Talk:Volcano/@comment-78.151.60.14-20120815185204/@comment-83.86.168.221-20120904105907

The "huge supply of lava" of a volcano is rather different from oil provided by an an oil well.

- the pipe contains 30 to 80 lava, depending on the volcano's height. Mind there is an obsidian plug of about 6 blocks where the pipe breaks the old surface. You need to remove this by hand in order to access lava from the lower pipe.

- the pipe may or may not end in a lava lake at layer 12. If it does you need to break the seal between the pipe and the lake by hand. The lake is "natural" and does not seem to be connected to the volcano. It may be absent, leaving the total supply of lava a mere 30 to 80 blocks. If the lake exists the pipe provides easy access to it for a surface pump. A lake can provide in anywhere from tens to thousands of lava.