Build a Geothermal That Never Lets You Down (RimWorld 1.6) — Safe Blueprint Tool

Build a Geothermal
That Never Lets You Down (1.6)

Fast, no-mistakes how to build geothermal generator rimworld: place it on a SteamGeyser, keep the cage unroofed (especially the door tile), and wire it back cleanly (hidden conduits help). Values below come from Core defs (1.6.4633 rev1266).

Output: 3600W constant

Must be on SteamGeyser

Hidden conduit: 2 steel/tile

Perfect Setup 6×6 + ring

Place the generator directly over the geyser, keep a 1‑tile ring for repairs, and remove roof over the ring + doorway.

This layout avoids the classic trio: roofed heat traps, blocked wind lanes, and fragile exterior wiring.

Unroof the cage (especially above the door tile).
Use stone walls + stone door (wood burns; steel can burn).
Run hidden conduits back to base; add a switch at the base edge.
Floor the ring (stone) to stop plants and speed firefighting.

Quick refs: GeothermalGenerator · SteamGeyser

Wind Turbine Safe Zones 7×18 lane

Turbines need a clear rectangle in front/behind. Don’t place geothermal cages/walls inside turbine lanes (geo is blockWind).

Clear trees/structures inside the lane. Overlap turbine lanes with other turbines is OK — just keep them empty.

Ref: WindTurbine

Heat & Roofing Door fires

Steam geyser rooms can rapidly overheat (Core def description). The #1 fix is simple: unroof the cage and keep flammables away.

Roofed Heat Trap Door ignites

Don’t roof the doorway tile. That 1×1 “room” can spike fast during steam bursts.

Fix: use Remove roof area above ring + door.

Unroofed & Safe Heat dumps

Do leave the cage open to sky and use a stone door + stone walls.

Optional: roof only the approach path, not the generator ring.

Safe Wiring Exterior runs

Hidden conduits are tougher/cleaner for long outdoor runs. Normal conduit is cheaper but more exposed.

Type	Steel/tile	Notes
Hidden	2	Flammability 0; harder to target.
Normal	1	Flammability 0.7; more exposed.

Wiring calculator

Conduit type

Run length (tiles)

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Refs: HiddenConduit · PowerConduit · ShortCircuit (Zzztt)

Power Math 3600W anchor

A geothermal is constant day/night — deficits are usually your loads switching on (sun lamps, heaters, turrets). Use this to budget always-on demand.

What 3600W runs (examples)
Sun lamp	2900W
8× hydroponics	560W
+ 2 batteries	buffer / stability

Power calculator

Geothermals online

Sun lamps

Hydroponics basins

Other constant load (W)

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Biome Uses Greenhouse buddy

Use geothermal as your “always on” anchor. In cold biomes, pair it with a nearby greenhouse — keep the geo cage unroofed and vent/door the greenhouse.

Cold: greenhouse next door + toggle vents; geo cage stays open to sky.
Hot: fully unroofed cage + stone materials (wildfire-safe).
Dust storms / winter: geothermal carries you when solar dips.

Keep the cage open to sky; attach a roofed greenhouse with controllable venting.

Defend Your Geo Set & forget

Make it repairable under fire and a boring target.

Stone cage outside the 1‑tile ring. Double-wall if breachers are common.
Keep a home zone strip + stone floor in the ring (fast firefighting).
Switch at base edge: isolate for repairs or expansion.

Mod Spotlight Not vanilla

Geothermal Power Extenders (mod) changes expectations: boosts output per geyser with add-ons (often cited up to ~7200W).

Keep a separate “modded math” profile so vanilla budgeting doesn’t get confusing.

1.6 Troubleshooting Fast fixes

Door catches fire: you probably roofed the door tile — unroof ring + door, switch to stone door/walls.
Wind weak: clear the turbine lane; don’t overlap geothermal cages with wind rectangles.
Power shortage “during day”: sun lamps turn on; geothermal stays constant — check load, not production.

Geothermal Wiki Guide

Wind & Zzztt Tips

Plan Your Base

Game Data (Core defs) Where numbers come from

Version: 1.6.4633 rev1266. Source paths below are from local install mounted at /game.

/game/Data/Core/Defs/ThingDefs_Buildings/Buildings_Power.xml
  ThingDef GeothermalGenerator:
    costList Steel=340, ComponentIndustrial=8
    constructionSkillPrerequisite=8
    size=(6,6)
    comps/CompProperties_Power/basePowerConsumption=-3600 (produces 3600W)
    blockWind=true

  ThingDef HiddenConduit:
    costList Steel=2
    statBases Flammability=0

  ThingDef PowerConduit:
    costList Steel=1
    statBases Flammability=0.7

/game/Data/Core/Defs/ThingDefs_Buildings/Buildings_Furniture.xml
  ThingDef SunLamp:
    comps/CompProperties_Power/basePowerConsumption=2900

/game/Data/Core/Defs/ThingDefs_Buildings/Buildings_Production.xml
  ThingDef HydroponicsBasin:
    comps/CompProperties_Power/basePowerConsumption=70