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[demonator775]

I have consulted the wiki, and my well still flooded over into my pen. I have no idea what is going on so I closed df so I could keep my fort. (I know thats kind of cheating.)

[knutor]

Well design is an artform.  So is placing floodgates.  I feel your pain. 

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I like to channel an X on the same level as the uppermost water, where it starts, going downwards.  This is where the well, will go.  In center of X.  I use the points of the X, as Hatches so they can retrieve anyone pushed into the Well.  Underneath the X I keep the ramps, except for that one directly under the well.  Then I run a hall to the nearest pool.  Next I smooth and fortify that, to leak safely water into the well reservoir.

If you go down one too many z levels, that will happen.  Be sure your well is on the first water level, not any deeper.  If you make one deeper, you'll need a run off pipe.  Haven't built one of those in 34.xx yet, so not sure if they are still available.  Bin having issues getting past the 1yr, and undead.  HEH!  Knutor

[Garath]

If you can't give a better description of what you did, how it looked etc, we have no way to see what went wrong. The only thing I can say now is: you made a mistake. And yes, make floodgates and raised bridges to stop the waterflow, just in case you need to. If you were using a pump, make sure you have a way to turn is off. If you think one floodgate is enough, you should build another one further down. There is no such thing as being too careful untill you can do this in your sleep and even then only maybe. It's one of the more common ways for a fort to die.

[demonator775]

If it cant go down several layers then thats what I did wrong. Because my river is on the same level as my fort but I went down to my pens and that is 3-4 z levels down. I but a floor grate there though, so I was kind of smart about it, I dont want anything getting in.

[GhostDwemer]

Water flowing through a diagonal connection loses all pressure. If water can only flow into the cistern under your well through a diagonal connection, your cistern will never overflow.
Water flowing directly into a cistern from a source will likely contain contaminants and come out of your well as 'stagnant water.' Dwarves will drink it, but get a bad thought about it. Using pumps to get your water into your cistern will remove contaminants, as long as there is no direct connection from your cistern to a polluted source.

[Garath]

If it cant go down several layers then thats what I did wrong. Because my river is on the same level as my fort but I went down to my pens and that is 3-4 z levels down. I but a floor grate there though, so I was kind of smart about it, I dont want anything getting in.

Yup.

http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Pressure


water will always try to fill up any area up to the point where the water level from the source is as high as everywhere it can flow. It would have filled your whole fort right up to the top.

[white_darkness]

Just include a diagonal bend in the carved out tunnel that fills the well.  Normally have my wells about 11 z-levels down.

W=water
S=Stone

Code: [Select]

SSSW
WWWS
SSSS

[knutor]

Don't forget about the rope, too.  Toady gives us some levels to dip the bucket, once the well is made, it doesn't have to be flush with the water.  I can't tell you how long that rope extends down, but it does go more than 2 z levels..  I know that much.  HEHE  Knutor

[rhesusmacabre]

Wells can be as high above above the water source as you like. It does make them slower to use though (but you get to watch the bucket, if you care to).

[demonator775]

So it doesn't matter how many z levels I go down as long as I make a second pressure release?

[Garath]

Yes, you need to  make sure there is no presure to push it past the height you want it at. And still! You need to add blocks and safeguards.

[white_darkness]

Yep.  12 z-levels below source, 2 levels of water and actual well on z-level -10 from source z-level.  Only one pressure release needed, since the source is also functioning as a mist-generator.

[Garath]

Do have to add, it's wise to add devices to stop the whole thing. It's possible you might want to divert part of the flow, or some dirt gets in... If you build in ways to disrupt the flow and drain the system it'll be easier on you in the long run

[GoldenShadow]

Here is how I build a well Deep inside the fort, underneath the aquifer or cavern lake.

first, Dig out a room. Dig a channel where the well will be. You want this to be more than 1 Z-level deep, so the water will be clean, and not laced with mud.Dig a water inlet on the upper part of the well's cistern at a diagonal. Make sure your dwarf can path out of there to the surface before continuing or he will drown. Dig up/downstairs all the way to the aquifer until he hits water. He will automatically cancel mining and run out if he doesn't do anything stupid like take a nap.

The water will completely fill the up/downstairs and leak out of the diagonal inlet below the well. The max water height will be level with the diagonal water inlet.

If you forget to put the diagonal inlet, you will flood your fortress.

If you do this with a cavern lake, swimming monsters(including Forgotten beasts) can and will path into your Fort, This can be avoided by putting a floor grate over the place where a well would normally be and pumping that water into a 2nd cistern from the floor grate.

[GhostDwemer]

I use a pump, pumping through a grate, in a little shack up top. I put down stairs all around where the well will be and up stairs in the cistern. Even though it is pumped and can be turned off, I still use a fill and a drain floodgate in the cistern. The drain just empties through a fortification into the caverns, I don't care if they get wet. I put doors next to my floodgates so there is dwarf access even if the floodgates are closed. Here's a picture.

Clean water and total security, as the hatch can be locked, preventing even building destroyers from getting in, as they can't path to it when it's locked. Same thing with the grate, nothing can destroy anything above itself.