This is a Bitcoin mining heated driveway snow melt system. So far, its the biggest I'm aware of. It's about 300' long and utilizes 12 S21 Pro machines in immersion fluid, which heat glycol through a set of brazed plate heat exchangers. The 3/4" PEX is closely spaced and... uninsulated so that it has maximum efficiency as a heat dump for mining ops, when desired. It also allows the machines to run at their lowest practical temperature to meet the utilitarian purpose..... snow melt, home heat, and water pre-heating. This mining system is a heat core with amazing secondary uses.show more

This is the owner's take on ROI, just to answer questions. Materials 7800 ft PEX A 3/4 - $6000, manifolds / circulator pumps $4500, bitcoin mining setup / foghashing C6 tanks and 13 S21 Pros $40,000. Cost of electricity 0.08c/kwh. (Future computer upgrades drop in with zero infrastructure cost) The initial cost ~50,500. Recurring electricity ~$2700 at full capacity (approximately break even at current difficulty and bitcoin price). A SCorp business created to reduce tax burden and depreciate equipment. Bitcoin can be held or sold strategically (intention to hold). ROI is more difficult with intangables. Purely mathematically it never pays off at 8c/kwh. Heating a house/driveway is a sunk cost. Figuring sunk costs likely ROI 8-10 years. If on average I can get to work 2 extra days a year then the setup pays for itself in 4-5 years. With a steep unsafe driveway w/ inclement weather avoiding car damage ROI probably 2-3 years. With a recent ice storm a family friend's daughter fell and damaged her spine: intangible ROI instant.

Hell yeah

Thanks bro you do cool shit too

LoL

Those lines look way too long for the glycol to stay warm enough to make a difference.

They are multiple 600' loops of 3/4" PEX with up to 48kW at 100% duty cycle. Computers run all the time. I dont think you are correct

so cool. where in the world is this? i heard spanish in teh first clip. i'd love to come film it in the winter and turn it into a little story!

The owner of this system prefers not to be publicized but if you come to Challis, Idaho I will show you a few

Bear markets are for building!!! Love to see it!!

No shoveling, no salt, no plows, extra non-KYC sats.

If this isn’t a top signal then i don’t know what one is

Look at the projects in my highlights from the last 3 years and pick which one is the top signal.

@SoftwarmLLC i sent over contact info. I have information that could help your system out. 24 miner, dual vertical tank, single fluid, full custom snowmelt system currently in place, so i do have experience in this realm.

Cool send me a dm

Love to see cool stuff like this being built

12 S21 Pros at residential rates is a huge monthly electric bill though. At $0.08 it would be ~$2400 / month

It can be, but if you need the heat then its an unavoidable expense. Everyone has different circumstances

I don’t think there’s many people that pay a $2400 / month heating bill. Yes, it will be offset by mining revenue, I get that

Sure, but many people pay a $200 per month electric heat bill.

The problem with datacenters in general is that they produce a lot of lukewarm heat, same for bitcoin mining. 25°-50°C heat isnt real useful, even for residential heating in cold climates (requires a lot of radiator area). Driveway heating is actually a decent application. As an aging engineer in the chip biz, perhaps the largest opportunity in semiconductor biz is development of high temp chips. Allows more efficient cooling, and more use for the waste heat.

I use these systems for residential/commercial building heating, industrial water heat, and snow melt, mainly. Hot tubs are a good application but a little bit more work to integrate.

Daaammnnnn

Won't it just attract cats?

Don’t even need very hot water to melt the snow this is a great setup!

Exactly! The coolant system uses little energy and is silent while providing a tangible purpose at minimal net energy cost.

I've done this for snow melt, but without bitcoin miners. 1/2 the heat will go down into the ground unless there's an insulation layer under those tubes.😬🥺

That's the point

So the point is to waste 1/2 the heat into the ground, and melt the snow 1/ as fast. Got it.

No, snowmelt doesnt take that much heat to work so its a negligible heat loss, especially when the owner is mining for profit. The difference in thermal efficiency doesn't affect the cost efficiency as much because of the BTC production offset. In the summer its a silent heat dump so he can keep mining.

@surferjimw @grok are there any critters that would find that heat source appealing or chewy? Summer or winter

@SoftwarmLLC @surferjimw In winter, voles and mice may tunnel near the warmer soil under the heated driveway, while snakes can bask on the clear warm concrete. Summer heat dump warms the ground but draws fewer. PEX is chewable by rodents if exposed, yet buried under concrete it stays protected.

This is the future I love to see…amazing!

Great work!

This is better than using raw resistive heat because your getting other work done in the process.

Very cool

Thanks bro

once the heat pays a real bill, your breakeven hashprice moves.

Lots of experts out here! lol This is a neat use - I like it - it's hardly new, this has been used in CRE forever when you have forward looking construction - I had it downtown Toronto - was glorious, till we had a leak. :)

What do you mean by CRE? Are you also saying that using BTC miners to heat is hardly new, or that hydronic heat is hardly new?

Corporate Real Estate - Hydronic/glycol tubing for winter melting...sidewalks, roofs.

Awesome yes, many people think that hydronics in sidewalks is a new thing and they are questioning standard construction practices. They are missing the point that its all heated with computers that generate revenue.

Yes, some spin this as some new thing that Elon found in space - I do like the heat re-claim from the bitcoin mines for this if it's close enough - we tried to do this in food manufacturing to re-use rejected oven heat, but .....

@tatumturnup 👀

@Jamie1Coutts for your bucket list!

@Jamie1Coutts Do it

do you dump the heat there in the summer as well or is too hot outside for that?

Dump it if you want to mine. Purpose built for that

@tmophoto Whats the profit v infrastructure timeline?

@tmophoto It depends on your circumstances

38kW for road heating is craazzyyyy😂😂😂🔥

It doesnt have to use that much energy, thats the capacity. Its dynamic and responsive to the actual demand.

Yeah I know dps handles it. Thats just such a funny installment😂

imagine paying hundreds or thousands to heat a driveway..what a retard

Berry doesn't understand

you didnt get the joke...lol

Ahhh sarcasm

Each miner is its own loop? I’d be curious to see if it still melts the snow/ice at the bottom of the driveway

No, all miners work together to heat immersion fluid, which heats a glycol system through a heat exchanger

I assumed it’s a typical enclosure but after counting the tubes and seeing your reply about closing a loop if it leaks had me curious. I love the idea. Super curious about the logistics

Its just a standard hydronic system heated with a tank of computers. Super straightforward.

@LouisNel

Just when you thought u have seen everything mining

Thank you for a great idea. I will need to make a link to my heated driveway as well. Come to think of it, might as well hose up the entire back yard, too.

Everyone has goals

12 s21's will generate roughly 42,100 watts of useable heat, this is a very cool idea and absolutely will work, seeing as this is outside have you thought about harvesting the temp difference with thermo-electric effect coils for regeneration?

Figure that out and you will be a baller