What's your liquid storage solution?

[Montego_Cardoso]

So I was standing in my front yard, looking at a huge oil geyser, and thinking, "I should collect that, but where can I put it?" We have great storage systems for items, like iron chests, deep storage units, even entire ME networks, but what about liquids? It would take hundreds of glass tanks to store the thousands of buckets of oil I was standing on.

Dear forums, how do you store your mass amounts of liquids in Tekkit? I'll tell you my idea, you can tell me yours.

I first checked the forums for mentions of liquid storage. That's when I found Gildan27 mention the Liquid Manager.

(http://forums.technicpack.net/threads/biofuel-struggle.48750/page-5#post-406547)

A block that holds 128 buckets? Great! But they are't designed to interconnect like tanks, each one will need liquiduct inputs and outputs, and redstone signal. And I want the systems to be efficient and expandable, to easily add more room when I need it. A layered approach should work!

So, here's a small layer system.

One redstone block (or rednet cable for multilayers), four liquiducts, and four liquid managers, for 512 bucket capacity per layer in 3x3 block space. Liquiduct and redstone lines accessible from the top or bottom. Can be stacked indefinitly.

Also, medium sized layers.

one signal block, eight liquiducts, eight liquid managers, 1024 buckets per layer in 5x5 block space.

And, large layers.

four signal blocks, twelve liquiducts, sixteen liquid managers, 2048 buckets per layer in 7x7 block space. runs the most managers on the fewest ducts.

Bonus: the large layer has four independant liquid segments, for storing up to four different liquids.

Bonus bonus: the space in the middle of a large layer can hold a small layer, for a fifth independant liquid, or a total 2560 buckets per layer.

Since gravity has no effect, these layers can also be build on their sides and stacked horizontally.

Now the question is whats the best way to hook up the ins and outs to the system...

[plowmanplow]

My solution? Finally realize that I wanted a number of the "cornerstone" mods like Railcraft, Forestry and ExtraBiomesXL then built my own modpack in the platform. 7x7x6 structure? 9408 buckets of liquid.

Wonder how that does in the server performance department. Regardless, it's pretty clever and I'm sure a lot of folks don't know this is possible. Bravo.

[Jebussz]

My solution? Dig a 1x1 hole all the way down to bedrock, then use AE to autocraft a BAZILLION tanks ( actually more like 70 ) and then place them one on top of the other. From there I just import the liquid into the tanks. It may not be convenient, but it sure makes me laugh!

[00Ducky]

Here is my setup:

First a tesseract that lets the liquid in. Then a rectangle of liquiducks. five tanks on each side, one at each end. so in all it is a 5x3x8 of tanks. At the bottom there are liquiducks with rednet cable on each one, the liquiducks go to a tesseract that lets the liquid out. It works really well for me.

[Gildan27]

Excellent work sir, I've been waiting for Liquid Manager-based storage systems to take off and for someone else to try something with them. Right now, I am using this:

Input on one side and output on the other, with tesseracts on bottom.

Now the question is whats the best way to hook up the ins and outs to the system...

Hmm... If you're storing one liquid, can you just combine the ins and outs? That is, have the bottom layer just be liquiducts? The following seems to work (placing a Liquid Manager off the output causes the first Liquid Manager to drain):

So if you have a layered system like this (this is the best I could come up with that wasn't based on your designs, 12 Liquid Managers in a 6x6 area, not more efficient than your 7x7 one, couldn't come up with anything with more in a smaller space [EDIT: I guess I could add four more, one in each of the corners, for 16 in a 6x6 space]):

...could you just have the bottom layer be just liquiducts/redstone with tesseracts out front?

[Montego_Cardoso]

Hmm... If you're storing one liquid, can you just combine the ins and outs? That is, have the bottom layer just be liquiducts?

I find that having ins and outs combined really slows down the flow of liquids in and out of the system, because a significant amount of flow is just looping in a circle through the lines and tanks.

So if you have a layered system like this (this is the best I could come up with that wasn't based on your designs, 12 Liquid Managers in a 6x6 area, not more efficient than your 7x7 one, couldn't come up with anything with more in a smaller space [EDIT: I guess I could add four more, one in each of the corners, for 16 in a 6x6 space]):

One more on each corner would make it like a cluster of four of my small layers, which is actually a bit more space efficient for 16 managers than my large layer. Good of you to highlight that. But again, looping ins from outs causes a lot of unnecessary flow, even when the system should be idle.

Seeing the Biofuel Generators in the background also makes me think that a similar layered design would work for power generation. The designs would be different, since there wouldn't be a requirement for the redstone signal lines... but that's a different topic for a different thread.

[Gildan27]

I find that having ins and outs combined really slows down the flow of liquids in and out of the system, because a significant amount of flow is just looping in a circle through the lines and tanks.

I wasn't able to observe that in my little test (too small), but that's really good to know. I would agree that covering the bottom with Liquiducts would not be the best solution then... just not a fan of all the piping on top; that prevents one from expanding it upward when more storage is needed, unless that was on the bottom. Maybe Liquid Tesseracts could be on the bottom instead... multiple tesseracts on an in channel and multiple ones on an out channel, then you expand the system upwards.

Seeing the Biofuel Generators in the background also makes me think that a similar layered design would work for power generation. The designs would be different, since there wouldn't be a requirement for the redstone signal lines... but that's a different topic for a different thread.

