It is possible that you have never considered something so trivial, at first glance, aswhat to do with the heat given off by bitcoin mining devices? The answer that comes to mind might be to simply get rid of this waste heat somehow, but if you live in a cold region,Wouldn’t it be more optimal to reuse that heat energy so as not to get cold at home? This approach has already occurred to some miners, such as Yuan, who uses the heat from his ASICs to keep his pool at a comfortable temperature throughout the year. It has even had times of excess heat!
How much heat can a bitcoin mining ASIC generate?
A bitcoin mining device gives off a considerable amount of heat and requires good quality cooling. The recommended room temperature should be between 15 ºC and 35 ºC in the facilities where these devices operate. If you live in a cold area, the devices themselves will be responsible for heating the room with their activity and that is where the need for good heat evacuation begins. A popular option is to use liquid cooling to dissipate excess heatthat is, water that circulates through pipes that can be connected to the heating system of your home later to distribute the heat to the rest of the rooms.
The working temperatures of the ASICs vary depending on the model and can range between 65ºC and 115ºC roughly as this Bitmain source indicates. However, that It does not mean that the chips must be at maximum temperature, since a cooling failure could damage them., the ideal is that their working temperature is intermediate and that the refrigeration system is responsible for keeping them stable. Since almost all the energy of a processor is transformed into heat, we can approximate the heat energy to be dissipated based on the power of the devices. For example, an 8.6 TH/s Antminer R4 consumes about 1.3 kW (equivalent to 311 calories per second) according to this post.
How much energy do we need to heat the home?
The amount of heat required to maintain a room at a temperature “pleasant” varies based on several factors so we will make some assumptions about these parameters to determine the energy needed. For example, in temperate areas like Buenos Aires, with an average annual temperature of 18 ºC, it is possible to maintain a temperate home with about 50 calories (209 J) per cubic meter according to this source.
Now, if we consider that an average house in Argentina can have about 106 m2 and the height of the floors is about 2 meters, we would be talking about about 212 m3 that would be heated with about 10,600 calories per second, that is, about 34 devices similar to the Antminer R4. Finally, if we consider that an Antminer can have approximate dimensions of 100 x 222 x 515 mm, equivalent to 0.011 m3, we are talking about 34 of these devices occupying about 0.389 m3 or 0.18% of the space of the entire house.
Adding racks, monitors, peripherals, device spacing, cabling, etc. We still have a lot of room to comfortably place these devices in one room and they could provide the necessary heat for the rest of the rooms through the water heating system.
Yes ok these estimates do not imply that it is profitable in all cases opting for this type of solution does present the viability of this type of project. As a curiosity, keeping the water in a swimming pool at a pleasant temperature in Buenos Aires, with an average temperature of 18ºC, would require raising the temperature of the water by between 10ºC and 15ºC depending on the time of year. Since the specific heat of water is 1 calorie per gram and degree Celsius, between 10,000 and 15,000 calories are needed per cubic meter of water.
In addition, although the size of a pool is variable, this source indicates that a reference measurement is 4.5 mx 9 m, if we assume a depth of 2 m, it is 81 m3, so we would need between 810,000 and 1,215,000 calories to heat this pool, namely, about 3906 Antminer R4 in the worst case (They would occupy 20.67% of our home!). We see that maintaining a warm pool is much less viable with this ASIC model but if we were to mine with the Antminer S19 Pro + Hyd. of 198 TH/s and a power of 5.4 kW, we would only need about 940 of these devices that would occupy 7.44% of the house!
So,can you heat a house with Antminers or ASICs? In short, yes. But it would not always be profitable It is a good idea to implement this solution since it is necessary to have well-insulated rooms to take advantage of that heat and a sufficient number of devices operating 24/7. Besides, would not be viable in sites with extreme temperatures where more heating power is needed. In short, we see that depending on the dimensions of the house, it could be feasible to heat it using the residual heat of the mining devices, being especially interesting for medium-sized apartments, but in the case of a swimming pool – and depending on the conditions – this company could be less profitable. . Yuan, of course, has found a very interesting balance to keep your pool warm all year round.
Disclaimer: The information and/or opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views or editorial line of Cointelegraph. The information set forth herein should not be taken as financial advice or investment recommendation. All investment and commercial movement involve risks and it is the responsibility of each person to do their due research before making an investment decision.
It may interest you:
Investments in crypto assets are not regulated. They may not be suitable for retail investors and the full amount invested may be lost. The services or products offered are not aimed at or accessible to investors in Spain.