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[Tfafalcon]

Is there some way to stop a dwarven reactor once it starts working? (without disasembling it completely)

I tried putting a lever operated hatch on the pumps input tile, but the pump was still able to somehow pump water and keep the reactor moving.

[lolghurt]

Why do you want it to stop?

[dephelis]

Hmm, floor hatch on the input tile should work.

You can try overloading the reactor by trying to use more power than is currently provided by the reactor, that should shut down everything.

Out of interest why are you trying to shut it down? If you need to interrupt the power from it you could always disengage the first gear in the power train from the reactor by attaching it to a lever.

[Tfafalcon]

Mostly for FPS reasons. I've read that excessive waterflow will seriously slow down the game, so running a few dozen reactors full time could be problematic.

But I still want the option to wash away any invaders in a massive flood, for which I need a lot of power at once.

So I'd like to keep a the reactors full filled with water, just stopped. Then when the invaders dare to show their faces I'd just restart the reactors and let the fun commence.

[dephelis]

I assume you're using the ractor from the wiki. I've just noticed the following:

Note: If created in an aquifer, there is a chance that the channeled tiles will have a natural water flow - this will cause the pump to start the moment the first wheel is finished, flooding the work area for the second.

Does that apply to you? Have to say I've never come across it myself as my reactor rooms tend to be at the core of the fortress deep underground.

Edit:
Oh and I forgot the obvious question, are you sure you built a floor hatch. Have you tried a retracting bridge instead?

[Tfafalcon]

Nope, no aquifier at all. And I'm sure that I build a hatch. I tried opening and closing it a few more times once the pump started working, but it had no effect, although I could see the hatch when it was closed.

[Tfafalcon]

I'll try adding a floodgate on the pumps output tile. That might work, but I guess I'll have to add some water to the reactors every few shutdowns.

[dephelis]

Well if that doesn't work, I'd build a power drain room.

Essentially, a room full of gears that will cause the power consumption to rise above that provided by your reactors. It can be linked to your power system by a gear linked to a lever. Have the gear disengaged for normal operation and then pull the lever to engage the gear and bring your power system to a standstill.

An alternative would be a power system like this:

Code: [Select]

. =Floor
W = Waterwheel
P = Pump
_ = Channel
X = Hatch over channel
* @ = Gear
= = axle

Level 1: reactor level
.W.W.W.W.W.W.W.W
.WPW.WPW.WPW.WPW
.WPW.WPW.WPW.WPW
.._...X...X...X. 

Level 2: Power train
.............               
.*=@=*===*===*====== -> to fort
.............
.............

With this you can close off all but one reactor by closing the hatches and disengaging the gear @. You can then rengage @ and open the hatches to quick power up all the reactors according to how much power you need. You should also be able to link the the hatches and the gear together to the same lever.

[Tfafalcon]

My problem is that for some reason the hatches don't work. The pump still manages to get water somehow, in spite of the hatch being closed (by lever).

[Whitestar60]

You could try temporarily draining all the water off then pumping it back in when ready.

[breadbocks]

Build a manual pump with the inflow tile on the reactor's output tile.

[TurkeyXIII]

You might have 'flow' under the water wheels despite the lack of water actually moving.  If this is the case, you won't have to worry about fps - the 'flowing' flag on water doesn't really hurt it much, if at all.  I have a mini reactor that's still going despite a black cap that grew in the pump intake.  I don't question it.

I believe there was some science done on what causes this, I'll see if I can find the thread.
Edit:  This isn't what I was looking for, but it's close: http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=51697.0

[Beeskee]

Pumps can pump water faster than it falls, it's how the mist generator works.

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=34407.0

[Patchy]

Well if you are using the wiki design, it has a finite supply of water in the reactor. you can always dig a room below it and then poke a hole in the floor of it to drain it and thus stop it.

I usually build my reactors with a lever operated hatch in the water tank that drains the water into an evaporation room. This gives me an off switch for the reactor and allows me to go in and do maintenance on the reactor in the future, like clearing tree growth, and paving the bottom of it to prevent further growth, or just plain relocating the reactor to different spot in the fort.

[Hyndis]

Bridge or floodgate works to block the outlet from the pump. If you make that tile impassible the pump cannot stop water, and so the entire thing stops dead.

If all else fails deconstruct the pump, but that is a messy solution.