Yes...

[PessimiStick]

My solution? Finally realize that I wanted a number of the "cornerstone" mods like Railcraft, Forestry and ExtraBiomesXL then built my own modpack in the platform. 7x7x6 structure? 9408 buckets of liquid.

Wonder how that does in the server performance department. Regardless, it's pretty clever and I'm sure a lot of folks don't know this is possible. Bravo.

Your tank is only 1568 buckets per layer for 7x7, so for tanks over 8 blocks tall, the LM solution pulls away (and increases the gap by ~1000 buckets every layer thereafter). Of course I'm not sure that really maters, because once you're storing 15,000+ buckets, you've already gone off the deep end somewhere. =D

RC tanks definitely LOOK cooler though, for sure.

[plowmanplow]

Of course I'm not sure that really maters, because once you're storing 15,000+ buckets, you've already gone off the deep end somewhere.

Heh, yeah. a 7x7x7 RC Steel Tank can store enough fuel to power an MFR Laser drill at 400 MJ/t for 9.5+ days. I think we could classify that as "off the deep end". :)

[Mini Panda]

Gildan27's 6x6 16 tank setup would work fine, just change around the inputs/outputs a bit.

I'm new and don't know how to post a picture so think of this:

T L T T L T

O R O O R O

T L T T L T

T L T T L T

O R O O R O

T L T T L T

T is a liquid manager (tank)

L is a liquiduct flowing in

O is a liquiduct flowing out

R is a redstone block

[Norman1346]

I have been looking for a large liquid storage solution that is better than a cluster of buildcraft tanks.

I love this design. Thank you for the idea Montego!

[Gildan27]

Gildan27's 6x6 16 tank setup would work fine, just change around the inputs/outputs a bit.

I'm new and don't know how to post a picture so think of this:

T L T T L T

O R O O R O

T L T T L T

T L T T L T

O R O O R O

T L T T L T

T is a liquid manager (tank)

L is a liquiduct flowing in

O is a liquiduct flowing out

R is a redstone block

Yeah, I came to this same conclusion as well... it works very well!

[Viktor_Berg]

Just pray that vswe doesn't nerf the Liquid Managers after this information spreads out, like so many times before.

[Zorick]

Gildan27's 6x6 16 tank setup would work fine, just change around the inputs/outputs a bit.

I'm new and don't know how to post a picture so think of this:

T L T T L T

O R O O R O

T L T T L T

T L T T L T

O R O O R O

T L T T L T

T is a liquid manager (tank)

L is a liquiduct flowing in

O is a liquiduct flowing out

R is a redstone block

I've been trying this and I don't know how I'm screwing it up. Only two blocks are filling up.

[TonyVS]

STEEL TANK FTW

[Tech]

How are you guys exporting the liquids from the liquid manager? Are you using a Fluiduct/Liquiduct with a External Distributor? I can't seem to figure out how to get the liquids out once i get them in lol.

[Gio²]

TonyVS, on 05 Feb 2014 - 10:30 AM, said:

*snip*

Thisthisthis. Gotta love Railcraft tanks, it's worth installing the mod just for the tanks.

Without Railcraft and Openblocks there are just too little options for liquid storage...

Edited February 14, 2014 by Gio²

[Kotja]

I latest tekkit with fluiduts and servos you an put one LM in the middle of 3*3 structure (640 b poer layer) and play with input/output (For example i plan to make both pipes of one LM for mob essence out so I can easilly store extracted XP.

[rogueclon946]

I use extra utils drums acter enabling them.

[Gorian]

I'm interested, how does that compare to Liquid Managers in terms of storage:space and complication of setup, etc. So far, the liquid manager solution that OP presented is the one I'm still using in 1.2.7 as I have yet to see a better solution, with BC tanks being 16 buckets per block, and TE portable tanks having 64 buckets on the top tier (half of a liquid manager) at a much higher price, so while stacking them may result in a higher storage:space ratio due to less complicated fliuiduct setup, it certainly would lose in terms  of expense.

[rogueclon946]

I'm interested, how does that compare to Liquid Managers in terms of storage:space and complication of setup, etc. So far, the liquid manager solution that OP presented is the one I'm still using in 1.2.7 as I have yet to see a better solution, with BC tanks being 16 buckets per block, and TE portable tanks having 64 buckets on the top tier (half of a liquid manager) at a much higher price, so while stacking them may result in a higher storage:space ratio due to less complicated fliuiduct setup, it certainly would lose in terms  of expense.

Drums are 256 buckets but need something to pump in/out of them, so I have stacks of alternating drums and fluiducts, so they average 128 buckets a block.

[Ironclaw2000]

Sorry for gravedigging a little bit, but I can't get the liquid manager setup to work on the latest build of tekkit. The liquid goes in, but doesn't come out. The only way I've found to extract it is to use build craft pipes and engines.

[Curunir]

Are you using Fluiducts? If so, make sure to set them to extract mode, and apply a redstone signal to have them actively pump stuff out. You can also use Pneumatic Servos to set them so they only pump without a redstone signal.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Curunir

[PompanoZombie]

Wow........ you all are so advanced...... I just use an ME system since they added ExtraCells to Tekkit.... lol only 4 blocks with so much more storage available. Of course it may be a little bit more resource costly but not to much of a problem if you have a Quarry and 1 or 2 MFR Laser Drill systems.