Overview#
Ranged Pumps adds a single block — the Pump — that extracts fluids from any pool directly beneath it without the pump needing to touch the fluid surface. Place the pump above a water lake or lava lake, connect a pipe or fluid tank to its output face, and it draws fluid upward into your storage system automatically.
Unlike vanilla bucket mechanics or simple drain blocks, the pump works from a distance (hence ranged). It can drain a finite pool to empty or draw indefinitely from a regenerating infinite source such as an ocean or natural lava lake. It pumps any fluid the game recognises, including modded ones like oil, molten metals, or magical liquids.
The pump integrates with every major fluid-transport system (the game's fluid API, pipes from tech mods, tanks) because it outputs through the standard fluid capability on its sides and bottom face.
The Pump Block#
The Ranged Pump is the only block added by this mod. It is crafted from iron ingots and a piston, and it behaves as follows:
- Scans downward from its own position through all blocks until it finds a fluid source block.
- Extracts one bucket of fluid per operation and places it in an internal 8-bucket buffer.
- Outputs the buffered fluid through the game's fluid capability on any face — connect a pipe or tank there to receive it.
- Respects redstone: the pump stops pumping when it receives a redstone signal (logic is inverted; signal = off).
- Empties finite pools: if the source runs out, the pump idles until fluid is placed back.
- Draws from infinite sources (ocean water, lava lakes) indefinitely without depleting them.
Placement Guide#
- Find the fluid source you want to collect — water lake, lava pool, a tank, etc.
- Place the Pump anywhere directly above the fluid. The pump scans straight down, so the column between the pump and the fluid surface must be clear (or contain only non-opaque blocks — the pump skips through air, glass, slabs, etc.).
- Connect a pipe or fluid tank to any side face or the bottom face of the pump. The pump outputs through all exposed faces simultaneously.
- Optional: Leave the pump powered by redstone LOW (no signal) for continuous operation. Raise the signal to pause.
- Optional: Add a hopper or item pipe to the top face if you want to insert upgrade items (in compatible builds that support upgrades).
Tip: The pump works at any height above the fluid — you can place it at sky level above a surface lake and it will still reach down to pump.
Configuration#
Ranged Pumps exposes a config file at .minecraft/config/rangedpumps-common.toml (or similar). Key settings:
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
pump_range |
64 | Vertical distance (blocks) the pump scans downward for fluid |
pump_speed |
20 | Ticks between each pump operation (lower = faster) |
consume_source |
true | Whether finite fluid blocks are removed when pumped |
use_energy |
false | Set true to require energy (FE) to operate |
energy_per_op |
100 | FE consumed per pump operation when use_energy is on |
Config options vary by version; open the file with a text editor to see all available fields for your build.
Fluid Transport Integration#
The pump outputs through the game's fluid API (the fluid-handler capability). Any mod that can connect to this will receive fluid automatically:
- Mekanism — mechanical pipes connect directly to the pump face
- Create — fluid pipes and smart fluid pipes work out of the box
- XNet — fluid channels from XNet can pull from the pump
- Applied Energistics 2 — fluid import buses pull fluid from exposed faces
- Storage Drawers / Iron Tanks / other tanks — any tank with a fluid capability on its face can be placed adjacent
You do not need to configure the pump side — it outputs on all faces. Use the pipe/tank's own filter if you want to restrict the fluid type flowing in.
Troubleshooting#
The pump is idle but there is fluid below it.
- Check that the column between the pump and the fluid is clear of full solid blocks. A single opaque block in the path stops the scan.
- Make sure the pump is not receiving a redstone signal (signal = pause).
- Confirm the pump range in the config is large enough to reach the fluid from the pump's height.
Fluid stops flowing after a while.
- The source was finite and is now empty. Either fill it again or point the pump at an infinite source (ocean, lava lake in a nether biome).
- The output pipe or tank is full. Check your storage system.
The pump appears to work but no fluid arrives in my tank.
- Verify the pipe/tank is placed against a face of the pump that can output (sides or bottom).
- Some mods require the tank to be set to "import" or "pull" mode — check the tank's own UI.
Performance concern with many pumps.
- Each pump runs a downward scan on every operation. Increase
pump_speedin config to reduce tick load when running many pumps simultaneously.
