Match the filter to the material
Read the current material label: Seed and Wet Seed, or Sand and Wet Sand, need different selections. A normal Filter sorts a selected solid while moving rejected material onward; it is not a sealed liquid sorter. Use the advanced filter controls when you need liquid, gas or multiple-material selection.
Inspect direction and both exits
Check which side is meant to receive the allowed material, and use R to adjust orientation when needed. Remove material below or beyond that exit. Test one known material before restoring a mixed feed. A correct selection cannot pull output into occupied space.
Reduce the pile before changing settings
A permitted pixel buried in a mixed pile may never reach the filter surface. Stop input, clear rejected material and run a shallow batch. If that works, separate dense output earlier or add another sorting stage instead of increasing the feed.
Repair a washer that relied on the old boundary behavior
Players reported Seed washers failing after Update #4. The discussion identifies old designs that relied on Water reaching inside a filter to change Seed there. Use an open contact area for Seed and Water, then filter the resulting Wet Seed at a separate exit. This is a redesign principle; it does not certify every old washer Blueprint.
Separate a patch change from a stalled building
Version 0.5.7 fixed Lava leakage through Advanced Filter Walls and several building and sensor stalls. Do not restore a Lava route by relying on the removed leak. If the correct small test still stops, record the game build, allowed elements and whether reloading resumes processing before reporting the case.
Common questions
Does every stopped filter indicate a bug?
No. Wrong material state, direction, a full exit and a mixed pile can all explain the stop.
Should I rebuild the whole factory?
Start with one filter and a small clean batch. Reconnect neighboring stages only after its output moves correctly.