Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Zorbeltuss]

I've tried starting on aquifers before and found some things that in some cases work, but they are highly dependent on circumstance, so my question is: Is there any reliable way to prepare to eliminate aquifers (is there surefire ways to deal with them, or is there a set of ways that can encompass most if not all circumstances)?

/Zorbeltuss

[Nikita]

Double-slit method is pretty much the most reliable way to dig a hole through an aquifer. And it doesn't care how many layers the aquifer has.

[Raphite1]

I generally cave in non-aquifer plugs to dig through, because it's most fun to me. The most straightforward cave-in method can't handle arbitrarily-deep aquifers, though. If I'm wanting to play a non-aquifer map, I just disable them in the raws by replacing occurrences of [AQUIFER] with {AQUIFER}. 

[Nikita]

I generally cave in non-aquifer plugs to dig through, because it's most fun to me. The most straightforward cave-in method can't handle arbitrarily-deep aquifers, though. If I'm wanting to play a non-aquifer map, I just disable them in the raws by replacing occurrences of [AQUIFER] with {AQUIFER}.

The plug method is very simple and quick (just practice safe channeling) but there is a bug where the plug itself sometimes turns into an aquifer after you cave it in.

[Torrenal]

Had the plug convert on me in my first/only try with a cave-in.  Double-slit works for me, but I find it to be dog slow on account of countless interrupted tasks - it can take me game years to get through more than a couple layers.  Freezing would be faster, but has issues with security (First time I was open to trying it, a siege started just before the freeze...)

I'm actually partial to finding discontinuities in the aquifer (Rock outcrops/ terrain boundaries) as they can involve no special work.
//Torrenal

[Starwing]

I usually just go around aquifers; all those job cancels from pumping are too much time wasting headache for me.

[KtosoX]

I personaly prefer the ice method, but you need a taiga or colder embark for it to be reliable.

[stool]

dealing with aquifers can be tedious, especially with more than 1 aquifer layer.
you can build wind mills connected to screwpumps to get rid of the water, without wasting dwarf power.
if you happen to forget the on/off switch, you can build a floortile 1 level above the windmill centertile to stop it.
cavein always works for me, but dont forget to get rid of trees, etc. on the "to-be-dropped" parts, or you will end up with strange artifacts producing caveins.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

edit:image showing a 64*64 drop, ramps are from ponds.

[Rokh]

Wait, people actually play with aquifers?

This is madness!

[samanato]

Oddly enough, I've never had the aquifer-plug convert into an aquifer, even though it happens apparently.

[neblime]

about the plug converting, does that only happen when it's connected to the aquifer?  I've had it happen once, when i forgot to mine out a tile of dirt connecting the hole for the plug to go in and the aquifer walls, and I assumed that was why it happened.  has anyone had it happen when the plug isn't connected? (when you have a 1 tile moat between it and the rest of the aquifer)
anyway I would agree with the op that your method is highly dependent on circumstances
double slit is pretty much the last resort for me, because it's usually the slowest option, or the ONLY option.
cave in method is quickest and easiest imo, if the aquifer is shallow enough/you have enough dry layers above it
i'd follow that up with the freezing method as next easiest (if you dont decide you want to get through the aquifer just after the thaw, or it's cold enough that it's frozen year round)

If you have a multi layer dirt aquifer there's basically going to be no quick or easy way to get through it, and you'll have to endure those job cancellations.  (unless you have magma)

[greycat]

I use the cave-in method for a single layer aquifer, and the double-slit method for anything deeper.

[Agent_Irons]

I use the cave-in method for a single layer aquifer, and the double-slit method for anything deeper.

How do you reliably tell the difference?

[neblime]

if you dig an up/down stair into the first layer, and there's still dirt in the layer below it there's a good chance that it's another aquifer layer.
I don't know of any other method other than trying the cave in and then going double slit from there if it was more than one layer, which does get you through the first layer. 
edit - i guess if you pause before the stairs fill up with water you can see if the layer below is damp. does that work?

[greycat]

I use the cave-in method for a single layer aquifer, and the double-slit method for anything deeper.

How do you reliably tell the difference?

This section of the double-slit method page page talks about it in detail.  I dig an exploratory stairwell a little bit away from where I really want my entrance, carefully single-stepping at the proper time.  You don't need the whole 2x2 shaft for the exploratory stairwell.  It can just be a single Up/Down stairwell.