Water wheel does not produce power even if water is flowing [Problems with wheel after Update 1]

45 votes

The issue is simple, I have two compact water wheels inside the main river of the map "Waterfalls". There is no obstruction or anything else (see screenshot attached) and there is no drought. I can see the water flowing right next to the water wheels and almost beneath them, however neither of them is spinning.

You can download the save file from here https://www.dropbox.com/s/xvavss9g5k3s91g/Beaverville.timber?dl=1

Under consideration Bug Suggested by: Luca (04 Jan, '22) • Upvoted: 16 Mar • Comments: 66

Comments: 66

19 Mar
Gin Fuyou Admin Pinned
I've posted a guide \ FAQ on Steam about water wheels, please take a look at it before problem is solved: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3186706255
03 Dec, '21
GuyGamer Merged
water wheel is not moving at all. I have restart everything still it is not moving, but it has good water flow and height
27 Dec, '21
Los Merged
My waterwheel was spinning along happily until I connected it to my lumbermill, then it stopped completely.
1
30 Dec, '21
Too Tired Merged
My issue is similar. Every time I start a new game the first water wheel I place will quit working. Only fix I have found was to delete it and Place a new water wheel even in the same spot. The water wheel will start working as intended then.
30 Dec, '21
Gin Fuyou Admin Merged
Too Tired, I have it guess what it could be, but still it needs more details. If you shared save file that reproduces it, it may help. If you find it starts working after reload - it's also important piece of information.
03 Jan, '22
Panko Merged
Sometimes the wheel doesn't turn randomly despite waterflow being strong but works just fine when there's a drought and the water is dammed up (and thus not flowing/moving). That doesn't make any sense...
05 Jan, '22
TheBeaversMustSurvive
Same map, same problem. The water graphics show that there is current where the CWW are, but no power is being produced. Saving and reloading doesn't solve the problem.
06 Jan, '22
benthevaporeon
also have similar problems, but usually only with the wheel that is on the edge, extra annoying because its all you can make before planks
09 Jan, '22
Ray Merged
neither do the shafts turning in the opposite direction of the wheel. :/
11 Jan, '22
Brianna
Also having the same issue
16 Jan, '22
James
I had the same issue. The wheel was working, then a drought came, when the water flow returned the wheel was no longer working.
21 Jan, '22
Maurício
I still have a similar issue in v0.1.1.1-db76df-sw, where it works before a drought then stops even when water flows again
22 Jan, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin
Yes, it seem the problem is with new system that adds "resistance" from water wheels for flow, so it goes around them instead. It was tuned but not enough it seems. Right now I can only recommend narrowing the stream, crossing river completely with levees or wheels, so water has no other option to flow through.
26 Jan, '22
Nick Merged
I have a basic dam (0.5 height) 45 water tiles downstream from my water wheel, around multiple bends. The water is shown flowing aggressively through the water wheel, eventually reaching the dam and spilling over. However, the power output of the water wheel is 0 as long as the dam exists. Doesn't make any sense physically.
26 Jan, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin Merged
There is a problem with waterwheels after recent update apparently. We are collecting feedback and investigating it. Right now I can only recommend fully crossing the stream with wheels and levees, it should help, when flow has nowhere else to go. Sorry for inconvenience.
07 Feb, '22
Missing Merged
i started 3 times with the seccond fraction, it seems that the water wheel (dont know the right english word) stops working after a few days, even if i didnt changed anything
09 Feb, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin
"Waterwheel has 0 output as long as a Dam exists anywhere(?) downstream?" (suggested by Nick on 2022-01-26), including upvotes (2) and comments (1), was merged into this suggestion.
1
09 Feb, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin
"Waterwheel stops spinning when connected" (suggested by Los on 2021-12-27), including upvotes (1) and comments (3), was merged into this suggestion.
09 Feb, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin
"Waterwheel mechanics seem flawed" (suggested by Panko on 2022-01-03), including upvotes (2) and comments (1), was merged into this suggestion.
1
09 Feb, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin
"bug with water reel of the iron fraction" (suggested by Missing on 2022-02-07), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.
09 Feb, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin
"Water wheel is not moving" (suggested by GuyGamer on 2021-12-03), including upvotes (1) and comments (1), was merged into this suggestion.
11 Feb, '22
Robert Merged
for some reason the water wheel is being glitchy, it works off and on when near a dam, tied to move the wheel but its still doing the same thing.
11 Feb, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin
"Water wheel" (suggested by Robert on 2022-02-11), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.
13 Feb, '22
RicoRicky Merged
My compact powerwheel on terraces map doesn't produce any power after damming little stream.
Waterflow stops (of course) after damming, to rise to dam level. But after normal flow resumes my powerwheel just stops. It steadily produced 93hp at first, and while the rest of the flow is the same as before the dam, it seems like the waterflow after rising recognizes my waterwheel as a solid block or something :-(
14 Feb, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin
"Waterflow bug" (suggested by RicoRicky on 2022-02-13), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.
Click to enlarge

11 Mar, '22
tibeaver Merged
I built a water wheel, then I needed MOAR POWAR. So I build a water wheel "downstream" from it directly next to it. Then I connected both waterwheels to my row of powered buildings with shafts. The first water wheel stopped working during the construction. Deleting the shafts didn't fix it, nor toggling it, or whatever. I also tried to destroy the wheel under construction hoping to restart the first wheel and it did not remedy the situation.

