Hydro Power Plant turning on and off

[Doodoo Feces]

My hydro power plant keeps operating and not operating and switching inbetween. What's causing this and how do I stop it?

[Verullus Forgefire]

I believe the reason might be different level of water behind the dam, but not entirely sure if this is the main reason.

[Doodoo Feces]

Originally posted by Imparja:

I believe the reason might be different level of water behind the dam, but not entirely sure if this is the main reason.

So what can I do about that, make the dam bigger?

[grapplehoeker]

Originally posted by Jasper:

Originally posted by Imparja:

I believe the reason might be different level of water behind the dam, but not entirely sure if this is the main reason.

So what can I do about that, make the dam bigger?

The water level behind the dam must be as high or even a fraction higher than the lip of the dam itself and that must remain constant for constant power. So, bigger dam? No.
Slightly lowering the dam to the level of the water behind it or a fraction below should do it. (make sure the game is paused and that you have saved the game before working on it to avoid accidents ;)
If there is still a fluctuation in the water level after you've done that, then it is a problem with the water flow and you'll need to attend to that too.

[Doodoo Feces]

Originally posted by grapplehoeker:

Originally posted by Jasper:

So what can I do about that, make the dam bigger?

The water level behind the dam must be as high or even a fraction higher than the lip of the dam itself and that must remain constant for constant power. So, bigger dam? No.
Slightly lowering the dam to the level of the water behind it or a fraction below should do it. (make sure the game is paused and that you have saved the game before working on it to avoid accidents ;)
If there is still a fluctuation in the water level after you've done that, then it is a problem with the water flow and you'll need to attend to that too.

How do I lower the dam?

[nop277]

personally i'd avoid dams for power use, and only use them for aesthetics if you like it. My experience is they don't work particularly well.

[cybersol]

The power generation depends on the amount of flow. If it is very slow flowing then it will only generate power intermittently. It can happen either because it started out that way (few to no large arrows in the river before placing the dam), or because you are now sucking up all the water upstream. One thing you can do is dump your sewage above the dam to increase flow. Careful though, becuase if you continue sucking up more and more water, you can actually make the river start to flow backwards!

[grapplehoeker]

Originally posted by Jasper:

Originally posted by grapplehoeker:

The water level behind the dam must be as high or even a fraction higher than the lip of the dam itself and that must remain constant for constant power. So, bigger dam? No.
Slightly lowering the dam to the level of the water behind it or a fraction below should do it. (make sure the game is paused and that you have saved the game before working on it to avoid accidents ;)
If there is still a fluctuation in the water level after you've done that, then it is a problem with the water flow and you'll need to attend to that too.

How do I lower the dam?

Pause the game! Save the game!
Bulldoze the dam.
Rebuild the dam but start it a little lower down the bank and then lay it across to the other side. Don't release it until you're sure that the level is right, so try to get a good viewing angle.
The level you're looking for is to have the surface of the water just as high as the dam itself (a fraction higher than the top of the dam even) and not certainly not lower. When you think you've got it, release.
Unpause, allow the water to settle and watch it for a few minutes. If you're happy with the result, good.
If you're not satisfied or the the dam isn't performing properly, feel free to repeat the whole process, but aim to lower the dam another fraction lower down the bank. Don't be afraid that the water surface is too much higher than the dam. A good functioning dam will suck that level down. Here's an example of how extreme the difference can be,
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=431665015
If you suffer a disaster with flooding, don't worry, just reload the save you made and start over and when you've got it right, make another save and continue your city from there.

It pays to practise. Dams are fun and take a little work to learn. Now, here's a tip ;)
It's now easier than ever to build a functioning dam regardless of flow. Sorry Cybersol, but it's true and here's how. Forget about using sewage pumps ;) Get yourself this mod,
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=502750307
Use it to place a water spawner in the water behind the dam, but not too close. A distance of around 12 zone squares should be fine. You need to make sure that the level of the water spawner is level with the surface water behind the dam you've built, which will be as high as the dam (if not a fraction higher, as I explained above). The reason for this is, the water spawner will maintain the water surface level. If the flow wasn't strong enough to maintain the level behind the dam before or the sucking power of the dam took too much for the flow behind it to keep up, then the spawner will compensate and keep the level high enough. Don't worry about flooding from the water spawner. If the dam is working good and strong, it should draw all of that water through and out. But if there is a little spillage along the banks on either side, just use the terraform mod to shore up those banks just enough to contain it.
Enjoy ;)