How to Automate a Strainer Setup with Hoppers

Why Automate

Strainers produce items passively, but if you don't empty them they stop. Automating input and output lets you run several strainers at once and collect everything into one chest.

Output Automation

Place a hopper directly beneath the strainer, pointing into a chest or into another hopper line. The strainer's output slots will be pulled into the hopper as items appear. Chain multiple strainers along a hopper line so all their drops funnel into a single collection point.

Input and Water Considerations

• The strainer must stay submerged. If you build a large array, dig a trench, line it, and flood it so every strainer block has water above and around it.
• Mesh doesn't get consumed in the same way tools do in some setups, but if your pack consumes it, you'll need a way to refill the mesh slot — many players just check manually, since auto-inserting into a single slot is tricky.
• Use a hopper underneath each strainer, not beside it, so drops fall straight into the collection line.

Scaling Up

Build rows of strainers over a shared hopper channel. Feed the channel into a chest or an item sorter. This is the standard way to farm strainer loot at scale without constantly emptying each block by hand.