How to Build a Water Elevator in Minecraft
Construct a rapid two-way vertical elevator in Minecraft using soul sand, magma blocks, kelp, and glass shafts to ascend and descend heights instantly.
- Read the tools, materials, safety notes, and steps below for free.
- Tap Start Camera Coach when you want hands-free voice help.
- Allow camera and microphone. Point your phone at the work; the coach watches your progress and tells you the next step.
🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Iron or Diamond Pickaxe
- ✓ Water Bucket
- ✓ Empty Hand / Hotbar Slot
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Glass blocks or solid building blocks
- ✓ 1 Soul Sand block
- ✓ 1 Magma Block
- ✓ 2 Wooden Doors or 4 Wall Signs
- ✓ Kelp (enough to reach the top of the shaft)
- ✓ 2 Water Buckets (infinite water source)
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Keep food equipped on your hotbar to regenerate health in case of accidental drowning.
- • Always crouch (hold Shift) when stepping onto the downward Magma block column to prevent taking heat damage.
- • Ensure the shaft entrance is fully sealed with doors or signs before placing water to avoid flooding nearby redstone or torch setups.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (5 Steps)
Build the Vertical Shaft Enclosures
Build two parallel 1x1 hollow vertical columns using glass or solid blocks from your ground floor up to the destination floor. Leave a 2-block high doorway opening at the front base of each shaft. Ensure the outer walls fully enclose the 1x1 interior airspace all the way up.
- • Two hollow vertical 1x1 shafts extending to the desired top level.
- • A 2x1 doorway opening at the base of each shaft.
- • Leaving a missing block along the corner or wall edges allowing water to leak out later.
Install Water Barriers at the Base
Place wooden doors or wall signs across the 2-block high entrance opening of each shaft. Open the doors if using doors so you can walk straight in. These create an airtight barrier that lets the player walk through while stopping water from spilling out onto the floor.
- • Doors or signs placed across the 2-block opening at the bottom of both shafts.
- • No open empty gaps at the floor-level entrance.
- • Placing signs on the wrong wall axis, leaving an open air gap where water can spill.
Fill Shaft with Water and Convert to Source Blocks Using Kelp
Go to the top of the first shaft and dump a single bucket of water into the open 1x1 chute so it flows all the way to the bottom. Jump down to the bottom, place a dirt block at the very base under the water, and plant kelp on it. Grow the kelp all the way to the top block by placing kelp consecutively upward to convert every flowing water block into a full water source block.
- • A continuous stalk of kelp extending from the bottom floor to the very top water surface.
- • Water level remains stationary and completely still.
- • Failing to plant kelp all the way to the top, leaving flowing water blocks that prevent bubble formation.
Activate Upward Soul Sand Bubble Column
Swim to the bottom of the first shaft and break the lowest kelp block to destroy the entire stalk at once. Break the temporary dirt block at the floor and immediately replace it with a Soul Sand block. Watch for rising white bubble particles that indicate the upward elevator is operational.
- • Continuous upward-flowing white bubble particles throughout the entire column.
- • Player is forcefully shot upward to the top floor upon stepping inside.
- • Placing Soul Sand before every water block has been turned into a source block.
Create Downward Magma Bubble Column
Repeat the water placement and kelp planting process in the second shaft to turn every block into a water source. Break the kelp stalk and replace the base block with a Magma Block. Look for downward vortex bubble particles pulling water toward the floor.
- • Downward swirl bubble particles running through the entire height of the second shaft.
- • Items and players are pulled rapidly downward to the floor.
- • Forgetting to crouch (Shift) upon landing at the bottom, resulting in fire/heat damage from the Magma block.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by wykull — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Glass blocks? Cobblestone, Smooth Stone, or any solid opaque block
- No Wooden Doors? Wall Signs or opened Fence Gates
- No Kelp? Manual placement of individual Water Buckets on every single vertical layer