Airlock (or waterlock) for same-level entry into reservoirs or pipes. Levee gate way across dam
Problem:
1. Getting beavers from the dry side of a dam to the wet side requires costly staircases going up and down again, having to be modified/rebuilt every time the dam height is increased and incurring possibly huge detours – see images 1/2.
2. Likewise, entering pipes (i.e. closed, pressurized water channels) without spillage is only possible from a point above the highest water mark, which is often impractical or infeasible (e.g. vertical one-block water columns can't be traversed). Simple example in image 3.
Suggestion: an airlock/waterlock, which would be a solid, watertight(ish) building, connecting to paths on two opposing sides and allowing beavers to pass through. This mod…
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3543201946
… basically does this, though for an unpowered 1x1 building I'd suggest a small amount of spillage (e.g. doesn't block water while a beaver is passing through). A small catch basin could be added on the dry side when necessary.
1_Dam_huge_detour_ozqoyn.jpg
2_Dam_huge_detour_bvoiha.jpg
3_Airlock_for_pipe_bw1njj.jpg
Comments: 41
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06 Feb
Gin Fuyou SystemHighlighted comment
"water proof buildings" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2026-02-02), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion. -
16 Jan, '22
palidine40 MergedIt'd be nice to be able to go through levees/dams like how beavers do in real life, where they swim/walk in a hole on one side and come out the other side at the same or a different elevation. Please consider making a solid block (like a levee) that can be built on top of (solid) that a beaver can walk through. Water can't go through the block. Paths can be linked through it.
Bonus points if the beaver can change elevations while going through it.
If that sounds TOO over powered, then make it a 2x2, one tall, block (same size as mud bath). If thats STILL too over powered, then make it require power or something. If thats STILL too overpowered, then take the path away from it, and don't allow paths through it, then only the paths before it could determine how far beavers can build past it.
Edit: thought of a name for it, it could be called a Warren. It doesn't "house" but it allows paths, as a warren can just mean open space. -
29 Jan, '22
Jexadox Mergedoh i'd love this too! it would also help with building large dams. might not be practicle, but it would be fun to have a place beavers could get into a large resevior. perhaps u could add a building that they could play only under at least 2 tiles of water on the grass? for leisure? or deep water farming? gotta be some use for it to be cool :D
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18 Oct, '22
PouffyPlacebo Mergeda water tight door option so you can pass through dams without going over. water passes through when they are open (beaver going through it) and the beaver has to pause to operate it. option to leave open or lock shut.
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16 Jul, '24
Modhunter42 MergedIn real life, beavers enter their lodges from an entrance that is Under the water.
This keeps out many, not all, predators.
They also use the tunnels in the lodge to connect to other, also underwater, entrances nearby as escape routes.
More importantly, these entrances/exits can be at different heights & water levels. Typically above & below the beaver's dam.
Using their lodge as a Lock in a dammed river/lake, that allows beavers to change levels instead of boats.
Game-wise it ends up being a fancy waterway doorway > staircase/ladder > doorway combo.
Quite useful for the longer height differences beside reservoirs.
Making a slightly expensive, water only, building that really Just is a bit of a short cut vs 8 or more stairs (+platforms in stairwell).
Sounds like a good mid-late game deal to me.
Possible expansion to 3+ entrances/exits, within a Short range, for later game? -
20 Jul, '24
Thaina MergedIs this should be merge with https://timberborn.featureupvote.com/suggestions/337395/water-tight-door ?
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20 Jul, '24
Thaina Mergedhere is a tunnel in some mod I want to made it be official
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IdZbDjTpaY&t=1099s
We made a dam larger eventually in every game so I want to have ability to let my beaver can take a shortcut under the dam -
29 Sep, '24
Thaina MergedWait? What is anything in update 6 solve this?
We might possibly made tunnel through the water for 3D physics, but we don't have anything that can get into water from bottom of the wall as of yet didn't we? -
29 Sep, '24
Gin Fuyou Admin MergedWaterlocks? I guess no. I still don't really get the gist of suggestion. Beavers don't really use waterlocks, they use underwater entrances to lodges. It doesn't lock anything. In U6 you could build one if you wish, since now you can have a path under levee.
So I'm intending to close this topic.
If you still want some other feature - please open a new suggestion and describe what is lacking in current implementation and how feature can be used in-game (instead of overthinking balancing it). -
05 Oct, '24
Thaina Merged@Gin IRL Beaver also not do farming and waterwheel or making plank
It's just a tunnel mod. As I have suggest merge this like > https://timberborn.featureupvote.com/suggestions/337395/water-tight-door < with this one
You can see the usage. We just want path in and out of the water from under dam. Because when we have large dam it would be too hard and too far to go up the dam and down to underwater
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IdZbDjTpaY&t=1099s -
05 Oct, '24
Gin Fuyou Admin Merged@Thaina: then it shouldn't be used as argument in suggestion description.
