Powering High-Amp Miners: What Works Best?

In the UK, a standard double socket is usually rated for 13 amps, which is around 3500 watts max. Ring circuits can handle about 30-32 amps, peaking at 7500 watts. So if you plug in a couple of miners with 3000 watts each, that's kinda risky... What do you all do? Just run dedicated cables from the consumer unit or use special sockets for the miners?

Are you really sure the 13A socket can handle that? I mean, from the consumer unit, you'd need a separate cable running into the room with your miners, then install the right sockets. From my 13-16A sockets, I usually don’t pull more than 2000 watts.

+1, but some miners do pull 3000 watts each...

Exactly, that’s why you’d want at least a dedicated 20 amp circuit with a proper socket for mining. Miners like the L7 and S19 go up to 3400 watts. If you derate a 20 amp circuit to 16 amps for constant use, you’re looking at 3840 watts. But if the voltage dips, that can cause issues. If it drops to 208 volts, you're at risk of tripping the breaker.

So if we’re running 8 x 3500 watt miners, do we just set up 8 x 20 amp breakers with dedicated cables for each? And can someone clarify this voltage drop thing? If it goes from 230 to 202 volts, how does that trip the breaker? Less voltage means less amps, right?

Well, a 3500 watt miner needs its power. It’s not underclocked. So if you divide 3500 by 240 or 208 volts, you get different amps... 14.58 amps for 240 volts should be fine for a 20 amp breaker, but at 208 volts, you get 16.82 amps, and that’s pushing it for a 20 amp breaker if it’s running all the time.

Check out this mining rack. It's for ASICs that max out at 2500 watts, but you could get electricians to modify it for higher power units. It’ll save you some cash. These setups are more for industrial places where there’s always an engineer around, but at home, safety is a big deal.