Factory diagnostics

Sandustry Shaker Not Working? Check These 7 Things

Most Shaker failures are routing failures. Follow the material from Wet Sand input to Residue exit, then down to the Gold Collector. Do not move the machine until you know which stage stopped.

Expected behavior: Wet Sand is processed into guaranteed Residue with a 25% chance to also produce Gold. Gold falls through; Residue remains in the Shaker area and must be moved away.

Shaker troubleshooting checklist

Check 1

The input is dry Sand

A Shaker processes Wet Sand for this chain. Confirm Sand and Water combine before the material reaches the machine.

Check 2

The space below is blocked

Gold falls through the Shaker. Clear the cells below it and give gravity an uninterrupted path to storage or a Collector.

Check 3

Residue has nowhere to go

Residue is the guaranteed output. Route it sideways or provide a buffer so it cannot crowd the input and Gold path.

Check 4

Gold is visible but currency does not rise

Move the Gold into a Collector. Loose Gold in the factory has been produced but is not counted as spendable currency.

Check 5

The test batch is too small

The official reference lists a 25% Gold chance. A short unlucky run can happen; test a larger controlled batch before moving the machine.

Check 6

The mixer ran out of Water

Trace the line from the input. If the Sand remains dry, the problem is upstream of the Shaker.

Check 7

The layout hides both outputs

Use a diagonal or stair-step Shaker layout so the falling Gold and pushed Residue remain visually separate.

The fastest controlled test

  1. Pause or isolate the rest of the factory so no other material enters the test area.
  2. Make a visible batch of Wet Sand from known Sand and Water inputs.
  3. Clear the cells below the Shaker and the planned Residue exit.
  4. Feed the batch, watch where Residue collects and count only Gold that reaches the Collector.
  5. Change one part of the layout at a time; otherwise the successful fix cannot be reproduced.

When zero Gold is not proof of a bug

A 25% chance is a long-run rate, not a promise that one of every four consecutive inputs produces Gold. If Wet Sand is disappearing and Residue is appearing, the Shaker is processing. Increase the sample, keep the Gold path visible and only then compare the result with the current patch.

Need the complete line? Follow the first Gold factory guide. Once the module works, save a reusable version with the blueprint workflow.

Sources checked

Verified for the August 2026 Early Access window; re-check the in-game tooltip after patches.