Liquid Element Sensor

The Liquid Element Sensor is an automation building used on liquid piping to detect which liquid element is currently passing through a pipe segment. It is most often paired with a Liquid Shutoff to route one liquid type while blocking another.

A common use is to build a liquid filter. Combined with a Liquid Shutoff, the Liquid Element Sensor performs the same function as a Liquid Filter while consuming far less power, at 10 W instead of 120 W. This makes it a much cheaper choice whenever you need to separate mixed or shared liquid lines into different destinations.

In practice, the Liquid Element Sensor is especially useful for controlling liquid flow around intermittent sources. Because liquids tend to mix much less often than gases, liquid automation is usually more straightforward than gas automation, and a Hydro Sensor is generally the preferred tool for turning liquid pumps on and off based on whether there is liquid available. A typical example is stopping a pump when a Salt Water Vent is not erupting.

• Use it with a Liquid Shutoff when you need to sort different liquids on a shared pipe network.
• It is a power-efficient alternative to the Liquid Filter.
• For broader flow control, especially around geysers and other intermittent liquid sources, a Hydro Sensor is usually the better automation choice.

An older bug report notes that the vaporization point was listed as 726.9 C, but no phase change was actually implemented, so the liquid would not turn into a gas.