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Author Topic: River..Pressure?  (Read 1363 times)

Dr. Johbson

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River..Pressure?
« on: April 24, 2009, 06:36:10 am »

Well, so I was building a fortress the other day, next to a river/water fall. It was going along pretty nicely, I did have to seal the fortress to get away from the orcs, however. Just an underground bridge and an underground moat, nothing fancy there. Anyway, They left, and they aren't my problem. because I know all dwarves have an unusual love of mist, and I like the idea of a dwarven shower, I built some some grates and some floor near the top of the water fall, so my dwarves could clean themselves.


Now, I had TONS of carp in my river, so I thought, "Hmm, how should I get rid of these guys?" and I came up with a device that would allow my dwarves to drink fresh water as well as channel the river slowly off the side of the cliff, into the river below.

My carp were no longer a problem, as the closer they came to my fortress, the more likely they came to being air-drowned and eatten by my cats, under my fortress. So, carp, not a problem anymore.."Hmm," I thought to myself, "I think I should increase the water flow in my showers." So, I enclosed my 'cistern' with walls and stuff, so no more flow off the other side of the mountain. Before that, of course, I dammed the waterfall, so there was no water at all, flowing through my showers.

When I finished that..I checked out everything in my fortress, and everything looked OK. However, just as I was about to open my shower 'floodgates,' I was interrupted  by real life stuff. How boring. I came back, to see my fortress..Almost completely covered. The only reason I had any rooms OK was because I often made 'balconies' for my dwarves, which water was flowing out of, down into the river below. As soon as I saw this, I didn't know what was going on. I couldn't find where the water was coming from, the river wasn't flooding, No doors were open.. I decided try to open my 'floodgates' to see what would happen, if not just for the sake of fun. When I opened this, water generously flowed down into the shower area, washing over the dwarves that had just died a second earlier, from thirst. After a while, and a few dwarf deaths, (I had 6 left, 5 if you don't count the crazy one.) The fortress seemed..OK. The water was slowly evaporating or pouring out the edge of the fortress, and I had plenty of food, as that room was barely flooded.


I still could find no reason how the water flooded my fortress, but I didn't care anymore. I just got a migrant wave! My fortress was saved. I channel the 'cistern' into the side of the mountain, as a celebration, and then.. VROOSSH. Water came speeding out of that cistern rocket speed. Lots, and lots of water. So I guess it was water pressure, that..somehow built up in my cistern somehow, with the use of no pumps whatsoever, and no river overflowing above my fortress. But I'm not sure..so..do you guys know?  ;D
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Hydra

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Re: River..Pressure?
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2009, 07:18:16 am »

I have troubles picturing the exact situation, but I do know that water that falls down a waterfall has the original 'pressure' from where it came from.
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Hagadorn

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Re: River..Pressure?
« Reply #2 on: April 24, 2009, 07:19:08 am »

I too have only a vague idea of what you were doing...


but I blame...
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
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You see, booze is a parasite. It lives off dwarves and compels them to dig into the ground so as to create massive defences to protect it's self. It really shouldn't be called dwarf fortress, Booze fortress would make much more sense.

Neruz

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Re: River..Pressure?
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2009, 08:00:04 am »

Water that falls down a waterfall retains the pressure of the river above.

So if water falls down 7 z levels, it now has 7 z levels worth of pressure and will fill up to those 7 z levels. This is why you never build waterworks downstream of a waterfall, without first pumping the water to neutralise it's pressure.

Icarus

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Re: River..Pressure?
« Reply #4 on: April 24, 2009, 08:18:50 am »

Water that falls down a waterfall retains the pressure of the river above.

So if water falls down 7 z levels, it now has 7 z levels worth of pressure and will fill up to those 7 z levels. This is why you never build waterworks downstream of a waterfall, without first pumping the water to neutralise it's pressure.

*Looks at his current waterway set-up*
Uh oh
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Neruz

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Re: River..Pressure?
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2009, 08:24:31 am »

Water that falls down a waterfall retains the pressure of the river above.

So if water falls down 7 z levels, it now has 7 z levels worth of pressure and will fill up to those 7 z levels. This is why you never build waterworks downstream of a waterfall, without first pumping the water to neutralise it's pressure.

*Looks at his current waterway set-up*
Uh oh

Somone's about to have some fun.

Byakugan01

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Re: River..Pressure?
« Reply #6 on: April 24, 2009, 01:27:40 pm »

I'd say if it keeps flowing, and doesn't pool up and collect, then you're out of danger. You dammed up your water supply, so maybe that's what caused the flooding? Was there any opening from the cistern into your fortress other than the shower system??
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From Mr. Welch's 1350 things he is not allowed to do in a RPG:
148. There is no Gnomish Deathgrip, and even if there was, it wouldn't involve tongs.
171. My character's dying words are not allowed to be "Hastur, Hastur, Hastur"
218. No matter my alignment, organizing halfling pit fights is a violation.
231. I am not allowed to do anything that would make a Sith Lord cry.
240. Any character with more than three skills specializing in chainsaw is vetoed.

Albedo

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Re: River..Pressure?
« Reply #7 on: April 24, 2009, 06:03:19 pm »

This is why you never build waterworks downstream of a waterfall, without first pumping the water to neutralise it's pressure.

Or use diagonals somewhere in the intake system, which also neutralize pressure.
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zchris13

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Re: River..Pressure?
« Reply #8 on: April 24, 2009, 06:04:38 pm »

Diagonals work. Confirmed.
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