Crypto mining devices must be cleaned to ensure maximum efficiency and lifespan. It is crucial to understand how to perform routine upkeep so that hashing performance remains stable and your miner’s lifespan is extended.

Let’s go over the best mining rig maintenance regularly plus how to clean a crypto ASIC miner.

Daily Maintenance Tips

A crypto-mining machine should be checked at least each couple of hours. You should have to check the following functions:

• Hashing Speed: The average hashing speed of the machine is within 5-10% of the listed parameters.
• Chip Temperature: The temperature of the miner’s chip should be between 70°-80°C (158°-176°F). to keep the ASICs
• Room Temperature: For optimal hashing, the ambient (room) temperature should be between 10° and 30° Celsius (50° and 86° Fahrenheit).
• PCB: The PCB (hash/control board) temperature is less than 90°C (194°F), and the temperature differences across the three hash boards are less than 10°C (20°F).
• Pool Latency: The latency between pools is negligible, and your submitted hashing speed matches the kernel log.
• Power supply: The power supply is stable, and the cables are not damaged.
• Ventilation: The machine fans and room ventilation are free.

If any of these functions aren’t working properly, you’ll need to fix it. An extended reset (off for 2 minutes) or altering a machine’s location to optimize airflow might sometimes help. Other times, a thorough inquiry is required.

Here is further information about the running conditions:

Virtual Inspections

Inspect a miner after it is newly installed or after it has been repaired.

• Examine for dents or damage.
• Gently shake the machine to check for loose screws, heat sinks, or other components.
• Check that no scraps have gotten in the fans, that they are complete, and that they are running in the proper direction.
• Check for any loose cables and that the copper bars are not slanted or crushed.
• Wear antistatic gloves if you need to touch the devices.
• Check that no warning lights flash when it is plugged in.
• Check that your mining pool settings and IP address are accurate.

Cooling Fans

The cooling fans on your miner will need to be replaced at some point, and the original brand used by your ASIC miner manufacturer is advised. Some miners choose to upgrade their fans to higher quality to reduce noise or better cool their machines, but keep in mind that this may affect power consumption and efficiency. Moreover, do not replace a high-speed fan with a lower-speed fan to avoid overheating.

Humidity and Ventilation

Crypto mining machines are really hot. Room fans or outdoor ventilation can be added to a mining environment to improve the removal of heat. A dust screen on an intake vent can assist keep pests out while maintaining clean air in your mining room. A wind hood on an exit vent, on the other hand, reduces backdraft and helps to maintain proper airflow. Just keep in mind to inspect and clean ventilation systems regularly. Plus, ensure that your ventilation does not enable rain or snow to enter your home, as happened to the poor miner.

Mining plants can also install negative pressure fans and separate hot and cold aisles to prevent warm air from returning to the cooler air intake area. Some farms feature tower structures that suck cool air through the sides of the building and force hot air up and through roof vents. Alternatively, mining containers draw cool air directly from one side to the other.

Air conditioning is typically not cost-effective because it is costly to operate. Some miners employ water curtains instead, although these systems are not fail-safe. They can evaporatively consume a lot of water, and filters can become clogged with dust and debris. Humidity levels may be increased by using water curtains.

High humidity may attack a miner’s metal surfaces, making pitting and bubbling. The ideal humidity level is less than 65%. To address this issue, air recirculation or dehumidifiers might be utilized. As well, running machines near the ocean is not suggested since the salty air might eat away at hash boards.

Noise

Mining machinery is noisy, measuring roughly 70 decibels (dB) on a sound meter. Fortunately, ASIC miners are highly inventive and smart when it comes to dealing with noise difficulties.

A miner silencer box, for instance, can be made of metal, wood, or even an ice chest. However, when testing a new miner box, keep an eye on the machine’s temps to ensure that it does not overheat, and make changes as needed. Rockwool, a fireproof soundproof insulation, might also be used to quiet a mining box or room.

Finally, wear ear protection when running to safeguard your hearing.

Immersion

Running miners in a stint fluid can reduce noise, offer cooling, and keep the machines cleaner than when they are run on air. Immersion may also extend the life of a gear. Some miners have even connected their home and swimming pool heating systems to the immersed miners! If you want to run an immersion system, Telegram groups like Immersion Cooling Technology Talk may be very useful.

Yet, this type of solution is not for everyone because it may be expensive and time-consuming, and warranties become null and void. Immersion systems disperse heat into a cooling chamber, requiring a large amount of water, especially in hot areas where water evaporates quickly. Furthermore, immersion fluids, particularly mineral oil, can induce corrosion. In research investigations, sulphurs, bubble patterns, and faulty electrical grounding have all been blamed for the damage.

Canaan is the sole manufacturer of specialized immersion cooling units and systems for crypto mining machines. Bitmain and MicroBT, on the other hand, produce hydro-cooled devices such as the Antminer S9 Hydro, S19 Pro + Hydro, and WhatsMiner M53.

Fire Protection

Reduce the risk of a fire by using non-flammable items near your equipment. Maintain proper ventilation and keep a fire alarm nearby. You should also clean your crypto ASIC miner regularly to avoid dust buildup that could catch fire. In the following part, we will go through how to clean your ASIC miner.

