Geothermal Heating on Ice Sheet

[AngerIsAnEnergy]

Am I expecting too much of geothermal vents on an ice sheet?

The outside temperature is between -15C and -46C (might even be colder sometimes). I have 2 geothemal vents enclosed with triple layers of granite walls connected to a 1 wide x ~20 long passage that "should" be bringing me lots of good heat into the caves under a mountain. There is 100% roof over the vent buildings and the corridor. There are 3 airlocked doors to each vent building.

But the temperature never gets above 0C.

Is it simply too damn cold for the vents to fill this tiny area with heat?

I can remember doing something similar on a cold biome, not an ice sheet, many versions of Rimworld ago, and actually having a problem with too much heat - in that game the heat buildup was too extreme and I needed to make the corridors wider to balance the heat to something the pawns wouldn't die in.

Here though, I can't open the vent into the living areas as it sucks the heat I already make through radiators out therefore chilling the caves instead of warming them

Did something change during updates from several years ago perhaps? Or is -46C too cold for the vents to buildup enough heat? To be clear the 1 square space in the buildings around the vent never get above 0C - the corridor leading into the mountain is more like another 10 degrees colder.

[Dr.Desty Nova]

Geothermal doesn't produce continous heat, it spike when the geyser come then is go down.

You can help heating stuff with it but probably no rely on it as your only heat source.


I remember doing the same as you, like long time ago, but it's been a while it hasn't worked like that.

[Slye_Fox]

Just so you know, there is no point doing any more than 2 layers of walls for insulation.

[AngerIsAnEnergy]

Yeah, it rises about ~15C when it spikes taking the temperature to about +3C (I removed the triple door). Of course, as soon as I did that then one of the vents broke down and I had to rebuild the door to get it repaired. Typical Rimworld :)

When the temperaure outside gets to about -25C there is a pulse of about +10C in the corridor, but it's not helpful to my heating. Not to worry there is enough electricity to power the radiators anyway.

I can see, now, that the 2 outer walls are the same oustide temperature, whilst the innermost wall is about -11/15C, so yeah, triple walls don't help.

I've abandoned the idea of geothermal heating now.

Thanks for the suggestions

[adobo]

Personally, its only good for heating the room it's in.