Sandustry water guide

Choose the right water source for the job

Use a nearby natural pocket for the first Wet Sand and Seed washing lines. It starts producing with less construction than a renewable loop, and the visible water level teaches you how quickly each process consumes the supply.

Before connecting several rooms, decide which use has priority. Wet Sand usually funds early research, while the Seed washer unlocks the plant chain. Separate reservoirs or controlled feeds stop one busy process from draining the other without warning.

• Mark the minimum level needed by the Pump.
• Leave space above each basin for the Liquid Vent and overflow.
• Keep a manual refill path until the renewable system proves stable.

Move Water with a Pump, Pipes, and Vent

Place the Pump at or below the liquid level so Water reaches its intake. Connect Pipes from the Pump to a Liquid Vent, then leave open space below the Vent for the output to collect. Start with a short line where both ends remain visible.

If the Pump runs but the destination stays dry, inspect the source level first, then the pipe connection, then the destination level. A filled destination can reach the Vent and stop visible flow even though the line itself is intact.

A pipeline may hold more than one liquid, but the Vent cannot provide the filtering control used for solids. Dedicated lines make it clear which source is feeding each room and prevent the wrong liquid from appearing during a restart.

• Seal vertical shafts before opening the Vent.
• Place the Vent above the intended maximum water line.
• Use separate pipe routes for separate liquids.
• Do not route Lava through the Water system.

Feed Wet Sand and Wet Seed production

For Wet Sand, give dry Sand a path that crosses Water before it reaches the Shaker. Filter dry material back into the wetting area and send only Wet Sand forward. Watch the water level during a full storage batch so you know how long the source can support the line.

For Wet Seed, feed a contained washing column rather than dumping Seed into the main Sand basin. Wet Seed rises in the observed washer design, so an upper filtered exit can remove it while dry Seed returns to the Water. The separate basin also keeps plant material out of the early Gold line.

Recover Water through Steam and rain

Apply heat to Water in a contained room and give the Steam a clear vertical shaft to the sky. Steam that reaches the top returns as rain across a wider area, so build the collection funnel before starting the first batch.

Close side openings in the Steam shaft and make the rain basin wider than the rising column. The returning drops do not need to fall into the exact tile where the Steam left. Route the collected Water back to storage only after you confirm the rain lands inside the walls.

This loop is slow at the beginning, but it can prevent a complete shutdown while you search for larger pockets or collect Water-producing Lumlings. Treat it as a supply system with storage, not a direct high-speed feed to every machine.

• Build the rain funnel before heating Water.
• Keep the shaft open to the top of the map.
• Inspect side gaps if Steam disappears before reaching the sky.

Control Snow and Ice without freezing the line

Cryoblast Snow can provide another route into the Water cycle after melting or heating. Test Snow in a small chamber because loose cold material can enter Steam, condensation, or Lava rooms and change the intended state interaction.

When a cold room fails, stop producing Snow before adding more heat. Remove solid Ice and stray Snow, restore the Water path, then restart with a small amount. A steady Water output is the completion signal, not the amount of Snow stored above the chamber.