Bedroom mining overnight... is dB rating even the right thing to compare?

[ashidun 101]

So i've been going back and forth on whether to put a mining heater in the bedroom for winter. My apartment runs cold and i already spend money on a space heater, so the math kinda makes sense on paper.
But every comparison i see focuses on the lowest dB number on the spec sheet. And honestly i'm not sure that tells you much about whether you can actually sleep next to the thing. A steady fan at 38dB can totally disappear into the background — my air purifier is around that and i forget it's on. But a fan that ramps up and down, even if it's technically "quieter" at its lowest setting, would absolutely wake me up. The change in sound is what gets you, not the volume itself.
Which got me thinking... would you actually run a Bitcoin heater in a bedroom overnight? Like has anyone here done it and not just for a single night but consistently?
I've been looking at the Avalon lineup since they seem designed for this use case. The Mini 3 is more interesting to me — 500W or 800W mode, and apparently it can idle at a target room temp. That's actually close to what a normal space heater does. Spec says 33-55dB across modes with a Night Mode, which sounds promising but 55dB is not quiet lol. I'd really want to hear it from the actual bed position before committing.
The other thing nobody talks about — the first overnight run probably shouldn't be the first time you test it. Like, run a full heating cycle while you're awake first. Check the plug isn't getting warm, make sure your blankets or curtains aren't anywhere near the airflow, basic stuff. These things are computers pulling real wattage, not a sealed oil radiator you can throw a towel over.
Anyway, for anyone who's actually slept in the same room as one of these (or any home miner really) — what was worse, steady fan noise or the sound of it cycling on and off? I feel like that's the real question nobody's answering in the spec sheet comparisons.

[FP91G]

Using an ASIC miner for heating makes sense when electricity costs are low. I have seen setups where, instead of an electric boiler, several water-cooled ASIC miners are used to heat the home's water supply. However, homes lacking central heating or a gas connection often qualify for discounted electricity rates during the heating season.
You can use any ASIC miner to heat a room using the hot air it exhausts, even if the unit itself is located in the basement or another room.

[ABCbits]

But a fan that ramps up and down, even if it's technically "quieter" at its lowest setting, would absolutely wake me up. The change in sound is what gets you, not the volume itself.

The fan ramp up/down should happen gradually, rather than suddenly changed. It shouldn't happen without sudden temperature change, such as extreme weather outside or someone fully open door of your room.

I've been looking at the Avalon lineup since they seem designed for this use case. The Mini 3 is more interesting to me

Before researching actual noise or fan behavior, have you calculated if you actually save money by buying Avalon Mini 3 compared with regular heater. It only have 21.3J/T effieicnecy, while modern ASIC usually have 13J/T or better efficiency.

[athanred]

would you actually run a Bitcoin heater in a bedroom overnight?

Yes, I have Avalon Nano 3S running. LEDs are a bigger problem than noise in this case.

Like has anyone here done it and not just for a single night but consistently?

If it is set to "low", then it consumes 60-70W, and produces 3-4TH/s. And then, it is hard to even hear it.

the first overnight run probably shouldn't be the first time you test it

Of course. I think starting from "low" is the best approach, and increasing mining power only if you are comfortable with it.

[philipma1957]

So i've been going back and forth on whether to put a mining heater in the bedroom for winter. My apartment runs cold and i already spend money on a space heater, so the math kinda makes sense on paper.
But every comparison i see focuses on the lowest dB number on the spec sheet. And honestly i'm not sure that tells you much about whether you can actually sleep next to the thing. A steady fan at 38dB can totally disappear into the background — my air purifier is around that and i forget it's on. But a fan that ramps up and down, even if it's technically "quieter" at its lowest setting, would absolutely wake me up. The change in sound is what gets you, not the volume itself.
Which got me thinking... would you actually run a Bitcoin heater in a bedroom overnight? Like has anyone here done it and not just for a single night but consistently?
I've been looking at the Avalon lineup since they seem designed for this use case. The Mini 3 is more interesting to me — 500W or 800W mode, and apparently it can idle at a target room temp. That's actually close to what a normal space heater does. Spec says 33-55dB across modes with a Night Mode, which sounds promising but 55dB is not quiet lol. I'd really want to hear it from the actual bed position before committing.
The other thing nobody talks about — the first overnight run probably shouldn't be the first time you test it. Like, run a full heating cycle while you're awake first. Check the plug isn't getting warm, make sure your blankets or curtains aren't anywhere near the airflow, basic stuff. These things are computers pulling real wattage, not a sealed oil radiator you can throw a towel over.
Anyway, for anyone who's actually slept in the same room as one of these (or any home miner really) — what was worse, steady fan noise or the sound of it cycling on and off? I feel like that's the real question nobody's answering in the spec sheet comparisons.

