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[Ivan Issaccs]

So I'm trying to pump magma up a series of screw pumps to fill my chanals and finally have a moat which burns rather than freezes during winter.
Now I've never used pumps before so I'm wondering, after I align them all upwards, how do I fill up the moat, as with my current understanding I dont see how the pump operator can operate without being melted.
Or If I connect it to a waterwheel/windmill how do I stop it overflowing the moat? 

Edit - Another question.
How do I make my mechanics build bauxite mechanisms. (Wanting to set up an obsidian farm)
Theirs a stockpile of it next to the workshops but they seem to ignore it in favour of siltstone.

[Qloos]

The rear tile of the pump that is operated from is safe unless that tile itself becomes covered with magma.  The forward portion of the pump acts as a wall and will pump liquid to that level and no higher, regardless of how much pressure is behind the pump.

To make bauxite mechanisms, bauxite must be the closest stone to the masonsmechanics workshop.  For they always choose the closest material to the workship.  Furthermore, make sure bauxite is not reserved as an economic ore in the [z] menu stones tab or is not forbidden as: {bauxite}

[Nadaka]

for your second question, make sure that your bauxite is the closest non-forbidden stone by x&y to the mechanics shop. Note that this ignores z level completely, stone 20 levels down and directly under the shop will have 0 distance, while the stones directly adjacent on the same level will have a distance of 2.

For your first question, it depends on the arrangement of the pumps. The exit tile for each pump should be empty but enclosed underneath and on every side, it should be channeled at the top to allow the next level of pumps to continue the lift. Most people do this by stacking the pumps in opposite directions and powering via windmill or water wheel. However, manual pumping can work as well.

[darthbob88]

One important detail for powered pumps: make sure you have a lever-actuated gear assembly between your power source(s) and your pump stack(s), or else things will get very Fun indeed. I've made that exact mistake twice now, and each time nearly flooded the world as a result.

[Durin]

Well, if you position your pump correctly, i.e. have it discharge at the highest level you ever want to fill to, it can run forever and never flood your world.  If you are not really good with 3d visualization though, you may want to take the advice offered above and be sure to have a lever to disengage the pump if necessary. 

Even water cannot be over-pumped.  It will only go to 7 high on the same level the pump discharges to.  Now, it will most definitely go DOWN if it can find a way....

That seems a little too painfully obvious for words though...  hehe.

Sadly, the heat question is one I cannot comment on, as all my pumping thusfar has been water related.  The stuff about pumps and flooding is straight from the wiki though.

http://dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Screw_pump#Construction

[Shurhaian]

Another way to ensure your mechanic makes bauxite mechanisms, which I'm surprised nobody has mentioned, is to lock him in with only the workshop and the bauxite.

Mind, however, that pumps themselves do not need to be magma safe. I've pumped many a magma flow with copper components and random stone block. Just don't use something that can burn.

[Reese]

hey, Just want to point out that the mechanic (or mason) does not pick the material closest to the workshop, he picks the material closest to himself... most of the time (with a repeat order, say) the mason or mechanic will be standing on the workshop so there's no difference, but when you are ordering a single item to be made the mechanic is usually doing something else on the other side of your fortress.