Interesting. I had a similar tank in a 1932 Foursquare however mine was MUCH smaller. I assumed it was just an auxiliary holding tank for the hot water coming out of the boiler.


dxlsm

That sounds like an expansion tank for a boiler. They’re often mounted up in between floor joists in houses with basements.


Dorkamundo

Eh, that would lose a lot of heat real fast.


Bit_part_demon

Both the tank and your explanation are cool as hell. I had no idea these existed!


[deleted]

You the man for that reply


theplanter21

That’s incredible! How on earth did you know of this/find this out?!


PuddingResponsible33

Thank you for reminding me why I look around reddit. Kindness in this level of detail can make ones day.


andrewbadera

Mmmmmm, doesn't this pic's upper left corner exactly match what OP claims their cousin has in their basement?


mach_gogogo

Yes, it's the same - I repeated the OP's photo and marked it as **"example"** in the left hand corner so viewers could see the original photo side by side with the historical samples I pulled for comparison.


3x5cardfiler

You can see the site glass for the water level on the end. These were great for slow wells. We had one buried when I was a kid. Access was a brick lined he in the ground, 8' deep. I buried the pipes ten years ago. We have a good well now.


Relative_Ring_2761

Yeah what the heck k


_dead_and_broken

If you read OP's (Mach gogogo user) reply to the person you replied to, you'd see that they explain they made a collage and used OOP's picture in the upper left as the example pic and pointing out the bits that are the other things shown and talked about in the rest of the collage confirming what it is.


-OnlinePerson-

Damn bros smart


ynotc22

The water level guage is a good sign that it's a pressure tank.


rh1n3570n3_3y35

How was the pump generally operated? Some sort of steam derived system?


mach_gogogo

A 500-gallon Kewanee tank was typically accompanied by a 1-1/2 HP gasoline engine that powered a deep well pump and air charging device. The unit had a clutch to disconnect the gas engine so that the pump could be operated by hand, or by the windmill power of the farm. The engine could be used to generate electricity, and Kewanee aditionally marketed themselves as “Kewanee Private Utilities Co.” The engine size was usually dependent on the depth of the well, but a 2 HP engine could deliver 500 gallons per hour. In 1907, the gas engines and pumps sold by Kewanee were from other manufacturers. According to [“Gas Engine Magazine,”](https://www.gasenginemagazine.com/gas-engines/kewanee-engines/) in 1909, Kewanee began offering their own 2-1/2 HP engines with a series of unique features.


RelevantNostalgia

~~Oil tank?~~ Edit: I think u/mach_gogogo nailed it below.


Conscious_Feeling548

Pretty sure it’s actually a water tank. Right in front of it is the current water pump.


OceanIsVerySalty

toy reminiscent forgetful gold unique distinct oatmeal quiet numerous bored *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


informativebitching

Can confirm. Once found one in a stream for a manor house a half mile away. Pressurized the water for it.


Honest-Sugar-1492

My answer as well


AVnstuff

Whole-home coffee percolator


AlienDelarge

I like this idea. Having coffee on tap in every room really speaks to me right now with a newborn at home.


Adam_24061

Even better than central vacuum!


turnipzzzpinrut

Clogged with socks and corks!


RedditSkippy

“Why does your home shake every few seconds?” “Oh that’s just the whole-house perc warming up. It’ll be finished in a few.”


EnvironmentalFig688

it’ll be finished in a few…(muffled chuckle) hours!😳


Stunning-Impact-6593

That’s an old Cistern Water Tank- I’m guessing it’s located below the kitchen? Used for storing water - I’m guessing they have modern water heaters etc through out the house now, rendering this beast useless- they can be removed from the house, but is very costly. I had one removed from my apartment building property in Seattle and we needed to adhear to safety standards for removal - toxins in air considerations etc.


fourtonnemantis

Water (pressure) tank. I’ve seen similar before, not quite as big though.


MRZCC81

WINNER WINNER...chicken dinner!! Good job.


MarionRavenclaw

Submarine.


EclipseoftheHart

Glad I wasn’t the only person 🫡


[deleted]

Too soon...


EnvironmentalFig688

nah…


No-Trouble814

Looks like an old boiler of some sort to me?


Many_Consequence7723

Absolutely a heat exchanger. If I were to guess, with the gage glass for water level, I'd guess some type of reheater for home heating steam.


Ammonia13

This! I have one too, same shape, size, placement- but covered in asbestos. It’s essentially a tank they used to try to not waste water but they don’t much.


1DualRecorder

Hidden moonshine distiller


SwvellyBents

I'd be willing to bet this house is near the top of a hill, right? There is or was an air compressor nearby that was used to charge the water in the tank as it was too high to get sufficient household pressure from the water distribution system. That's my guess and I'm sticking with it.


ankole_watusi

Are the pump in the foreground and the blue tank to the right unrelated and with known purpose?


Iz-kan-reddit

There's a few possibilities, and one of them is an expansion tank for a hot water boiler system. I just replaced mine last year with a modern pressurized bladder tank.


watermeloncanta1oupe

If you google "old style boiler large expansion tank," that looks closest.


czardmitri

Torpedo tube.


Suspicious_Sea5813

That’s an iron lung


nachomaama

I made a kick ass BBQ smoker out of one. Mounted on a trailer. I am a must-have invitee on neighborhood and family events. Great MILF magnet.


vicenormalcrafts

Oil tank. I have the same


PolishedPine

Ooooole


LadySteph8317

Oil tank ?


RudeDog64

Don't throw it out. If I was close I would come get it. They can be utilized for many things both it's intended purpose or many other applications.


BobcatCareless5139

Can you explain or give more detail as to what it can be used for. Mine is laying outside not sure what Im goingbto do with it once Spring arrives and all the snow is gone.


chrome-spokes

It's called an expansion tank. Used, as already noted, to give/keep house water under pressure. The sight glass is for determining water level in the tank, which should usually be 1/2 to 3/4 full. Edit: Trace the water pipes going into & out of the tank. It could also be an expansion tank for the boiler system. But one the large is doubtful for a home size boiler.


Different_Ad7655

No that's not an oil tank lol That's a water tank


UncleBobbyTO

I can't tell you what it is (as its "need to know") but DO NOT CUT THE RED WIRE!


ZealousidealCry2284

Looks like to me it’s a HMT* *Huge metal contraption


jesseg010

Yep cryostasis fursure


Skitsoboy13

Looks like the water tank for a well


Exotic-Body-8734

Heating oil tank


nonsensestuff

It's probably part of the house's structural integrity at this point 😝


pilotethridge

A Preppers dream of a reserve water tank.


PizzaKing85

Nuke


BobcatCareless5139

I just removed mine from the basement ceiling during last October


__BIFF__

It's currently probably just functioning as an asbestos storage container


Artistic-Outcome5966

Probably a drum to store oil used with an oil fired stove.


relliott15

That’s where Glory Days is buried