Sandustry Water Guide: Sources, Transport, and Uses
Learn where Sandustry water comes from, how Pumps, Pipes, and Liquid Vents move it, how to build renewable supplies, and what water produces.
Sandustry water comes from surface lakes, underground deposits, melted Ice, Steam that returns as rain, and Lumlings. Move it with a Pump connected by Pipes to a Liquid Vent, then release it into a sealed reservoir or directly into a production chamber. Water is essential because contact with Sand makes Wet Sand, while contact with a Seed makes a Wet Seed.
Water Sources Compared
Natural lakes and underground pools are the fastest early sources, but every opened deposit should have a collection basin ready. Ice can be melted, while heated Water becomes Steam that rises and returns from the sky as rain. Captured Lumlings provide a small, continuous supply when kept above the waterline inside a Critter Fence.
| Source | How it works | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Lakes and deposits | Collect naturally generated Water | Early production |
| Ice | Melt it back into Water | Exploration and reserves |
| Steam and rain | Heat Water or Snow, guide Steam upward, and catch the rain | Renewable loop |
| Lumlings | Contain captured creatures above the pool | Continuous local supply |
How Water Behaves
Water settles into depressions and spreads until its surface is level. Loose droplets that fail to find a pool disappear after 45 seconds, so a broad catcher prevents avoidable loss. It cannot pass through Blocks, Conveyor Belts, Kinetic Presses, or Flux Emanators, but it passes through many other buildings, including ordinary Filters.
Corners deserve special attention because liquid can slip through the meeting point of two blocks. Use overlapping walls or an extra blocking piece instead of relying on a diagonal corner. Advanced Filters can act on liquid Water when a production line needs material separation.
How to Store Water Without Losing It
Use a wide, sealed depression as the main reservoir, with overlapping blocks at every corner. Put the Pump low enough to remain in contact with the Water as the level falls, and position the Liquid Vent according to the highest level you want the receiving tank to reach.
Before opening a lake or underground pocket, check that the collection basin can hold the released Water. Keep natural reserves closed until the basin and transfer route are ready. Separate the main reserve from the working tank so a production surge cannot drain every available source at once.
Pumps, Pipes, and Liquid Vents
Place a Pump where Water reaches its intake, join it to Pipes, and finish the line with a Liquid Vent at the delivery point. Pumping continues while fluid is at or above the Pump and the receiving level remains below the Liquid Vent. The output height therefore matters when laying out an uphill route or filling a tall reservoir.
Keep different fluids in separate pipe networks even though one pipeline can technically carry more than one type. A Liquid Vent releases the nearest available fluid rather than filtering the line by material. Separate networks make the output predictable and prevent another liquid from reaching a water-dependent process.
Wet Sand and Flower Production
One Sand pixel touching one Water pixel becomes two Wet Sand pixels. This reaction feeds Shakers in the main Gold chain, so control where Sand enters the pool and provide a clear path from the mixing area to the Shaker line. A contained basin is easier to replenish and keeps Wet Sand from blocking the Water supply.
When Water touches a Seed, the Seed becomes a Wet Seed and absorbs that Water pixel. Wet Seeds placed on Planter Boxes grow Flowers, linking the water network to Amethelis and Gold production. Feed this branch separately so flower demand does not unexpectedly drain the Wet Sand line.
Building a Renewable Supply
A Steam loop starts by heating Water or Cryoblaster-made Snow and giving the Steam an unobstructed path to the sky. Build a funnel or catchment above the return area so rain falls into storage rather than across the factory. The process is sustainable but slow, so it works best as a replenishment line rather than the only buffer for a large factory.
Lumlings offer another renewable route after they can be captured with the Corraller. Place them in a Critter Fence where rising Water will not submerge them, then collect their output below. A Pump and Liquid Vent can move that supply to the actual Sand or Seed processing area.