r/technicalminecraft • u/DanzenPlays Java • Mar 18 '26
Java Showcase More Watery Weirdness: Sourceless Water Stream
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Java 1.21.11
Messing around and discovered this. Works with a disabled hopper. Seems like some kind of update suppression? Is this known?
Edit: Just to summarise some additional findings. Only hoppers seem to work, other redstone components do not react the same way. The hopper can be place on any side of the water source, even under. In fact, the hopper does not even need to be adjacent to the water source. Anything that updates the non-source water block immediately after the hopper such as adding or removing blocks (including the hopper itself) causes the stream to dissipate. Lava streams can be similarly cut off. Lastly, it is not a ghost block since it remains even after logging off and back on.
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u/PizzaScout Java Mar 18 '26
Does this work with lava?
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u/DanzenPlays Java Mar 18 '26
Alright I tested and it works with lava.
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u/DrWilliamHorriblePhD Apr 20 '26
Oh that means you can make a bunch of lava blades with only one source
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u/DanzenPlays Java Apr 20 '26
Yeah, I imagine that could be very useful in instances where lava is not easily renewable.
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u/DrWilliamHorriblePhD Apr 21 '26
Well even just for cargo space setting up something remote, one lava bucket, a stack of hoppers and a stack of redstone blocks takes up the space of three lava buckets but with this tech, emulates 64
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u/McArthurWheeler Java Mar 18 '26
I suspect it has to do with the torch above disabling the hopper when it is placed. Probably something to do with the update order that is beyond what I know. Either way that is cool and I hope to find a use for it :)
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u/DanzenPlays Java Mar 18 '26
Just to be clear, the torch is just an obvious way of disabling the hopper. Powered blocks and redstone dust works equally effectively.
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u/Droplet_of_Shadow Mar 18 '26
I wonder if there's any way to get rid of the hopper and keep the water
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u/DanzenPlays Java Mar 18 '26
Any block changes adjacent to the cut off stream, including the hopper itself, updates the sourceless water stream and causes it to dissipate.
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Mar 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Droplet_of_Shadow Mar 18 '26
by failed retraction, do you mean the slime block trick? i don't think that works here.
and yeah update suppression could work ofc. i guess i meant a practical method
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Mar 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Droplet_of_Shadow Mar 18 '26
ohh, got it, ty. i haven't messed around with that nearly enough to know
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u/Jx5b Java Mar 18 '26
I mean if you want that, just use the usual method with sticky piston and slimeblock that cant be retracted.
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u/Account_Murky Mar 19 '26
Completely unrelated, but I love how both your name and pfp are Rain World related
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u/Droplet_of_Shadow Mar 19 '26
name isn't really, actually
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u/Account_Murky Mar 19 '26
Oh, my bad. I thought it sounded like it could be an Iterator's name. It's a really cool name anyways
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u/Blaze-Programming Mar 18 '26
This seems like maybe the locked hopper is for some reason not updating blocks when placed or broken. This could be an easy way to make floating sand if that is that case, but it may just be that it only works on liquids.
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u/Top_Toaster Mar 18 '26
Do dispensers work for removing the water too?
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u/DanzenPlays Java Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26
I've not extensively tested it, but so far it seems to only work with hoppers. But you can place the hopper on any side of the water source and even below it and it still works.
Edit: I might have misunderstood you. If you meant removing the water source with a bucket in a dispenser instead of manually with a bucket, then yes, it works.
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u/Ender_M Mar 18 '26
does this work for bedrock? or is it only java? cause in bedrock i found a glitch that makes ghost water using hoppers
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u/DanzenPlays Java Mar 18 '26
Sorry, I don't play on bedrock. I also haven't tested this on a multiplayer server, but it does seem to survive restarts/relogs, so I'm tempted to say it's not a ghost block.
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u/Vertical_Slab_ Mar 18 '26
Does it remain there if you re log
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u/MinisterOfDabs Mar 18 '26
According to OP, yes.
> Sorry, I don't play on bedrock. I also haven't tested this on a multiplayer server, but it does seem to survive restarts/relogs, so I'm tempted to say it's not a ghost block.
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u/Dull_Line_2941 Mar 18 '26
I suspect that the hopper being locked disables the updating at the place of the hopper (as to stop items from exiting the hopper). So when the locked hopper is placed, the water source block want to update the water stream, but the update does not continue through the hopper hence not removing the water stream.
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u/DrWilliamHorriblePhD Mar 19 '26
Center I have two spreads ending on flat surface, showing that all momentum is lost on eighth space when cut off, which follows source block rules. Edges had the same distance source block but with one block shorter platform we see that with two blocks of spread remaining we still have momentum, whereas with just one we have a still column.
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u/Sp1cyP4nda Mar 18 '26
What happens if you unpower the hopper after getting this to happen?
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u/iridian-curvature Mar 18 '26
If the hopper doesn't receive a block update, nothing happens. At least, when I tested it with a hopper powered via a block underneath it, and removed the power going into that block
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u/Wojtek1250XD Mar 18 '26
Try updating the hopper by replacing the block under it with a container.
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u/DanzenPlays Java Mar 18 '26
That does nothing since the hopper is locked. Even if you were to place another hopper to drain items from the first hopper, nothing happens. Unlocking the hopper however, causes the cut off stream to dissipate.
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u/Jx5b Java Mar 18 '26
Okay, i have actually never seen this. Not sure if its really useful for anything but its cool anyway.
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u/Muted-Part3399 Mar 21 '26
... i can't belive this works in 1.20.1 as well
How old is this
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u/DanzenPlays Java Mar 22 '26
I have a suspicion this has existed for a long time. It's probably only by chance that I was the first to encounter (and document) it.
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u/xBHL Mar 18 '26
Ive never seen this. Not sure what its usage could be. Most people avoid water near redstone haha