Sandustry Answers
Sandustry Early Access 0.5.5Sources checked 22 August 2026Unofficial player-run reference
Home / Answers / VACUUM CONTROLSEarly Access 0.5.5Checked 22 August 2026Developer statement

How do I get stored material back out of the Vacuum?

Right click shoots the load back out; the tank it comes from is chosen in the Vacuum's own panel.

Quick answer

Hold right click to shoot the stored material back out. The Vacuum has two tanks and its panel has a TANKS row where you click the tank you want to unload from, plus a “Use selected tank only” checkbox. Leave that box unchecked and the official wiki notes the Vacuum draws from both tanks automatically when they hold the same material.

Steps

  1. Select the Vacuum from the hotbar.
  2. Hold right click where you want the material to go. The Vacuum's own settings panel labels this input as shoot out.
  3. To control which tank empties, click the tank you want in the TANKS row of the Vacuum panel; the selected tank is outlined.
  4. Tick “Use selected tank only” when you want output restricted to that one tank.
  5. Use the FILTER slot in the same panel to restrict what the Vacuum picks up in the first place.

Requirements / limits

  • The Vacuum is unlocked through Research at Tier 3 for 2000 Gold, and Fluxite upgrades increase tank capacity.
  • There are exactly two tanks, so the Vacuum holds at most two different materials at once.
  • Captured creatures use the same input: their tooltip reads Right Click to release.
  • On macOS the right mouse button could stick and leave the Vacuum spraying continuously. Update #2 added a workaround, and the developer states the proper fix is still pending.
  • The panel wording quoted here was read from footage recorded on build v0.5.3. Update #1 changed only filter editing and Update #2 added logging, display and input fixes; neither changelog reports a change to the tank controls.

Common mistakes

  • Expecting a keyboard shortcut to swap tanks. The documented way to change tanks is clicking the tank in the panel.
  • Confusing Alt plus mouse scroll with a Vacuum control. The publisher guide documents that combination as scrolling between hotbars.
  • Leaving “Use selected tank only” ticked and then wondering why the second tank never empties.
  • Treating a stuck spray on macOS as a control you pressed rather than the known right-mouse-button bug.

Still unverified

  • Is there a key or wheel shortcut that switches the active tank?Single unconfirmed reportOne player report describes Ctrl plus mouse wheel. No second source repeats it, and the publisher guide already assigns Ctrl to the replace hotkey and Alt plus mouse scroll to hotbar switching, so it is recorded here rather than published.