[Klonan] [2.1.20] The LED of a Boiler using "fluid" as energy_source is always displaying "Low Power" although working
Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2026 3:27 pm
This topic was first discussed on the Factorio discord with Bilka. Bilka said this is most likely an engine bug : https://discord.com/channels/1396775903 ... 1177643068
Please find attached a demo mod and a demo save (2.1).
What
I defined a boiler with energy_source type = "fluid". Even when working as expected at full capacity, the LED of the boiler entity shows the "Low Power" status, leading the player in thinking there's a problem when there's none.
Here's an extract of the boiler's definition. (Full definition can be found in the attached mod)
Tried workarounds
Following Bilka's advice, I tried
1. removing definition of fluid_usage_per_tick
2. limiting the consumption using fluid_usage_per_tick rather than energy_consumption
3. removing both definitions of fluid_usage_per_tick and scale_fluid_usage (behavior difference)
4. tweaking the volume_reservation_fraction of the input fluidbox
None of this differences in implementation solved the issue of the LED displaying "Low Power" while the boiler actually works as expected.
Attachments
The mod and the save contains only the bare minimum for displaying the bug behavior
Please find attached a demo mod and a demo save (2.1).
What
I defined a boiler with energy_source type = "fluid". Even when working as expected at full capacity, the LED of the boiler entity shows the "Low Power" status, leading the player in thinking there's a problem when there's none.
- 09-25-2026, 17-13-14.png (119.03 KiB) Viewed 404 times
Code: Select all
energy_source =
{
type = "fluid",
effectivity = 1,
burns_fluid = false,
scale_fluid_usage = true,
destroy_non_fuel_fluid = false,
fluid_usage_per_tick = 100.0 / second,
maximum_temperature = 1500,
spent_fluid = { name = "molten-lead", amount = 1, temperature = 500},
fluid_box = {
pipe_picture = assemblerpictures.assembler2pipepictures,
pipe_covers = pipecoverspictures(),
volume = 400,
filter = "molten-lead",
pipe_connections = {
{ flow_direction = "input", direction = defines.direction.north, position = {0, -1}, connection_category = {"default"}},
},
secondary_draw_orders = { north = -1 },
--volume_reservation_fraction = 200,
},
output_fluid_box = {
pipe_picture = assemblerpictures.assembler2pipepictures,
pipe_covers = pipecoverspictures(),
volume = 100,
filter = "molten-lead",
pipe_connections = {
{ flow_direction = "output", direction = defines.direction.west, position = {-1, 0}, connection_category = {"default"}},
},
secondary_draw_orders = { north = -1 },
}
},
energy_consumption = "10MW",Following Bilka's advice, I tried
1. removing definition of fluid_usage_per_tick
2. limiting the consumption using fluid_usage_per_tick rather than energy_consumption
3. removing both definitions of fluid_usage_per_tick and scale_fluid_usage (behavior difference)
4. tweaking the volume_reservation_fraction of the input fluidbox
None of this differences in implementation solved the issue of the LED displaying "Low Power" while the boiler actually works as expected.
- BugReportBoiler.png (315.03 KiB) Viewed 404 times
The mod and the save contains only the bare minimum for displaying the bug behavior
