Why can't I connect a power cable to the Water Purifier?

Question

I don't know exactly what I'm doing wrong, but I can't connect power to anything. For example, I placed a water purifier in the river and then built a power generator near the house. I hit Y (playing on Xbox One) and ran the cable from the generator to the water purifier - it looks like it connected/snapped into place, so I hit Y again to attach it, but it didn't attach.

Is distance a factor? Do I need to be closer? I'm currently running the cable all the way from the house, past the playground and down into the shallow area of the river. Just makes no sense!

Answer 1

In addition to distance, do you have enough copper? I've found that the warning that tells you that you don't have enough is a bit finicky and sometimes doesn't show up (or all my clicking around makes it disappear - I don't know which).

Answer 2

Distance is a factor. You can use power pylons to connect power across. If you want to use the least possible pylons, place one right next to the generator, connect the cable, then pick it up and drag it towards the pump. When it turns red, it's too far from the generator and it's time to make a second one.

The biggest issue is higher wires can go further. Once a cable is long enough to drag close to the ground, you can't place it.

Answer 3

Distance does matter. Obstructions also matter. Make sure the way is clear and/or place Power Pylons to either close the distance or go around an "unscrappable" object like a large tree or a piece of a building.