Pump - Sandustry Wiki
Learn how the Pump moves Water into a Sandustry fluid network, what source conditions it needs, and why a connected system may stop flowing.
Overview
The Pump is a fluid Building that takes Water or another non-Lava liquid from a source and sends it into attached Pipes. It is the input component in a fluid network, connecting a usable source to a Liquid Vent that releases the liquid at the destination.
This page reflects the official Wiki and current Early Access gameplay evidence checked on August 17, 2026. It does not assign the Pump an unverified range, transport distance, throughput rate, or fixed Pump-to-Vent ratio.
Quick Facts
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Building |
| Category | Fluid Building (site classification) |
| Related Resource | Water |
| Related Buildings | Pipe, Liquid Vent |
How to Obtain
The checked current sources establish the Pump’s function but do not provide a stable build cost or permanent unlock order. Follow the Objectives and Research available in your current Early Access build rather than relying on an older Demo sequence or a fixed cost from an unverified source.
How It Works
| Stage | Verified Behavior |
|---|---|
| Source | A non-Lava liquid must reach the Pump’s effective pickup area. |
| Input | The Pump consumes liquid from within its tile; only the central 2 × 2 area picks it up. |
| Transport | A continuous Pipe network carries the liquid from the Pump. |
| Output | A connected Liquid Vent deposits the liquid at the destination. |
The working sequence is:
Water source → Pump → continuous Pipe → Liquid Vent
The Pump is non-solid, so solid pixels can enter its tile. If solids occupy the pickup space, liquid cannot occupy that same space and the Pump stops transporting it. A connected system can also stop at the other end when the Liquid Vent’s output area is blocked or sufficiently filled; that is an output-side condition rather than a Pump throughput rule.
Used For
- Water transportation: Move Water from a usable source to another part of the factory.
- Fluid automation: Provide the input side of a connected Pump, Pipe, and Liquid Vent network.
- Production supply: Deliver Water to a reservoir or wetting area upstream of Wet Sand processing.
- Opening production context: Delivered Water can help create Wet Sand, which a Shaker processes into Gold and Residue. Gold later reaches a Collector for Research use; neither Building connects directly to the fluid Pipe network.
Related Buildings
- Pipe — forms the continuous connection between the Pump and the output device.
- Liquid Vent — deposits the transported liquid at the destination.
- Shaker — processes Wet Sand created with Water, but does not receive Water directly from the Pump.
- Collector — sits farther downstream in the opening Gold chain and is not a fluid-network component.
Related Resources
- Water — a verified liquid input that the Pump can move through a connected Pipe system.
Other non-Lava liquids may be transported, but this page does not list them without a separate entity-level source review.
Tips and Notes
- Confirm that source liquid reaches the Pump’s central pickup area; touching only the outer edge may not supply the effective 2 × 2 input.
- If the Pump stops moving Water, check for solid pixels inside the pickup space before rebuilding the network.
- Trace the system in order: source liquid, Pump input, continuous Pipe connection, Liquid Vent output, then destination space.
- Keep the Liquid Vent output area open enough to deposit fluid. A full or obstructed destination can look like an input failure.
- Current Early Access gameplay confirms that this component chain can transfer Water, but it does not establish a universal placement, distance, efficiency, or component ratio.
FAQ
What does the Pump do in Sandustry?
The Pump takes a non-Lava liquid from within its tile and sends it into attached Pipes. In a basic Water system, it supplies the input that a connected Liquid Vent releases at the destination.
How do Pumps move Water?
Place the Pump so Water reaches its effective pickup area, connect it to a Liquid Vent with a continuous Pipe, and leave room for the Vent to output Water. The verified chain is Water source → Pump → Pipe → Liquid Vent.
Why is my Pump not working?
Check whether Water reaches the central pickup area and whether solid pixels have entered that space. Then confirm that the Pipe is continuous and that the Liquid Vent’s output area is not blocked or filled to its stopping level.
Can a Pump move Lava?
No. The official Pump and Pipe pages exclude Lava from the liquids the network can transport.
How many Pumps or Liquid Vents do I need?
The checked sources do not establish a fixed ratio. Required capacity depends on the source, destination, connected network, and actual demand, so this page does not prescribe one component count.
Related Guides
Update History
Updated: 2026-08-17 18:40, Asia/Shanghai — Initial Pump fluid-building draft based on the official Wiki and existing current Early Access Automation research.