Ok, so Idea is a pressure lock chamber with doors on both sides, so beavers can cross zones with different environmental pressure without being washed away or decompressed? It makes sense then. Please make a new topic with clean description so even a moderator would understand it and without confusing remarks about beavers having it irl or being able to have the door left open. -
05 Feb, '25
Rick MergedLike this idea- especially useful for accessing the bottom of your mega dam. Though if swimming without paths is implemented- that would also cover need.
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07 Feb, '25
palidine40 MergedHeck yeah! Like beavers do in real life, they pass through a dam or go down into areas inside it, without having to walk around it. Simple stuff. I have another thread that asked for similar but was confusing to people, glad your more succinct, but idk if the water needs to pour through. It's good to see modders were able to get it going. That other thread had 14 upvotes, if that helps boost this one at all.
Just make it a solid block, water can't go through it, beavers can.
other thread to add votes to this one from: https://timberborn.featureupvote.com/suggestions/271842/airlock-waterlock-for-going-through-walls -
07 Feb, '25
Gin Fuyou System Merged"water tight door" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2022-10-18), including upvotes (8) and comments (1), was merged into this suggestion.
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17 May, '25
Volkan MergedSome kind of pressure gate to go in and out of dams/pipes etc. without creating havoc and spill water everywhere
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19 May, '25
Gin Fuyou System Merged"Pressure Gate" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2025-05-17), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.
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26 Oct, '25
Achanei MergedI wanted to post this idea before I found this thread.
In the game, I have to build humongous stairwells up my reservoirs and then back down inside them - and re-plan those multiple times through the game as reservoirs get expanded etc. It is necessary for beavers to get inside the dams as water level sinks (in my current game I have two regular water pumps, then two industrial water pumps stacked on top of each other) to be able to produce water as the water level decreases in the reservoir. It feels rather silly that all this has to be done with stairs alllll the way to the top and then just back down the other side, instead of a pass through the dam's side. It doesn't even need to work like an airlock, a door that only opens when there is air on both sides (so water level low enough) would already suffice. please consider this. -
01 Nov, '25
Jona MergedI would like to let my beavers walk/swim through my dams. A lock / sluice would be very good for that.
I always have the problem, that I have du highten my dams in the mid- and endgame, with space already beeing tight and walkways beeing long. so if there would be a lock / sluice so that beavers can pass through a newly erected dam or you can upgrade a dam with a lock / sluice, that would be great.
(Sorry no nativ english speaker, don't know the right word for 'Schleuse' I mean the thing with two doors you can only open one so water stays on one side and air or different preshured water on the other). -
07 Nov, '25
Nachti MergedBlock/building that connects to the path network and allows beavers and water to pass through while opened.
Can be manually closed and opened where if it is closed neither beavers or water can pass through.
Could be made to synchronize with sluices and should probably be more expensive to build/research. -
09 Nov, '25
Gin Fuyou System Merged"Under Water Lock / Sluice" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2025-11-01), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.
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10 Nov, '25
Gin Fuyou System Merged""Airlock"-block for underwater" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2025-11-07), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.
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13 Nov, '25
Qodvux MergedIt's really unfortunate this is still marked as "Unlikely to happen", discouraging upvotes, when there is obviously demand for it and such clear use cases:
1. Get into a dam without having to build huge structures going up and then down again and having to be modified/rebuilt every time the dam height is increased. (Extreme case: beaver is supposed to travel two tiles from dry side bottom to wet side bottom, but has to to travel staircases 10 or 20 levels up and then down again.)
2. Get into pressurized (closed) water systems without flooding. Tunnels now make it so easy to effectively build underground pipes, but once they're sealed and filled, you can only get in again (e.g. to expand) either from above the highest water mark or by letting out all the water, neither of which is practical.
Details of implementation aren't important (building size, power or not, spillage or not), just needs to connect paths from a dry side to a wet side without letting water through constantly. -
13 Nov, '25
Jona MergedIt can be rather expensive so you first have to consider building stairs, but I would like to build lakes and water tanks inside citys or citys insite a lake. Therefore the under water Lock / sluice would be great!
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13 Nov, '25
Gin Fuyou Admin Merged@ Qodvux - as per pinned comment - please do fill a new topic with clear description.
I'll happily merge this into a new topic. Everything I merge here is because I find it lacking.
Really "getting into a dam" doesn't make considerably more sense than "getting into a wall (of levees)" if you don't already know what exactly we are talking about. -
17 Nov, '25
Qodvux MergedI'd be happy to post a new topic if I understood what exactly doesn't make sense to you. Several people have described the use case(s) here and I'm not sure I can do better than what I wrote above. Maybe I should have said "get into a reservoir" instead of "get into a dam" – of course it's not about getting into a WALL, it's about getting THROUGH a wall to a wet/underwater spot without flooding or a huge detour (and the construction it entails).
