A factory is a chain, so debug the chain
Changing the whole layout hides the failure. Follow material movement until the first missing or blocked step appears.
Factory troubleshooting
Check the factory in the order materials actually move
Direct answer: if a Sandustry factory stops working, inspect input first, then machine blockage, then output space, then Water behavior, then transport routing. Rebuild only after the failing stage is visible.
Use video as context, not diagnosis
This official trailer can help you recognize the factory flow. The diagnosis order below is still the source of truth for fixing a stalled line.
Open on YouTubeFive checks in order
Input: is the right material arriving?
Look at the first machine or mixing area. If Wet Sand, Water or another required input never arrives, downstream machines are not the problem.
Processing: is the machine blocked?
Check whether the machine area is buried, starved or filled with the wrong material. A visible jam is more useful than a guess.
Output: does the useful product have room?
Gold and other outputs need a clean path. If output cannot leave, the line can look like an input problem even when production is happening.
Water: is the behavior different from your assumption?
Water-related problems often start upstream. Check whether Water is reaching the mixing area and whether the layout lets it escape or disappear.
Transport: did routing mix or trap materials?
Conveyors, Filters, Pipes and Launchers should separate a specific problem. If their purpose is unclear, simplify the route and test again.
Start from the symptom you can see
No Gold
Check whether the input is Wet Sand, whether the Shaker is processing, and whether you are judging too short a sample of the 25% Gold chance.
Compare the Gold Blueprint →Shaker looks stuck
Look for trapped non-Gold solids or Residue covering the top. Gold passes through; other solids can lodge in the machine body.
Review Shaker behavior →Dry input reaches machines
The Water problem is upstream. Confirm Sand becomes Wet Sand before it reaches the Shaker area.
Fix Water routing →Output path is full
A line can produce correctly and still stop because Gold, Residue or another output has nowhere to go.
Check logistics →Symptom table
| Symptom | Likely place to inspect | Smallest useful fix |
|---|---|---|
| No useful output appears | Input or processing stage | Confirm the required input reaches the machine before moving anything else. |
| Output exists but piles up | Output collection and transport | Clear a separate output path before adding more production. |
| Wet Sand is inconsistent | Water mixing area | Make Water behavior visible and separate it from the machine body. |
| Line works briefly then stops | Byproduct path | Give unwanted output a route that cannot block fresh input. |
| Every change makes it worse | Layout readability | Reduce to one working cell, then expand from the proven shape. |
Machine-level symptoms
| Symptom | Check first | Why | Smallest fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Gold from a Shaker | Is the input actually Wet Sand? | Shakers process Wet Sand; Gold output is also probabilistic at 25% per processed pixel. | Verify the Wet Sand input and watch a larger sample before changing the layout. |
| Shaker stops moving material | Is a foreign solid trapped? | Gold is the only solid that passes through the Shaker body. | Remove the trapped solid, then prevent mixed solids from entering. |
| Residue buries the line | Is the top/side exit blocked? | Shakers move Residue slowly; the official wiki recommends a downward diagonal arrangement. | Clear the output and reduce input until the surface starts moving again. |
| Water keeps disappearing | Does it have a basin, and are corners sealed? | Water can slip diagonal corners; loose droplets that do not settle within 45 seconds can evaporate. | Create a depression, close diagonal leaks, and shorten the uncontrolled route. |
| Kinetic Press does nothing | Is it Burnt Residue falling from 25+ blocks? | Burnt Residue needs sufficient drop height; wrong material or low falls can sit on top and block the press. | Clear the top, confirm material, and restore the required drop height. |
Core diagnosis rule
Check the factory in material-flow order before changing the layout. That keeps the first failed stage visible instead of burying it under a rebuild.
What still needs machine-specific checks
This checklist narrows the failure to a stage. The final cause can still depend on the exact machine, material, or mechanic that breaks there.
Featured Questions
Why is my Sandustry factory not working?
The most reliable first answer is to check input, blockage, output space, Water behavior, and transport in that order. Most broken lines fail at one visible stage before the rest of the chain is affected.
What should you check first in a broken Sandustry factory?
Check whether the right material is still arriving at the first machine that matters. If the expected input is already wrong or missing, downstream symptoms are usually secondary.
Do not confuse probability with a blockage
Shaker Gold is not guaranteed on every Wet Sand pixel. If the machine is visibly consuming Wet Sand and producing Residue, a short run with little or no Gold can still be normal variance. Diagnose the material flow before declaring the machine broken.
Prevention
Keep each material path visually separate.
Leave a manual access route to clear machines.
Give every byproduct a destination before scaling input.
Change one variable at a time while diagnosing.
Stop condition
Stop diagnosing when the failing stage is visible and repeatable. If the same machine stops only after Residue accumulates, the fix is byproduct routing; if it stops immediately with dry input, the fix is Water contact; if it works alone but fails after transport is connected, the fix is routing or output space.
Do not rebuild the whole factory until one failed stage is named.
Do not add machines while the current output space is full.
Do not tune ratios while input material is wrong or intermittent.
Do not claim a bug until official machine requirements have been checked.
Primary Sources
Upgrade path
This diagnosis order works until the same failure keeps returning. When a symptom repeats, the layout needs a structural change instead of another manual fix.
- If Residue keeps burying the line, give the byproduct a permanent separate exit or adjust the Shaker output arrangement before scaling input.
- When you want higher Shaker output, stabilize the Wet Sand input and the Gold exit first; adding more machines to a blocked line only buries the problem.
- If the factory involves several machines such as a Shaker and a Kinetic Press, keep each stage readable and testable on its own.
- When a symptom falls outside these checks, look up the specific machine requirements on the Official Wiki before redesigning.
Source note: This recommendation is source-based, not an independently benchmarked build.
Official source