Is a mining rig a fire risk

[Alphi]

 Can this increased load on the wiring be a danger of causing fire?

Yes, any increase on power increases the chance of a fire if your wiring is substandard or faulty, which is quite probable in an older building.

no because the circuit breakers will shut off before anything you plug into the wall can suck enough power for the wires to melt.

This is just not true. Circuit breakers don't trip for fire. The amount of power needed to start a fire is much less than a MCB will trip at.


Even the rig could catch on fire, particularly the PSU, they have been known to catch fire in the past.

I just said the rig could catch on fire........ he was talking about the internal wiring of his house catching on fire... that is the point of circuit breakers... to stop that from happening... when more current is drawn than the wires can handle the breakers (or fuses in older houses) trip.. this is WELL before those wires get hot enough to cause a fire...

now when you are talking about any cables, equipment etc that goes from the wall socket to the mining rig.. that is completely different .. and yes the proper guage cables should be used... and also keep a fire extinguisher and smoke alarm handy ..

of course with older houses more than 20 years old (as others have stated) the wiring might be substandard but they should still have a fuse box so some protection would still be there.. unless the house has some really really shoddy wiring..

[GAML]

4.67 is definately a lot for a home rig.

Sorry I got my maths wrong.  It is drawing 1 kw unit per hour.

It turns out to be just 1 KW/h.

so you should not worry about causing fire.
But remember to better do not keep it on a carpet because of electrostatic.

Thank you very much.  That is a great tip. I did not know this.

[roslinpl]

No problem - glad to can help.

Cheers and good luck!

Take care of your mining baby

[GAML]

 Can this increased load on the wiring be a danger of causing fire?

Yes, any increase on power increases the chance of a fire if your wiring is substandard or faulty, which is quite probable in an older building.

no because the circuit breakers will shut off before anything you plug into the wall can suck enough power for the wires to melt.

This is just not true. Circuit breakers don't trip for fire. The amount of power needed to start a fire is much less than a MCB will trip at.


Even the rig could catch on fire, particularly the PSU, they have been known to catch fire in the past.

I just said the rig could catch on fire........ he was talking about the internal wiring of his house catching on fire... that is the point of circuit breakers... to stop that from happening... when more current is drawn than the wires can handle the breakers (or fuses in older houses) trip.. this is WELL before those wires get hot enough to cause a fire...

now when you are talking about any cables, equipment etc that goes from the wall socket to the mining rig.. that is completely different .. and yes the proper guage cables should be used... and also keep a fire extinguisher and smoke alarm handy ..

of course with older houses more than 20 years old (as others have stated) the wiring might be substandard but they should still have a fuse box so some protection would still be there.. unless the house has some really really shoddy wiring..

Thanks again.  What us an PSU please and is there a way to stop it catching fire?   I was talking to the IT guys at work about this today.  They said many of the things you guys have mentioned.  In addition they said also to use a surge protector, if needed a trip switch plug that we use on our servers at work and can be set to a sensitivity so that if more power is drawn than your setting the plug will turn off.  They also mentioned getting the gauge of the wire tested and working out correct fuse to put in the plug.  My friend is an electrician and he is coming over soon to test the wiring, PAT test my rig, check the gauge of the wire flex, check the plug socket and calculate the correct fuse size to have in the plug.  The IT guys also said ventilation is very important and if ventilation is bad to get a stand alone air conditioner.  They said if there is no ventilation or poor ventilation the air is being drawn around and around getting hotter and hotter and can cause melting and or fire to occur.  Thanks everyone for posting.  You have been very helpful.

[TradeCraft00]

Make sure you have some long skewers and Marshmallows ready!
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[WayneManBat]

ive never understood the mining part of this

[h3rlihy]

When i first started gpu mining litecoin I came home every day expecting my computer to be on fire along with the curtains next to it. Been going over a month now and hasn't burnt my house down yet

[GoodfellaVegas]

it hasnt burnt my house down YET

[Lyomon86]

To keep an extinguisher at hand is probably a good idea anyway.

[Destment]

i had the same problem
thank you

[Alphi]

Your rig is pulling 4k kw/h what?  

At least use some proper cables.
4,67 kW is insane.

