Hello everyone-

Yesterday I turned on the water to a 100 year old farmhouse that I have been remodeling for the last year. The only thing hooked up in the house is the run to a garden faucet off the side of the house (will be hooking up fixtures this week). I bought this house last year and haven't been able to use it yet, so I wasn't sure what to expect for water/pressure condition-- I knew there was a working bathroom (no shower) and a kitchen sink when I bought it.

The result was that the pressure is bad coming out of that faucet. There is a significant amount of pressure initially, but it soon begins to slow considerably to a constant, but weak flow. This is alarming since it is the only thing hooked to the main right now, so I would think there would be a considerable amount of water volume/pressure.

The pump seems to be working fine (it is in a heated pit although I did not heat the pit last winter during house demolition). There is a pressure tank in this pit as well that seems to be working. Two months ago I turned the pump on enough to see that it worked and that it would shut off. I shut the pump off when the gauge on the pressure tank read 70, and then didn't touch anything for two months. I checked the pressure gauge just the other week and it was at 25. Not sure if this is normal.

I am wondering what to consider looking in to. Is this common for this type of pump? The thing looks ancient (I think it used to be hooked up to a windmill), but seems to run well. Can I upgrade/replace a pump like this without drilling a new well? Do I need a new pressure tank? A different pressure tank?

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!