Purifying Polluted Water In Oxygen: Getting Rid Of The Scum

In the space-colony simulation game Oxygen Not Included, polluted water is a common issue. While it has its uses, such as a coolant or for irrigating certain plants, it can also be a nuisance when left in bottles. To rid bottles of polluted water, players must build a bottle emptier and set its filter to only accept polluted water. This will prompt the dupes to gather and empty the bottles, after which the water can be sent to a sieve for purification.

Build a bottle emptier

To get rid of polluted water in Oxygen Not Included, you need to build a Bottle Emptier. This is a building used for emptying bottles of liquid, including polluted water, into specific locations.

To build a Bottle Emptier, you must first construct the building. Once built, you need to set the Filter to polluted water. It is recommended to set the priority to high so that Duplicants will empty bottles of polluted water there. You can also enable the Auto Bottling option, which allows Duplicants to specifically bottle liquid at a Pitcher Pump and bring it to the Bottle Emptier.

The Bottle Emptier can empty a bottle of up to 200 kg of liquid at a time. It is important to note that Duplicants will not deliver another bottle until the current one is completely discharged. The Bottle Emptier can be rotated during construction so that the liquid can fall to either its left or right side.

By default, the only option in the Element Filter menu is water, but other liquids become available as the player discovers them. If a Duplicant empties a bottle of germ-filled polluted water, both the surface of the Bottle Emptier and the Duplicant will be covered in germs.

The Bottle Emptier is a useful tool for managing polluted water and can be completely submerged without affecting its function.

Set the filter to polluted water

To set the filter to polluted water in Oxygen Not Included, you need to build a bottle emptier and set the filter to polluted water. It is recommended to set the priority to high. This will allow Duplicants to automatically empty polluted water bottles into the Bottle Emptier.

The Bottle Emptier can be used to take polluted water from Wash Basins and put it into a hole where CO2 accumulates. By ensuring that the polluted water has no contact with oxygen, it cannot spread into your oxygen supply. The CO2 will inhibit the growth of microbes, allowing you to safely store polluted water.

It is important to note that polluted water can have negative effects on Duplicants if they walk or become submerged in it, increasing their stress levels. Additionally, if polluted water contains germs and comes into contact with clean water, the clean water will also become contaminated. Therefore, it is crucial to handle polluted water carefully and store it separately from clean water sources.

While polluted water can be purified using a Water Sieve, this process does not remove any germs present. To address this issue, it is suggested to use a deodorizer and a washbasin near the polluted cistern to minimize the risk of contamination.

Turn up the priority on the bottle emptier

To get rid of bottles of polluted water in Oxygen Not Included, you need to build a bottle emptier. The bottle emptier is a building used for emptying bottles of liquid into specific locations. It is not an automated device, so Duplicants will have to put the liquids into the bottle emptier.

To ensure that the Duplicants prioritise the bottle emptier, you can set the priority to high. Every dupe ranks tasks by a priority number. By default, all tasks are set to a priority of 30. Each up/down arrow on the priority screen is +/-10, and most objects have a priority of 1-9. This means that the arrows always win. For example, if you gave a dupe one up arrow in everything but storage and set a storage bin to 9, the dupe would do everything other than storing until there is nothing else to do because they are a priority of 40+ and storing in that bin is 39.

Therefore, to ensure that your Duplicants use the bottle emptier, you should set the priority to high. You can also try checking the priority tabs and putting tidying up on a dupe or two. When your base gets big, it is helpful to get a dupe to do sweeping and mopping. Additionally, make sure that you have selected "polluted water" from the element filter menu and clicked "enable autobottling".

Ensure a dupe has a high tidy priority

To ensure a dupe has a high tidy priority in Oxygen Not Included, you can follow these steps:

Firstly, understand that dupes will automatically complete tasks they are capable of, so you can start prioritising tasks for them early on. Prioritising certain tasks will make dupes who excel in those areas more inclined to take on those assignments. For example, if a dupe has high attributes in athletics and strength, they are well-suited for Tidy and Supply jobs, so you can increase the priority of these tasks for them.

As your colony grows, you may want to start specialising your dupes. While some players prefer to keep their dupes multi-skilled, you can benefit from having dedicated dupes for specific roles, such as Storage and Tidy. This can improve efficiency and ensure that tasks are completed without interruption.

To further encourage your dupes to tidy up quickly, you can build a Bottle Emptier and set the filter to Polluted Water with a high priority. This will prompt your dupes to empty Polluted Water bottles into the Bottle Emptier, reducing the mess and keeping your colony organised.

Additionally, when mopping up polluted water, ensure that clean water is directed to good water storage areas to avoid contamination. Polluted water can be purified through various methods, such as using a Water Sieve or boiling it into steam, but it's essential to prevent it from mixing with clean water sources unless properly treated.

By following these steps, you can ensure that your dupes prioritise tidying up and effectively manage polluted water in your Oxygen Not Included colony.

Pour into a different pit than your clean water

To get rid of bottles of polluted water in Oxygen Not Included, you can build a bottle emptier that pours into a different pit than your clean water supply. This is a good option if you have polluted water bottles lying around and want to avoid contaminating your clean water.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do this:

• Build a bottle emptier: Construct a bottle emptier somewhere in your base. This will be the designated area for collecting and emptying polluted water bottles.
• Set the filter: Go into the bottle emptier's menu and set the filter to polluted water only. This ensures that only polluted water is emptied into the pit.
• Prioritize the task: Set the priority for emptying polluted water bottles to high. This will prompt your Duplicants to focus on this task and quickly gather and dispose of the polluted water.
• Create a separate pit: Designate a specific pit or basin for the polluted water to be emptied into. This pit should be separate from your clean water supply to prevent any accidental contamination.
• Collect polluted water bottles: Your Duplicants will now start collecting polluted water bottles from various sources, such as wash basins or mopping operations, and bring them to the bottle emptier.
• Empty bottles into the pit: The Duplicants will empty the polluted water from the bottles into the designated pit. This process will help contain the polluted water in one area.
• Pump and sieve the water: Once the polluted water is out of the bottles and in the pit, you can place a pump at the bottom of that pit to send the polluted water to a water sieve for purification. The water sieve will filter the polluted water into clean water, but note that it won't remove any germs present.

By following these steps, you can effectively dispose of polluted water bottles and convert the polluted water into a usable resource, all while maintaining the integrity of your clean water supply. Remember to prioritize this task and create a designated area for the bottle emptier and pit to ensure the efficient management of polluted water in your base.

Frequently asked questions