Sorry I got my maths wrong.  It is drawing 1 kw unit per hour.  The reason I am asking is because my Dad has got it into his head that it is a fire risk.  I have done my research and I cannot find anything to suggest it is.  I was looking for some feedback from the community here because there are people who have massive rigs and I have never seen anything about their rigs causing fires.  I am in a position where I may have to rent an office to put it in now and I don't really have the money or mining power to justify doing that  

its more of a noise risk than a fire risk... when the fans get blowing in summer they can really make a lot of noise.

most standard houses in the 3-4 bedroom range.. have circuits that can easily handle up to 4000W.. if you want to check what your house can handle then go outside and look at your power junction box


each circuit will have a switch that is usually labeled, for the part of the house it covers, and has a power rating... Watts = Volts x AMPs that's how much power you need to draw from that circuit (ie everything plugged into that part of the house) before the circuit trips...

most people who build their own mining rigs usually leave them open (outside the case) for better ventilation.. if you do that just make sure that you put the rig in a place where curtains, paper, metallic objects, liquids, PETS etc cant accidentally fall into the rig and either cause a short circuit or fire.

if your rig is an off-the-self ASIC mining rig which is enclosed then all you need to do is make sure the fans and vents are not blocked so that nice airflow can cool the rig down..

[Alphi]

When i first started gpu mining litecoin I came home every day expecting my computer to be on fire along with the curtains next to it. Been going over a month now and hasn't burnt my house down yet

and then one hot day you accidentally leave the window open and a gust of wind blows your curtains into the mining rig.. LOLzzz

[roslinpl]

When i first started gpu mining litecoin I came home every day expecting my computer to be on fire along with the curtains next to it. Been going over a month now and hasn't burnt my house down yet

and then one hot day you accidentally leave the window open and a gust of wind blows your curtains into the mining rig.. LOLzzz

Oh my this is possible - but more possible is if you left window open someone will steal your rig ;]

[Alphi]

When i first started gpu mining litecoin I came home every day expecting my computer to be on fire along with the curtains next to it. Been going over a month now and hasn't burnt my house down yet

and then one hot day you accidentally leave the window open and a gust of wind blows your curtains into the mining rig.. LOLzzz

Oh my this is possible - but more possible is if you left window open someone will steal your rig ;]

too true... all that nice expensive equipment lol

[roslinpl]

When i first started gpu mining litecoin I came home every day expecting my computer to be on fire along with the curtains next to it. Been going over a month now and hasn't burnt my house down yet

and then one hot day you accidentally leave the window open and a gust of wind blows your curtains into the mining rig.. LOLzzz

Oh my this is possible - but more possible is if you left window open someone will steal your rig ;]

too true... all that nice expensive equipment lol

you can put some rollette into a window that will kep airflow running and rig safe.

[leannemckim46]

Hi

I have a digital monitor to watch the electric consumption.  When my rig is off the electric used in my hour is 0.37Kwh when the rig is on it goes up to 4.67kwh.  That is a bit increase on power being drawn through the internal wiring.  Can this increased load on the wiring be a danger of causing fire?

In a way, yes. But no if your wiring is in good condition..

[GAML]

Your rig is pulling 4k kw/h what?  

At least use some proper cables.
4,67 kW is insane.

Sorry I got my maths wrong.  It is drawing 1 kw unit per hour.  The reason I am asking is because my Dad has got it into his head that it is a fire risk.  I have done my research and I cannot find anything to suggest it is.  I was looking for some feedback from the community here because there are people who have massive rigs and I have never seen anything about their rigs causing fires.  I am in a position where I may have to rent an office to put it in now and I don't really have the money or mining power to justify doing that  

its more of a noise risk than a fire risk... when the fans get blowing in summer they can really make a lot of noise.

most standard houses in the 3-4 bedroom range.. have circuits that can easily handle up to 4000W.. if you want to check what your house can handle then go outside and look at your power junction box


each circuit will have a switch that is usually labeled, for the part of the house it covers, and has a power rating... Watts = Volts x AMPs that's how much power you need to draw from that circuit (ie everything plugged into that part of the house) before the circuit trips...

most people who build their own mining rigs usually leave them open (outside the case) for better ventilation.. if you do that just make sure that you put the rig in a place where curtains, paper, metallic objects, liquids, PETS etc cant accidentally fall into the rig and either cause a short circuit or fire.

if your rig is an off-the-self ASIC mining rig which is enclosed then all you need to do is make sure the fans and vents are not blocked so that nice airflow can cool the rig down..

Thank you that is really helpful.  I will have a look in the morning.

[GAML]

Hi

I have a digital monitor to watch the electric consumption.  When my rig is off the electric used in my hour is 0.37Kwh when the rig is on it goes up to 4.67kwh.  That is a bit increase on power being drawn through the internal wiring.  Can this increased load on the wiring be a danger of causing fire?

In a way, yes. But no if your wiring is in good condition..

My friend who is an electrician is coming to check everything soon so I will let everyone here know what he says.  Thanks for the help.

[GAML]

Make sure you have some long skewers and Marshmallows ready!

That really made me LOL. 

[Wendigo]

Much transistors many power very bitcoins so hashing wow