Can I move Lava through an ordinary Pipe?
The planner explicitly warns against connecting Lava to an ordinary Pipe. Check the recommended route for your selected situation.
LAVA / ROUTES
Sandustry Lava Transport Planner: Move, Use or Manage Lava
Lava can create difficult factory and terrain problems if you build the wrong route. Choose where the Lava is, what you want to achieve and which technology you have unlocked. This planner helps you review a suitable next step for using Lava as heat, handling a route, solidifying it or cleaning up a setup.
Choose your situation
Before you build
Use Lava as a heat source
Use Lava for heat without moving it through ordinary Pipes.
- Find or create a Lava source with the Volcanizer.
- Place a Smelter near Lava.
- Or place a Thermal Buffer beside Lava.
- Connect Thermal Buffers to nearby machines and check their temperature.
Next stepUse a Smelter or adjacent Thermal Buffer to draw heat from Lava.
Choose the problem before choosing the route
The right plan depends on whether Lava is on the surface or underground and whether you need the Lava itself or only its heat. Select the situation that matches what you see in the game, then review the checklist before expanding the setup.
Using Lava for heat
The tool includes a heat-use route built around placing a Smelter or Thermal Buffer beside Lava and checking the temperature at connected machines. This is different from treating Lava like an ordinary liquid that can be sent through any standard Pipe.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Lava without transporting it?
The heat-use section explains how nearby Smelters or Thermal Buffers can draw heat from Lava.
Does the planner simulate my factory?
No. It provides a situation-based route and checklist; verify the result in your game.