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[Marsunpaistii]

The question is simple: why do my screw pumps from my pumpstack deconstruct before I even get to finish the pumpstack?

[Lord Braindead]

Are you pumping magma with non-magmasafe pumps? Thats the only reason i can think of.

[timesavatar]

I've had the same thing happen before, when I took too long to get the rest of the pumps up, they would start taking apart the ones that were already built.

[krenshala]

Are you building the stack from the top down?  If so, you don't have support and the stack falls.

[Lord Braindead]

You cant build a pump without it being supported by a floor under the walkable tile as far as i know which would mean that your stack would come down in a very obvious cavein.
I think it would help to find the reason if you gave us a sketch of your design.

[CapnUrist]

Let me guess: you're setting down the plans for the entire stack, right?

The game uses designated pumps as existing support for placing new designations, which is nice so that you don't have to wait for one level to be built before setting up the next. However, this also means that if you make the planned line too long, the pumps that are already built run the risk of falling apart if the whole planned stack isn't completed.

The solution? Either plan shorter stacks, or what I like to do, provide support at the top with a stable gear assembly and go from the top all the way to the bottom. Dwarves build things in a last-in-first-out order, so if the last pump you designate is the ground floor pump, that'll be the first one, and they'll go from there. I learned this the same way I imagine you are, by planning a very tall pump stack (30+ z-levels) and having the pumps already build collapse before the stack is completed.

[Marsunpaistii]

Let me guess: you're setting down the plans for the entire stack, right?

The game uses designated pumps as existing support for placing new designations, which is nice so that you don't have to wait for one level to be built before setting up the next. However, this also means that if you make the planned line too long, the pumps that are already built run the risk of falling apart if the whole planned stack isn't completed.

The solution? Either plan shorter stacks, or what I like to do, provide support at the top with a stable gear assembly and go from the top all the way to the bottom. Dwarves build things in a last-in-first-out order, so if the last pump you designate is the ground floor pump, that'll be the first one, and they'll go from there. I learned this the same way I imagine you are, by planning a very tall pump stack (30+ z-levels) and having the pumps already build collapse before the stack is completed.

Woah, thanks for the info! Its not too annoying to have them deconstruct but the fact that the parts go behind the channel where the dwarves cant access and the parts are wasted because I can't be arsed to retrieve them

[Triaxx2]

Easier is to use an oversize stack. So instead of:

Code: [Select]

XY
YX
XY

It's like this:

Code: [Select]

CCCXYCCC
CCC  CCC
CCC  CCC
Y      X
X      Y
CCC  CCC
CCC  CCC
CCCYXCCC

Spread across several Z-levels of course. It was originally a magma pump method to reduce lag, but I find it works for water just as well. The only trick is finding a sufficiently cave free area.

If necessary, you can use alternate patterns of flow.

Code: [Select]

  C
 C
C

For a long area around caverns.

  C
  C
CCC

For getting around a corner.

CCC
C C
C C
Y X
X Y

If the area is really small.
The problem is that many of these require a lot of power.

Using a modified water reactor every ten levels or so can help:

Code: [Select]


Y Y
X X
CCC Z-1
CCC
CCC
CCC
CCC
Y Y
X X

OOO Z+1
WOW
WOW
WOW
OOO

This uses two pumps to draw up from the lower level to ensure sufficient flow through to get up to the next stack without extra lag where the flow stops and starts.
Yes, more pumps are the Dwarven solution to Erectile Dysfunction.

[jaxad0127]

If you do move horizontally at least 3 tiles, look into building a water wheel above it. No need to use extra space for water reactors that way.

[gtmattz]

I just simply build a 2 wide stack and only make my power transfer channels on one side, so on every single level there is unbreakable support.  Yeah it uses 2 times as many pumps, so that is twice the manufacturing jobs, but it is a good way to train up your craftsdwarves.