Not a fan of avalon products.  But you need real control over the fan. And real control over the hash rate.


Pretty sure avalon gives 3 settings or two settings.

I would tell you buy hammer miners as they allow for a steady fan setting. SAY 35%.

But they are well lit so dont work for you. GOOD luck if you buy the avalon.

[Lucius]

When it comes to noise, there are those earplugs that you can buy very cheaply, and they definitely help to eliminate at least part of the noise. However, you should know that it is not desirable to have any electronics in the bedrooms, especially those that create noise/lighting effects, as this disturbs or makes a good night's sleep impossible.

The best solution is to have the devices in another room, and to try to somehow bring the warm air into the bedroom.

[FP91G]

If you want to avoid noise issues, you can use a liquid cooling system for your home setup.
YouTube features reviews of home heating projects using ASICs, and the entire system can be built using standard materials available at any home improvement store. This type of system will be more reliable than standard home ASIC setups.

[BitMaxz]

If the noise bothers you but wants to heater and high mining hash rate, if you are the only one living in your house and no neighbors, then why not use noise-canceling or anti-noise earplugs instead?

It's way cheaper than going to liquid cooling as suggested above, but if money isn't your problem, then go with liquid cooling. I think you will need a copper tube here and a fan to take the heat out from this setup. I don't know if this is done by someone else already, but it looks like it would work.
Many people experiment with ASIC units as heaters, and you may be able to cool the liquid and then direct it to the fan sample below.

[ABCbits]

OP, if you still considering Avalon Mini 3, it also have night mode specifically designed for less noise.

3. Night Mode

Night Mode is designed for quiet heating during winter nights while sleeping. The primary goal of this mode is minimizing noise, so the device adjusts fan speed in real time while optimizing power and heat output as needed.
To ensure effective heating with minimal disruption, the average target temperature of the chips is set to 80°C (176°F), providing a comfortable and efficient warming experience.
Additionally, users can set a target temperature to ensure a comfortable sleeping environment and prevent excessive heat.

would you actually run a Bitcoin heater in a bedroom overnight?

Yes, I have Avalon Nano 3S running. LEDs are a bigger problem than noise in this case.

Out of curiosity, can it be disabled or at least dimmed down either from the ASIC itself or from the mobile app?

[YellowSwap]

If heat is truly all you care about then mini 3 will suit you well, mind you it's possible to be exposed to health risk at times but not everybody, I think I've read about it on this forum, too much heat for the body of someone who isn't already in good shape is bad.

It can degrade your body over time, just make sure it's bearable for you, if I am in your shoe and heat is my main goal I would start using the mini 3 to solo mine Bitcoin since heat is all you wanted.

Although the perfect plan is buying a very old Asic miner, they are always cheaper and they also have higher hashrate but they generate more heat than mini 3 and also they consume higher energy, it's all about your power consumption tolerance.

[stompix]

So i've been going back and forth on whether to put a mining heater in the bedroom for winter. My apartment runs cold and i already spend money on a space heater, so the math kinda makes sense on paper.
~
The Mini 3 is more interesting to me — 500W or 800W mode, and apparently it can idle at a target room temp.

Nope, it doesn't make any kind of sense even on paper!

The avalon mini is $1000 , a space heater that has a thermostat and runs quietly is $100.

The mini does (let's round to 40th/s), so you're getting back $1.50 a day in recovering from the electricity spent, in this scenario we assume both run 24/7 because if you get too hot and you need to shut it down you will lose even more efficiency on the side of the avalon.
So, at $1.5 you need to recover the $900 spent upfront extra on the miner, so about 600 days of winter, so roughly 6 years.

