Sandustry Water — Sources, Steam, and Infinite Water

Where water comes from

• Surface water pockets near your starting area. Limited.
• Underground ice layers. Thaw with heat.
• Steam condensation. Steam rises, hits a cold surface, condenses back into water.
• Lumlings. Some friendly creatures produce water when fed or interacted with. This is the infinite source the community uses.

Evaporation and time

Open water exposed to heat evaporates. Steam rises. Community reports put the open-bucket evaporation rate at roughly 45 seconds under default ambient heat, but the exact value varies by patch and by surrounding temperature. Use this to time steam loops.

Water → steam

Drop water or snow onto lava and you instantly get steam. The amount of lava does not decrease from this reaction. Guide the steam into tanks or condensers with walls and filters. Uncontrolled steam will rise and flood random areas.

The Lumlings infinite-water trick

Several Lumlings drop water when fed or interacted with on a regular cycle. Place a Lumling in a contained pen, route its water output onto a basin, and pump the basin into your network. With two Lumlings alternating, players report a steady supply that exceeds a single steam turbine's demand. Treat it as renewable rather than infinite — Lumlings still need to be fed.

Watch out for

• Snow mixed with water turns into ice and clogs belts or tanks. Filter snow out early.
• Letting steam rise freely. It condenses and floods random areas. Guide it with walls and vents.
• Pipes carry water only — there's no lava pipe and no steam pipe in the current version of the game.