Any tips for me what to check -- can't figure out why fluid buffer keeps filling up?

[Arch]

[Sorry for the length of this, but I wanted to give an accurate description]

I have a fluid buffer that keeps filling, but as far as I can tell, the production and consumption of fluid into and out of the buffer are identical. I can't figure out why it doesn't maintain the same average level over time and why it eventually fills up. I'm hoping for some tips of things to check in my production line.

Here's my setup:
(1) 2 Refineries making Aluminum Scrap (1 @ 100%, 1 @ 50%): Total production of water = 180.
(2) 1 Water extractor @ 100%: Total water extraction = 120.
(3) 2 Refineries making Sloppy Alumina ; both water intakes connected (1 @ 100%, 1 @ 50% ): Total consumption of water = 300.
(4) Water from Aluminum Scrap goes into a Fluid buffer then to a valve, then to the Sloppy Alumina.
(5) Water from water extractor goes to the other end of the pipe going to Sloppy Alumina.
(6) Fluid buffer and all refineries are on the same level on the platform.
(7) Water extractor is below the platform; head lift not a problem -- using Mk.2 pump with plenty of head lift to spare.
(8) There is sufficient bauxite, coal, and copper ore to keep those supply lines backed up.
(9) All solid outputs are on overflow splitters and all overflow goes to a SINK so it doesn't get backed up so upstream production shouldn't block.

From what I understand, the system should reach a steady state regarding water -- the production and consumption in the system are equal, and the fluid buffer (around half-full) would be able to moderate the peaks/troughs in production/consumption over time.

But what I'm seeing is that over time, the fluid buffer holding the water completely fills, and this causes production of Aluminum scrap to stop because there's nowhere for the output water to go. But why is there any excess water causing this to happen?

I've thought about doing something with the water output from the Aluminum scrap (like packaging it and sinking it) and not recycling it back into the Sloppy Alumina, and just using enough water extractors to provide all the needed water because of this. But I'd rather not.

Is there some specific thing I need to be doing to make this work as I envisioned it? A technique to give priority to the water output from the Aluminum scrap, perhaps? All the online references I could find refer to how to prioritize the use of where the fluid goes -- I couldn't find any examples of prioritize where the fluid comes from.

Lots of the youtubers I watch are constantly remarking how dealing with fluids and the pipe system is very frustrating, so do I just have to over-engineer my approach to account for the behavior I'm seeing?

And suggestions or pointers to online resources I may have overlooked would be appreciated.

[Tenebris]

Use a valve right after the fluid buffer, it prevents backflow.

Really, there's no point in having fluid buffers as a permanent part of your setup, since you should be utilising exactly as much fluid as you're putting in/taking out

[Arch]

Originally posted by Tenebris:

Use a valve right after the fluid buffer, it prevents backflow.

Really, there's no point in having fluid buffers as a permanent part of your setup, since you should be utilising exactly as much fluid as you're putting in/taking out

I'm already doing both of those things -- see #4 and #1-#3.

[Mister Fabulous]

Put an additional valve on the pipe coming from the water extractor and set it to 120. Make sure the valve from the buffer is open completely.

I tried your description with a similar setup I threw together for batteries the other day having the buffer on the same level after intentionally filling up all pipes and the buffer and then flushing one pipe coming out of the blender. It took a long time for the buffer to start emptying out but it eventually did and it went kinda slow.

I'd recommend elevating the buffer as well by 8m. This was my setup before I lowered the buffer: https://imgur.com/tFYeILR. The buffer starts to empty out much sooner and faster. Sulfur is at 100%, sloppy alumina is at 16.6_% (33.3_ water needed), blender is at 100% putting 30 water out. Water extractor is at 250% with a mk 2 pump on the pipe for giggles since the incoming valve restricts the flow anyway.

Also, if fluids weren't screwy on game load I'd say you don't need a buffer, but it's a little hard now to know what to do to protect against existing bugs.

[luntacarsus]

I had almost the exact same situation. And you know what? It turned out it wasn't the fluid that was the problem. It was, in fact, that I only had Mk I belts feeding the coal, when I needed Mk 3. It was only by pure luck that I noticed. Anyway, after I upgraded the belts, the production now runs smooth and uninterrupted. So I guess what I'm saying is, the problem might not be the obvious one, so double-check absolutely everything in your setup to make sure it's all correct.

[Arch]

Originally posted by Mister Fabulous:

I'd recommend elevating the buffer as well by 8m.

Originally posted by luntacarsus:

So I guess what I'm saying is, the problem might not be the obvious one, so double-check absolutely everything in your setup to make sure it's all correct.

Elevating the buffer made it easier to see there was another problem. Thanks for the constructive comments, guys. Much appreciated.

[Maehlice]

Originally posted by Arch:

... there was another problem.

What was the other problem?

Was it Mk.1 output pipes choking the 360 Alumina Solution causing the system to not use as much water as initially calculated?

[Arch]

Originally posted by Maehlice:

Originally posted by Arch:

... there was another problem.

What was the other problem?

Was it Mk.1 output pipes choking the 360 Alumina Solution causing the system to not use as much water as initially calculated?

It was me being stupid. I wasn't consuming all the aluminum ingots being produced, so that backed up the aluminum scrap, and that backed up the alumina solution, and that backed up the water. I was going from some old notes I had for the production line and didn't take into account some of the recipes changed. Once I retooled to account for the recipe changes, it seems all is good. The next thing I'm going to do is make sure all the production lines are based on current recipes and not outdated notes.