Way better to keep your heater, pay your bills for it, invest that $900 in BTC.

[athanred]

can it be disabled or at least dimmed down either from the ASIC itself or from the mobile app?

Yes, but not all of them. There is also GAN 140W adapter, which has some quite bright LED, and there are some other components inside, which are red, when the miner is working. So, you have to physically separate it with some kind of curtain, or otherwise, you may still see some lights here and there, and your bedroom won't be absolutely dark, as it should be. Also, there is a display, showing you the hashrate, and stuff like that. You can turn it off with a button, but it will turn the miner off as well.

Anyway, there are some physically observable things, which can tell you, that the miner is running. And while they are harmless and can be even useful during a day (because then you know, that it is connected, and can produce heat; you can read the hashrate, IP address, and so on), they can be distracting at night. Another way is to wear some kind of eye mask, but it can be sometimes too tight (or too loose, and then you can drop it accidentally while sleeping, and later wake up at 3 AM).

But when it comes to the noise, then using "low" settings should make it quiet enough, and still produce some heat, while also mining with some low hashrate.

Edit:

The mini does (let's round to 40th/s), so you're getting back $1.50 a day

Mining profitability is a completely different story. In general, if you want to mine BTC, then it is more profitable to buy them instead.

Way better to keep your heater, pay your bills for it, invest that $900 in BTC.

Of course. Which is why I started with Nano 3S instead for $300, and I will think about increasing my hashrate later, if that one will be profitable enough. Note that mining BTC directly is usually less profitable, than mining other SHA-256 altcoins, and selling them for BTCs, which is quite surprising, but well: that's the situation, I don't control the market. I am still surprised, that I already earned over 100k satoshis for running my miner for a while; I wouldn't get that much, if I would mine BTCs directly in any pool.

[FP91G]

If the noise bothers you but wants to heater and high mining hash rate, if you are the only one living in your house and no neighbors, then why not use noise-canceling or anti-noise earplugs instead?

It's way cheaper than going to liquid cooling as suggested above, but if money isn't your problem, then go with liquid cooling. I think you will need a copper tube here and a fan to take the heat out from this setup. I don't know if this is done by someone else already, but it looks like it would work.
Many people experiment with ASIC units as heaters, and you may be able to cool the liquid and then direct it to the fan sample below.

I wouldn't experiment right now; instead, I’d simply use one of the many solutions that have been proven over the years. People have been heating their homes with ASICs for a long time, openly sharing their projects and offering free advice on improvements. This does require some basic engineering skills, but it’s something you can learn quickly.

[stompix]

Way better to keep your heater, pay your bills for it, invest that $900 in BTC.

Of course. Which is why I started with Nano 3S instead for $300, and I will think about increasing my hashrate later, if that one will be profitable enough. Note that mining BTC directly is usually less profitable, than mining other SHA-256 altcoins, and selling them for BTCs, which is quite surprising, but well: that's the situation, I don't control the market. I am still surprised, that I already earned over 100k satoshis for running my miner for a while; I wouldn't get that much, if I would mine BTCs directly in any pool.

Unfortunately, no home miner makes any sense if you think of bills; simple fact, they don't!
In his case, the best approach will be the traditional one, grab an old miner that is priced now at recycling junk levels, disable the extra board or actually be even a cheaper bastard and buy a used one with only one working board and there you have your heater.

It will run at only 1000w, the heat will not need the extreme fan noise, as you're trying to fan ~3000BTU from the miner but only ~1000, since the room is also colder you can throtle the speed back to a GPU card, an old noctua will do the job perfectly.

And the whole thing will be $100 instead of a fancy "home miner".

I wouldn't experiment right now; instead, I’d simply use one of the many solutions that have been proven over the years.

With the add-on that none of the solutions that have proved to some somewhat $ efficient will work now at this level!
With the most efficient gear possible, you're recovering $3 for 72 000 BTU unit of heat a day, assuming the average need for the typical 200sqm NY house you will make 7 times that, so hurray $20 worth of BTC earned a day, 90 days of winter, $1800 for...a $15 000 upfront miner!  lol....

This worked back when you were not earning 15 cents for $25/th priced gear.