See attached crappy diagram.
12 Mar, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin Merged
It's much better to place wheels cross the stream for now, water resistance is not consistent, but if water has no way other than through wheels - it ensures they will work always and full power
14 Mar, '22
Kelvin
Just wanted to report my game having the same issue. I had a water wheel merrily spinning along producing power, and then it just stopped. I'm in the process of damming the river off downstream but that hasn't progressed in several in-game days so I don't think it's related. It looks like it's being worked on but I figured every report helps.
14 Mar, '22
Zoltan
Interestingly, After I build the dam my initial wheel stopped working, I built 2 other (continously across the river) and the power outputs was 0/32/162 which is really strange (I dont remember which map, but tzhe 3rd wheel is basically at the other side of the river), and when the draught started water stopped flowing and the third wheel still producing 17hp, the other two is at zero.
15 Mar, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin
Zoltan, yes water system after update is inconsistent. Wheel could stop and start without any apparent reason, not mentioning changing in flow like placing dam. I can only suggest blocking the stream completely by levees and wheels, if water can't bypass wheels - they work at full power without any issues. Hope it going to be resolved in upcoming updates
21 Mar, '22
Dani
Great game, would be awesome to know water flow before placing wheel to prevent this from being an issue? otherwise wheel stops/starts randomly which is pretty annoying :)
03 Apr, '22
W
The water wheel was working before the drought but then did not work when the water started flowing again.
06 Apr, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin
"bug: water wheel stops after building second wheel next to it" (suggested by tibeaver on 2022-03-11), including upvotes (1) and comments (1), was merged into this suggestion.
21 Apr, '22
Key Merged
I often find my watermills not rotating and not producing power. even when I make a map with straight and powerful rivers, they just seem to not work great. especially if i have multiple next to each other
22 Apr, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin
"Watermills need fixing" (suggested by Key on 2022-04-21), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.
26 Apr, '22
Vexx
After my first drought, my water wheel stopped working when the water came back. I had turned off the only thing connected to it (a lumbermill) before the drought hit, but once the water came back, the wheel didn't move again despite turning it off and on again.
03 May, '22
Mad Alkemyst
I'm having issues with both Iron Teeth wheels. on Terraces I have trimmed to a single "lane" of water and placed CWWs down the length. I still have multiple wheels not turning.
The LWW in solid or platformed channels one will spin with great enthusiasm. The rest seem to react to work like my son. Sporadic, sluggish, and eventually just stop. I use the Water Gauges and I'm reading 1.5 - 2.6 cm. I have turned them off and on again. I have unplugged them for 10 minutes and tried again. Other than having my husband take a look, I'm at a loss.
Thank you for all your hard work! I am hooked and can't wait to see what's in store.
03 May, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin
Mad Alkemyst, could you please share a screenshot or maybe even a save file? Instruction about files here: https://mechanistry.com/bug
03 Jun, '22
Vextrag
Iron teeth compact water wheel Not working.
12 Jun, '22
gaiagardener
I have the same issue with the Iron Teeth compact water wheel. It was rotating until I attached it to the lumber mill, then nothing, even when the water appears to be flowing strong.
29 Jun, '22
Makana
Having this issue after building dams downstream
Click to enlarge

29 Jun, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin
As workaround for early game I propose rushing science for levees and building starting wheel with dam combined like this:
It should ensure wheel will always catch the flow. That's the Plains map, adjust number of dam pieces depending on flow strength
03 Aug, '22
Italo Rodrigues Merged
Water flux

Sometimes when we are water wheels, they stay still because the current passes close by but doesn't reach the wheel, so it would be interesting to have a mechanics of when we enter the energy construction mode, we could see where more water and wind flow, so I analyze where we can produce more power we can.
03 Aug, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin Merged
Thanks for understanding! Yes, this problem is known, i'm going to merge it into corresponding thread
03 Aug, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin
"Fluxo da água" (suggested by Italo Rodrigues on 2022-08-01), including upvotes (1) and comments (2), was merged into this suggestion.
19 Aug, '22
Robert
I know of a similar bug that occurs when the next drought is imminent.
Then the water wheel no longer turns.
Click to enlarge

19 Aug, '22
Gin Fuyou Admin
Robert, no it's generic problem with water resistance system, sometime water just go around wheel without turning it.

This workaround should work pretty well in early game ->
01 Oct, '22
Taylor Merged
I've encountered what I suspect is a bug involving the compact water wheel. Placed in a narrow fast-moving section of a river, the wheel was initially producing a reasonable amount of power, Suddenly the wheel slowed considerably producing only 6 or 7 hp and intermittently producing no power whatsoever. I was trying to figure out what was going on when the drought began. the river stagnated, and the wheel began turning much quicker again. it's now producing around 25 hp while the river isn't flowing at all. there must be some kind of bug at work here, right?

This is my first game playing as the Iron Teeth. I've played many hours as Folktails without encountering any issue like this.
03 Oct, '22
Jcheung Merged
fast moving water can cause weird quirks with dams
does this persist through another drought cycle without any further alteration to the water stream?
can you provide video of this happening?
09 Dec, '22
Brittany Merged
I am having this issue also. Iron teeth water wheel only. I've tried multiple maps. Kinda frustrating because I wanted to try out the new faction. Can't get very far without power.