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40d:Well
Wells are structures that serve as water sources for your dwarves. A well can be an important feature of a fortress - wells are not absolutely necessary, but they provide so much that few forts stay without them if they can help it.
Wells provide an emergency drinking source in case the alcohol runs out (don't let that happen!). A well is a water source that (if constructed correctly) will not freeze in the coldest weather, and should last in hot. Because the water from a well is never seen as stagnant, the dwarfs won't wait until they're thirsty and miserable to drink from a well should they need to.
Using a well provides that dwarf with a happy thought, especially if you make the well with high-quality chains and buckets, or the building designer produces a high quality result. The unhappy thought that a dwarf gets from murky or contaminated water will not occur if the dwarf drinks that very same water by way of a well. A well even allows dwarves to drink from salt water (though this may be a bug).
Badly wounded dwarves will drink only water while recuperating, never booze, so you better have a well or water zone ready for when anyone gets injured, and certainly before the first goblins show up.
Using the well will take a very small amount of water from the water tile below (1/7 from that one tile), so it will eventually dry up if not replenished.
Also, dwarfs can (and will) fish from a well if that labour is designated. This does not harm the well.
A well can be defined as a meeting area with the q key. Un-defining the meeting area will break up any party that is currently formed around a well, and it can immediately be re-defined if you wish.
Building a well
When constructing a well, it is important to consider placement, safety, the source of the water, and any water pressure to avoid flooding your fortress by accident. For a wider discussion of adding a well to your fortress, see the (recommended) well guide.
Wells must have a clear vertical pathway to a water source, which can be an artificial channel, an aquifer, a river, a brook, a lake, or an artificial reservoir. It is easiest to draw water from underground sources, but above-ground sources can also be used so long as you construct the well's floor on the z-level above the water. The water in the square directly below the well must be at least 3/7 deep.
To build a well you will need the following components:
- a block
- a bucket
- a chain or rope
- a mechanism
- ...and an area over open water.
To place a well, press the b, l keys. That will take you through the various components, and you can choose specifically from among the parts you have available in each category. The well must be designated over an open area down to water - you cannot have a staircase, ramp, grate or floor bars below it.
It requires a dwarf with the architecture labour designated to design, and then a mason to finish the construction. Because it's designed, high-value materials can be multiplied by a high-quality effort on the part of either or both the steps involved, and can result in an extremely valuable piece of architecture for your fortress. A deep well shaft contributes to the building quality[Verify].
See also: