Coal generators and Water pumps say "No power"

[Eldin]

I've been trying to figure this out for the past 7 hours. The first time I built it it was working. I built 2 water extractors and 2 coal generators, connected them to each other via pipe and added biomass burner to start everything.

Then I tried with 9 generators and 3 pumps. Used pipeline junction cross to connect 1 pump to 3 generators. And that's not working. Both pumps and generators say no power even tho biomass generators are connected.
I tried isolating only 1 pump and 3 generators. Still not working. Water pump sometimes start and pumps water until junction but it won't go past that. Sometimes when I delete all pipes and connect only 1 generator after junction it would go through and sometimes it would not. When it does go through I try to connect the second one. SOmetimes it would go through and sometimes it would stop water flow on both ones. And connecting all 3 never works.

Water pumps and Coal generators randomly go to standby by themselves.

Now I even tried connecting only 1 water pump directly to 1 generator and putting them on a separate power grid with biomass burner and that sometimes work sometimes doesn't. When it doesn't work I delete the pipe and connect it again and it starts working. And if I delete and connect that same pipe a few more times it stops working again.

What is the problem here?

[Dreadlow]

A pic would help. Are you sending the water upwards? You might need a pump to keep the flow happening. Extractors only send water 10 metres upwards by themselves.

[Zombie101]

I suggest 1 coal just the pumps after you start them then Run everything off the others.
1. It there any Height above the pumps you may need to install water pumps in the pipe on the way going up then power them.
2. Build a tank and fill it above what you need. Then connect it.
3. Build and use the first in line coal plant for your pumps and keep the Biomass as a backup. Keep them on there own grid. This will keep your pumps running if you trip the other Generators
4. Figure out how much water you need run the coal plants there small resvior.
5. Build the Tank above Level you want it flow at. 6 to 8 Meters this will help with back flow problems
6. Better to have 2 Pump for each Pipe suck in the water.

[Tunerko]

What you are describing is somewhat usual problem with pumps... I am putting pumps at last when I have finished whole build because I got a lot of time problem that the pipe where the pipe is on, will get stuck and not move water.

Try to do it like this:
1. One nonoverclocker Water Extractor can power up 3 Coal Generators at once.
2. Build 3 Coal Generators and connect them to your biomass line BUT turn the generators OFF. You know, the red button on right bottom corner...
3. Connect the Water Extractor to them and start the biomass generators to saturate the water in pipes to full. Never start the Coal Generators before you fully saturate them.

Part 3 means that you should first let run the water extractor to the coal generators and let it run until it stop itself. Then you should have fully saturated pipe to 3 coal generators. Then connect coal and let it saturate the whole line until it stop itself again.

When you will have full water pipe and full coal in generators, then turn them ON and jump start it with biomass burner. After the graph shows that you are generating full 225 MW of power from coal generators, disconnect the biomass burners.

Always make sure that you main input lines and pipes are fully saturated before you turning them ON (coal generators)...

[Eldin]

Originally posted by Dreadlow:

A pic would help. Are you sending the water upwards? You might need a pump to keep the flow happening. Extractors only send water 10 metres upwards by themselves.

Yes, I'm sending the water upwards. Pipes are going up above the coal belts, then they're split at the junction and I drop them straight down and into the generator water input hole.

I don't think it's the height because there's water in the pipes before the junction but not after (and all those are at the same height). I even tried using pipeline pump and it's pumping the water but it still wouldn't go past the junction.

I fixed it by deleting everything. All water extractors, generators, pipes and power poles from that grid.
And after building everything again the same way, it started working.
The only difference now was that I powered them immediately after building each one to see if they work instead of first building all of them and then powering them.

[Zak]

I use tanks as buffers and let them fill up first before connecting them to coal generators. This serves as a test if the water pumps are working. Observe how fast water is filling up the tank to see if that matches your expected output from the pumps.

Pipes are buggy still and likely will be after 1.0, sometimes they'd just have to be rebuilt to work, sometimes more than once. You should also be pumping a bit more water than the generators actually need. Water level in each generator needs to be high, nearly full all the time.

[grissom]

Originally posted by Eldin:

I fixed it by deleting everything. All water extractors, generators, pipes and power poles from that grid.
And after building everything again the same way, it started working.

i suspect the build order to be culprit here, i always build all machines and junctions/splitters/mergers first and then connect everything with belts/ pipes.
never build junctions/splitters/mergers on existing belt/pipe, sometime you actually build it on foundation instead of belt/pipe or connection simply does not register properly.
since i started respecting build order i never had any issues like these.

[mikemonger]

Originally posted by Eldin:

Originally posted by Dreadlow:

A pic would help. Are you sending the water upwards? You might need a pump to keep the flow happening. Extractors only send water 10 metres upwards by themselves.

Yes, I'm sending the water upwards. Pipes are going up above the coal belts, then they're split at the junction and I drop them straight down and into the generator water input hole.

I don't think it's the height because there's water in the pipes before the junction but not after (and all those are at the same height). I even tried using pipeline pump and it's pumping the water but it still wouldn't go past the junction.

I fixed it by deleting everything. All water extractors, generators, pipes and power poles from that grid.
And after building everything again the same way, it started working.
The only difference now was that I powered them immediately after building each one to see if they work instead of first building all of them and then powering them.

Delete and rebuild the junction. That's an issue I see all the time. Not sure if it's a bug or an issue with how the junction snaps to the pipe. I've found the way to ensure everything flows is to position the junction and then rotate it. If it rotates like it's snapping to the pipe you're good. If not back out and try again.

Another suggestion, as others hsve said, is to turn the coal generators off before connecting the primer power. Then let everything get charged with coal and water, then turn the generators on one by one.

[LordChaos]

I think one coal generator needs half a pump or something. I had an similar issue with my coal power supply and only way I fixed it was adding an additional pump (Four in total for eight coal generators)

[Kazuma]

dont bother with coal they are unstable unless you build double or triple what you need. just skip it and go to the next power type

[Dragonmaster]

Just go 2 coal gens per water extractor. You can underclock it to 75% (90m) and don’t bother with mixing water pipes. General max is 8 coal to 3 extractors but you have to fill from different ends. I prefer the 2 to 1 as one water gen width is roughly 2 coal gen width.

[Maehlice]

Originally posted by Kazuma:

dont bother with coal they are unstable unless you build double or triple what you need. just skip it and go to the next power type

This is terrible advice, lol. They may be unstable for you, but they're definitely not unstable. I would never advise someone stay on biofuel all the way through to the midgame.

[Zak]

Originally posted by Kazuma:

dont bother with coal they are unstable unless you build double or triple what you need. just skip it and go to the next power type

Nonsense. How can you so confidently give such a horribly wrong advice? Coal generators are perfectly stable. They produce perfectly stable power output that is easy to calculate, with no fluctuations... assuming they're set up properly, that is. I have not had any issues with coal since my very first save. I don't understand what you may be doing so that they're unstable for you.

[Doc✪Hollywood]

1 coal generator @250% needs exactly:
112.5 m3 water per minute
+ 37.5 coal per minute

@100%:
45 m3 water per minute
+ 15 coal per minute

[la merde]

I hope, I haven't missed it here in the thread ... but are you aware of, that the water mass is cut in half at a junction? 1/2 to the left and 1/2 to the right ... no matter if there is anything connected with. This might influence something.

[ÑåπçΦ§í§]

sounds like the intake of the water pump is clipping the ground under it it. jump into the water and look. this will cause the pump to act erratic. I always build my water pumps systems off shore in deep waters