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[Kohou]

So, I'm considering building a magma fall for my dwarfs, having it fall about 6 z-levels, and then stop.  I've never toyed with screw pumps before (this is my 9th fortress, too.  ) and I don't want to this time, really, if I don't have to.

I'm wondering whether cutting a channel back to the magma pipe at the bottom of the fall would prevent the magma from filling up, since it could flow back into the magma pipe.  Or will it eventually fill up anyway?

(I tried searching the wiki and forums, and found nothing.  Thanks for the help.)

[Smew]

It will fill up anyway, since the channel that goes back to the magma pipe will become filled with magma FROM the magma pipe.
I suggest screw pumps really, as long as you have a good source of water it's ridiculously easy.

[yggiz]

It will fill up eventually. The magma will flow from the volcano through the bottom channel and fill it up if you just dig it straight out. So now you have magma falling in from above, and from the side.

Magma does evaporate if it is only 1/7 deep. If you dig a large enough area for the magma to disperse after the falls, it may spread out enough to evaporate naturally, but I suspect it would need a large, large, area if you are just directing a full magma channel into it.

If you have access to bauxite, you can build mechanisms out of it, and use it to create magma-safe floodgates. These floodgates could be used to shut off your magma flow to your falls, and to restart it once you make appropriate adjustments. While fiery death of dwarves attending a party is fun, I prefer it to happen when I want it to happen.

As far as a magma sink, I can't really help you there. A large enough area dug out for drainage ought to do it, and with the magma-resistant safeguards, you could fix nearly any part of your system. Of course, a chasm would be perfect.

[uberubert]

I was also thinking "Chasm" for disposal of the already fallen lava.
Isnt it almost equally effective to just dump the lava out the edge of the map? This of course probably requires you to pump the lava up to the surface, since you can't dig at the very edge of the map.

Oh, and don't forget, you can hook up a screw pump to a gear/axle-construction for automation, and building it correctly, you should also be able to connect a gear to a lever in order to be able to stop the pumping completely whenever you want to!

[zchris13]

Magma will not flow off the edge of the map.

[Tenebrous]

For an easy, no screw-pump solution, consider just digging a channel all the way to the bottom of your map and there digging a very large, empty room.

Since you are not pumping the magma to your magma-fall, there's no way that the magma will be able to fill the room - instead, it will cool and disappear naturally in your magma room after spreading a bit.

Just remember to close off the room with a hatch or some such, to keep your silly dwarfs from going to clean up cooled magma while standing right next to not-so-cool magma.

[Lalandrathon]

Making it a closed system would also work with a reservoir at the bottom big enough to hold all the magma if it stops working.

[forsaken1111]

You can do it without pumps, quite easily, but it does require some work.

You would need to set up 2 underground chambers large enough to give you some time, and a bauxite or other magma-safe switching system for directing the lava into either room as you require. You'd then need to set up a system of floodgates from a water source that allows you to dump water into either room as well.

Now when one room has 1 z-level of magma, of any depth, switch the magma flow to the 2nd room and flood the first room with water. Mine out the resulting obsidian and either use it or let it sit there. When the 2nd room has a full z-level of magma, switch back and repeat.

[Jim Groovester]

Ike, magma falls. Special considerations need to be taken with magma, since it doesn't pressurize like water, so it will tend to clump up where it lands. The way you have it, your fortress will flood.

The best method, in my opinion, is a closed system with pumps where the pumps draw magma from the same location that it is falling. Make sure to give plenty of leeway with the falling magma, as it is likely to spill over to other tiles.