Say you have a reservoir 10 blocks high (images). You can easily reach the bottom outside. You want get to the reservoir's bottom to, say, place dynamite. From outside to inside it's a distance of 2 tiles (blue). But that direct route is of course blocked by levees. So instead you have to build a staircase which has the beaver traveling at least 20 blocks vertically and 22 blocks horizontally (red). A "waterlock" building that's placed instead of a levee at the bottom allows the blue path. What about this is unclear or lacking in explanation? -
17 Nov, '25
Gin Fuyou Admin Merged> it's about getting THROUGH a wall to a wet/underwater spot without flooding or a huge detour (and the construction it entails).
Yes, this really the essential part.
It's about doorway through the levee wall.
Really I only got good idea what the whole thing about after Thaina linked the video above. Some read to me that folks want a dam that can have tunnel inside it to go from one bank to another, (what you can do now) -
20 Nov, '25
Qodvux MergedAh, that finally clears it up for me, thanks. I don't think an actual tunnel (into or below a reservoir) is what people wanted here, but I do see how one could get the impression. I'll post a new suggestion shortly trying to avoid that misunderstanding.
Meanwhile I actually found a mod that does what is asked here:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3543201946
Though I do think no spillage at all for a 1-block building is a bit too cheap. Maybe it should only block water when no beaver is passing through, resulting in small "on-demand" spillage. Depending on placement of the dam, one could accept a bit of leakage or build a small catch basin to prevent leaked water from reaching susceptible buildings. -
20 Nov, '25
Gin Fuyou Admin MergedYeah, link the mod, or attach images from it and it would be much easier for anybody to understand
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21 Nov, '25
Gin Fuyou System"airlock / waterlock for going through walls" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2022-01-16), including upvotes (34) and comments (28), was merged into this suggestion.
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24 Nov, '25
Pieter van der Starwould be nice, but that also takes away from the challenge of planning, maybe if the game would not allow building through platforms similar to dirt it is a nice way to be forced to "upgrade" water reservoirs to be able to dig out the bottom, now just get them on to the top with ziplines/tubes. I like the idea of having it spill some water with each pass so you need to temporarily close off a path for ongoing droughts, or build an actual tunnel for continuous through-traffic. As for size something like a 3x3 H-shaped building would be nice I think. Kinda like the district crossing, but than with one block in the middle. That could also work as decorational entries to underground (=dry) tunnels.
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11 Jan
LethalOwlI'd like to just throw my hat in the ring and say this would be an epic addition. Was about to make a new suggestion for an airlock myself when I noticed the idea was already suggested.
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02 Feb
Kyle MergedCreate a set of waterproof buildings.
1 is an airlock that allows beavers to pass through something like a wall of levees.
2 is a platform like building that allows other buildings to pass through something like a wall of levees (e.g. a tubeway or a powershaft could use this to go through a water proof barrier with out making it leak.) -
28 Feb
Pieter van der StarI think this should be a Folktails only building as the Ironteeth have this when you combine tunnels with impermeable floors. To offset the power of the tubes (especially when tube tunnelling is to be introduced {https://timberborn.featureupvote.com/suggestions/627778/add-tubeway-tunnel-easy-to-build-underground-tubes}).
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04 Mar
Jearon Mergedwatertight version and non watertight version
solid block
materials:
Non watertight: 10 logs 10 planks
Watertight: 10 metal blocks 10 planks 5 extract
description:
watertight door examples: for dams and floods
Non watertight door examples: apartments and industrial sites
extra behavior: can select which beavers can enter and choose workers from a building that can only enter and beavers from a type of house only enter.
Please add this if not enough information please contact me --Jearon Bogaerds -
04 Mar
Gin Fuyou System"door" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2026-03-04), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.
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14 Mar
Maltewaterlocks would also help immensly on maps like pressure, where working underground requires regularly destroying underground dams to reach the bombs. it also is impossible to modify water underground without completetly messing up the water pressure in the entire system due to this
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27 Apr
Behrhunter MergedBasically a 1 unit cube which allows a beaver to enter a pressurized waterway (or just have an underwater installation) without flooding the area
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27 Apr
Gin Fuyou System"Dry to wet Chamber gates" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2026-04-27), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.
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30 Apr
MagicpopI'd would like to have the ability to use water tight doors as some buildings could be possible to build or more easily build if water tight doors existed. As we now have gates in the game that can be toggled with automation. But not as useful as we can build bridges. And dams require a lot of stairs and require more if we ever want it to make it bigger. Having a door would bring make things less frustrating. Plus it could lead to underwater base designs.
But don't make it where no water goes through with a passing beaver as that would make it too easy. Or have it be able to be automated.
Also hatches that can be able to be placed anywhere that at like floodgates but vertical flow without being placed on a liquid source.
Screenshot_from_2025-10-26_13-39-00_oqxwoo.png
no_water_lock_1_azechu.jpg
no_water_lock_2_eoaj46.jpg