Likewise, in your setup, employ fireproof electrical and network wires. Check cables again regularly to replace them as needed. An infrared thermometer can also be used to ensure that the temperature of the circuit breaker, cables, and power distribution unit (PDU) connectors is not higher than 70°C (158°F). Also, keep an eye on the stability of your power supply by doing the following.

Checks for Electricity

Before beginning a mining operation, ensure that you have the proper electrical setup. You’ll need to conduct your study based on the model(s) you want to run, and you might need to hire an electrician to get started. Furthermore, a power supply should be roughly +20% greater than the miner’s stipulated power usage.

To avoid instability or burnt cables, use a multimeter daily to ensure that the voltage of the PDU socket is within the standard value of 220V10%. Check that your three-phase ammeter does not deviate by more than 15%. Contact an electrician if the voltage is abnormal.

You should also check for electrical leakage from a miner regularly. If you get shocks when you touch your miner or its power supply unit (PSU), it’s likely that it’s not correctly grounded, which could harm the equipment.

Finally, avoid power interruptions and surges that might harm machines. This can be accomplished by either turning off your machines during storms or adding surge protectors. You should also turn off your devices gradually rather than abruptly. Finally, make sure your electrical outlets are not loose, hot, or broken.

Network

Identify your miners by utilizing a router and a static IP address. This provides network security and sufficient network speed. Many people use a VPN or TOR for concealment, although this adds delay. Slow networks or excessive network latency to the pool connection can cause swings in your hash rate shares, lowering your daily earnings. Pinging the mining pool from the miner’s network diagnostics interface will show you your line speed; it should be less than 100 milliseconds. If your speed remains slow, you can request alternate Stratum addresses from your mining pool or change mining pools entirely.

Autotuning, Overclocking, and Underclocking

Bitcoin miners automatically adjust the speed of their fans. Fans, for instance, increase their RPM when the machine is heated. To protect themselves from damage, some mining machines will shut down if the temperature becomes too hot or too cold. And it’s because of these default fan speed and cutoff features that manufacturers warn against altering a miner’s settings with third-party firmware.

Power mode options for some machines can be found in the miner configuration setup. Thus, here is an explanation of Bitmain’s S9 Low Power settings. However, the miner’s overall voltage is affected by a manufacturer’s under and overclocking firmware. Third-party firmware such as Braiins, VNISH, and others, on the other hand, can be used to autotune chips with more advanced settings such as lowering the voltage to a specific chain of chips.

Having your Mining Device clean

It is crucial to clean your miner to improve efficiency, boost hash rate, and decrease heat and fire risk. Keeping the equipment clean should also help to preserve microchips and components, extending the life of your rig.

Clean your ASIC crypto miner monthly or as needed depending on the condition of your air. When it is required, you will be able to tell because there is visible dust or your average daily mining pace lowers by more than 5%.

Using a high-pressure air compressor with an air cannon in periodic bursts is the best technique to clean an ASIC miner. This will blow out the dust that has built on the frames, hash boards, and fan blades. According to Bitmain’s guide, the air pressure range should be 0.7 0.05 MPa.

Unless your atmosphere is damp and dust is difficult to remove with compressed air, you should not have to take apart the machine for standard monthly cleanings. In that scenario, remove the hash boards and detach the fans before lightly brushing them with a dry antistatic brush.

Some miners utilize vacuum cleaners on their mining rigs, but this is not encouraged because it can suck up or loosen parts. Canned compressed air is also not recommended since it contains water, which can cause a machine to short out or harm components over time. It is also crucial to maintain a clean mining environment. Vacuum your mining area and dust the surrounding surfaces regularly.

Depending on the air quality in your operational location, your miner may require a deep cleaning once or twice a year. Ultrasonic cleaning devices for electronics are frequently employed in mining farms and repair shops. Ultrasonic baths containing flux solutions are also useful for immersion units or removing solder or residue deposits from a miner.

Home miners can manually rinse hash and control boards with 99% isopropyl alcohol. Water should not be used to clean miners since it can leave behind salts and minerals that can create short circuits and harm to your unit. Also, if your machine gets wet by accident with rainwater or other chemicals, you should clean it with 99% isopropyl alcohol to eliminate any residue.

Handling Common Problems

Miner failures can occur for a variety of causes. If your machine isn’t working properly, check the network, reset the rig, inspect the cables and power supply, remove dust, and reduce the ambient temperature. It is also possible that you will need to replace the power supply, upgrade the firmware, or re-flash the control panel.

BITMINE’s ASIC Miners Maintenance Services

If you want to keep your valuable mining machines in excellent working order, BITMINE is what you need. The team of proficient technology experts knows these devices both inside and out. If you bought your miners elsewhere, Bitmine can still repair them for you. We can fix your miners and make them perform at their best with our highly qualified staff of ASIC technicians and all replacement parts and equipment on hand!

Our staff of highly skilled and ASIC-certified specialists is available via phone or in person at our Abu Dhabi facility for any maintenance or servicing needs for your ASIC miners. You can count on our team to provide professional and dependable service. Whether it’s a faulty fan, a faulty hash board, or something strange, your miner will be back up and running in no time.

Bitmine employs high-quality equipment and genuine replacement components. There is no dirty business here; we value quality. Your miners will be in the hands of experts who will not accept anything less than the best.