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[Shininglight]

Hullo all, I know this is a rather newbish thing to ask but i was wondering if you have tips at aquifer piercing? I've been playing DF for a while but i've never managed to get a handle on aquifer's. From what i've seen most people find them very useful and easy to breach but every time i've attempted it ended VERY badly or i just couldn't do it. I've read the wiki articles on it but for some reason that hasn't helped much either. Any assistance would be appreciated.

[gestahl]

If you don't know how deep it is, double slit method
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=79224.15

Generally, dig hole, pump water out of hole, build walls at edge of hole, repeat.

[edgefigaro]

Breaching aquifers in soil=time consuming and frustrating. Expect to spend .5-1 seasons or so per layer.
Breaching aquifers in rock=quick an easy.

Double slit method is the way to go though. I've always wanted to try chicken run, however.

Oh, and remember to take stone on embark for blocks.

[gestahl]

Yes, bring stone, but remember that the blocks/corkscrews/pipes needed for pumps can be made of wood if necessary. Mechanisms can't.

[Starver]

The point in time where I learnt how to properly make farms (and lose the reason for my forum name) was an embark where I had one non-soil ground tile that I could possibly mine out that wasn't aquifer-ridden. (And, for whatever reason, I didn't use that to kick-start the aquifer breaching.  Instead I forced myself to learn those farming techniques, and have never looked back.

(OTOH, while I theoretically know how to breach aquifers, I've actually not even needed to do much of it.  In the old days I think I mostly dug down alongside magma-pipe intrusions, these days I think I'm choosing embark locations that have less of a chance of having a site-wide aquifer, or even none at all.  Making the rest of my opinions on the subject doubtless useless for the matter at hand, so I'll shut up now.)

[edgefigaro]

I learned how to breach aquifers on terrifying reanimating embarks. I don't worry about aquifers too much when I am embarking anymore. It is a troublesome thing that can be dealt with. My embarking process is generally more along the lines of "I want to build on a mangrove coast, and, come hell or 10 story aquifer, goddamnit I am going to." Sometimes I even bother to breach the aquifer.

[Reese]

so, just because I could, I used the "build an expletive tonne of pumps" method to get through soil aquifers (oddly, I have never seen a non soil aquifer)

I use a no mechanisms and all wood parts method, it ends up looking something like this:


############
#__________######
#%%%%%%%%%%##|||#
+%%%%%%%%%%==%%_#
+__________++|||#
++++++++++++#####


And then you just build walls in the space down there through all the cancellation notices from the build site being underwater.

It's really only good for single layer aquifers, though.

[Lich180]

Or you can use the older, more primitive method of controlled cave ins to block off the aquifer. I would post a link, but i'm on my phone and the wiki has a good set of instructions.

[edgefigaro]

I just punched through ~5 layers of conglomerate aquifer on an coastal embark, though soil aquifers are much more common experiences.

[gestahl]

(oddly, I have never seen a non soil aquifer)

I know someone beat me to it, but.
Want to see "only part of my embark has an aquifer" go to "half the z lvls between the cavern and the surface, and 90% of my f*$%ing iron are in an aquifer" real quick? just add conglomerate.

[Koremu]

I once had a 9 z-level conglomerate aquifer.

I built a security and drowning trap / entrance hall inside it.

Under normal circumstances, the 7z main hall continually poured a slow trickle of water from on high over and near a 3-wide path of grates that descended from the exterior entrance to the lowest level.

One level pull or a trigger from a pressure plate would close the floodgates on the drains at the lowest level, and the whole thing would slowly fill up.

Another level pull would open additional water sources on the top aquifer level, to quickly fill the whole thing.

A third lever could open drains right at the bottom, into the z-level below the normal drains, to empty the sump so that the whole thing could be cleaned.

Lastly the entryway in and out way was provided with an automated airlock which would shut if the water rose above a certain level.

The whole thing was also engraved to a high degree, and the path of grates was eventually lined with statues (including an indestructible artefact one with a building destroyer trap)

[joeclark77]

The double-slit method never worked for me, maybe I was doing it wrong.  I tried Hans Lemurson's method and it worked like a charm.  You will need to learn how to generate power from water wheels or windmills (I always choose river embarks so water wheels for me).  The only thing you need stone for is gear assemblies (made of 1 stone mechanism each) if you have enough trees to make the screw pump components.  I need about five mechanisms plus two per aquifer level, so if I embark with 20 stones I'm fine.  (I recommend cinnabar for the color.)

Method: (see 2nd post) http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=79224.0

The most critical part, and the part I figured out last, is covered under reply #12 to that thread "How to build those darn walls".  The key is not to dig out one soil tile at a time in a way that doesn't increase the amount of water flowing sideways into the level you're working on.  Biggest mistake would be digging the stairs on the aquifer level immediately.  Instead use the ramps that are already there in the holes you channeled out.

[Hans Lemurson]

Yeah, my solution is highly mechanical and very material-intensive compared to the double-slit method, but it's not nearly as tricky to execute.  It also leaves the mechanisms in place for re-draining your hole should you suffer an "unfortunate accident".

"Fool-Proof" may be a bit of an exageration though, since one must never underestimate the resourcefulness of fools.

[joeclark77]

The drain holes that you punch into the layer above the aquifer are also good places to put sublime wells adjacent to the central staircase.