Bitcoin Forum

Ok. I recently was introduced to bitcoin by a friend of mine. After few days of mining on my gaming setup I owned already with couple 5970s, I was completely sold on the idea.

Soon after, I bought quite a few of 6990s from Amazon to build myself a mini farm at my apt. The problem I'm having is that now when I try to run all the new machines, the fuses are going out at random outlets because of too much power draw. I really need some guidance here because I don't want my new rigs sitting around doing nothing, but I'm clueless about electricity.

Is there anything that can be done to try to fix this problem? fyi my apt is a lease.

Can I try to change the outlet with those ones in the bathrooms with little buttons on them and maybe that will fix it?
It seems the ones I have plugged on the bathroom extension is the only one not going out all the time.

Different circuits have different max currents you can pull through them. Try spreading them out more/ in different rooms.

No that won't fix your problem. You need to spread out the load on as many SEPARATE 15A circuits as possible. Sometimes some apartments are wired quite stupidly so check with your landlord first before you try anything else. Maybe he/she can give you a schematic outlining which jacks are connected to which circuit breakers, etc. This assuming that you do not have access to the circuit breaker panel yourself.

Get yourself a kill-a-watt or any other wattage measurement device and ensure that you do not draw more than 1800W from one 15 amp circuit (that's the limit for a 15A circuit). I'd say if you can do not draw more than 1000W from one circuit.

 :o

Assuming this isn't a clever new form of trolling:

Don't touch your outlets.  Don't even think about unscrewing the cover, much less swapping the outlet itself.

Multiple outlets can be hooked to the same circuit.  Keep trying different outlets until you find a combination that doesn't pop breakers when running.  I hope you weren't serious about fuses, because if you were, you have shitty old wiring, and you are begging for trouble.

I'm assuming you have access to your electrical panel.  If so,  map your circuits by turning each off in turn and seeing what does not work any more and note the amperage on the circuit breaker.  Balance your rigs according to what you find.  The panel might be labeled already.

Being an Apt,  do you have a detached garage w/power or light?  That is probably a different meeter.  :)
 

if you have a dishwasher and a garbage disposal, they are probably both on separate circuits.  i use both - they're both 15 amp.

check your fuse box - it'll be labeled (legal requirement).

if you have a landlord-provided AC unit, that too will be on a separate circuit.  but with summer approaching, you may want to keep that option open.

Get a test light or a multimeter, learn how to use it, then flip breakers one at a time and test outlets to see which ones are now off. Then draw yourself a map of which outlets are connected to which breaker. Once you have that, connect your computers to different circuits (on different breakers) and you shouldn't have any issues.

Seriously...
How many rigs do you have...
If you can afford that many rigs...
You should not live in tiny appartment...

Put some in kitchen...
some in bathroom...
Turn them off when you need to use oven...
Or anything else that draws a lot of power...

Or sell some...
Or get bigger appartment...
Or get a generator...

I am in apartment with two 100amp breakers linked together (the two breaker move together).
Found that all rooms are wired to those two breakers.
Separate circuits exist for AC and heating.
So, I should have 200amp x 120v = 24KWatt.

Here is something that gets interesting.
The voltage reading is 122-123V without any mining rig plugged in.
When I turn on all my rigs, which I estimate to consume about 2500W, the voltage drops significantly to 113V.
I think this is unacceptable, as the breakers are rated at 24,000watt max, how can the voltage drop so much with just 2500W power draw?

Voltage is directly proportional to resistance (of your wiring, which never changes) and the current going through the wires (which increases significantly when you turn on your rigs)

2500 watts is 20 amps at 120v.. that's a good chunk.

Also, your whole apartment being run off of two breakers is unsafe and probably illegal.

when you become an electrician let us know
he propably means the main brakers
and 100 amp service per apt is normal

outlets normally have 20amp breakers
lighting 15amp
stove/ dryer 30-50amp

just put half on each of two outlet breakers

and btw most plugs in the wall are not rated for 20amps that can amount to some of the voltage drop you are seeing if your pluging everything in one wall plug

Sorry, I guess the 'Found that all rooms are wired to those two breakers.' threw me off, douche.

 ;D I'm sorry but some of these threads make me LOL

If you can plug something into your stove, do it.

Keep the Fire Dept number handy.

Minor heads up, most 15A circuits aren't able to pull an 1800w load. 15A is not the continuous load that the wiring and cb are rated for. 12A is...meaning you get 1440 watts max on a continuous load.

What about the 20A circuits?

16A, or 1920 watts...basically 80% of the trip rating of the breaker.

Wtf?   :o  ???

If this was true, houses would burn down and need to be rebuilt every couple of months.  Eventually, people would figure out the problem and start putting 12 amp breakers in, or wiring capable of actually handling 15 amps.  Oh, wait, we picked option 2 decades ago.

Watts isn't a meaningful term for talking about AC circuits, except that it is usually sorta close.  The real amount of power that a circuit can deliver is measured in Volt-Amps.  A 15 amp circuit can handle 1800 VA nominally, but if your voltage it is amperage that trips the breaker, not power, so if your voltage is low, you won't get as much power.

Wattage is volts times amps
that 80% rule is for continuous draw... the breaker trips at the %100 value
Go back to school please

DC wattage is voltage times amps.

AC wattage is voltage times amps times the power factor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_factor).

The 80% thing is a design rule that an electrician has to follow if he wants the wiring to pass inspection.

No, I have a bigger dick

The 80% rule has nothing to do with electricians or passing inspection
that is the design of a circuit breaker

electricians have rules as to wire size ... number of fixtures/outlets ... size of breakers
they must follow

yes ac wattage includes PF .. do you have any clue what power factor is

No, I forgot to read that article I linked, but I found another (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Question_mark) that you might like.

I'm done.

To the original poster: please don't burn your apartment building down.

Most of the decent PSUs people should be using for mining have 99% PF