Does Salt Water Eliminate Crypto Mining Equipment?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Salt water does not corrode mining equipment under arid conditions, but the combination of salt particles and humidity creates an electrolytic answer that dramatically accelerates corrosion of ASICs, PSUs, fans, and wiring.
- NotFuzzyWarm, a cgminer developer, emphasized that humidity is the primary driver of corrosion and that dehumidification is more critical than simply avoiding salt air when operating near coastlines.
- Tap water or salt-contaminated water in cooling loops can cause galvanic corrosion and mineral scaling, leading to thermal throttling, reduced hash rate, and an increased risk of electrical shorts or fire.
- Deionized water combined with inhibited ethylene glycol provides a non-conductive, corrosion-resistant, and biologically stable coolant that is far superior to tap water or untreated mixtures for liquid-cooled mining systems.
- Coastal mining is feasible only with rigorous environmental controls, including dehumidification, specialized air filtration, protective coatings, and strict coolant maintenance protocols.
Cryptocurrency mining hardware, especially ASIC miners, is expensive, and exposure to or air with high salt content can seriously shorten its lifespan and performance. When salt (sodium chloride) is mixed with water, it becomes very corrosive.
This article discusses how salt can damage mining equipment, what mining experts have observed, and why it’s essential to choose the proper coolant to protect .
How Salt Hurts Mining Equipment
accelerate electrochemical corrosion of metals used in mining equipment, such as aluminium heatsinks, copper traces, steel chassis, and fan bearings. When salt particles settle on surfaces and mix with moisture in the air, they form an electrolyte that accelerates galvanic corrosion.
This process rapidly breaks down , printed circuit boards, electrical connections, and cooling fans.
These impacts have been recorded by experienced miners in coastal areas. In a 2018 thread, user Steamtyme warned that proximity to salt sources can cause significant harm. They said, “If you are close enough for salt to be an issue, you are probably going to run into trouble because it will begin to corrode everything.”
Humidity as the Main Cause of Salt Corrosion
Studies and field observations show that salt is not very reactive when it is dry. But when it is mixed with water, it may corrode things much more rapidly. NotFuzzyWarm, a well-known creator of cgminer and a expert for a long time, made this method quite clear:
“As said earlier in the linked post, it’s not the salt in the air that matters, but the salt and humidity together. The air needs to be dried out. Salt doesn’t harm metals when there’s no moisture, but moisture alone can cause corrosion. Adding salt to the mix merely speeds it up.
This is an significant finding: salt speeds up oxidation that is already occurring due to moisture. Salt-laden air is especially harmful to electronics left out in the open in tropical or coastal areas, where relative humidity is typically 70–80%.
Risks of Using Water That is Conductive or Salt-Contaminated in Cooling Systems
Using untreated or salt-contaminated water in liquid-cooling loops is a greater danger than being outside. Minerals and ions that act as electrolytes are found in tap water. This makes possible between dissimilar metals (such as copper water blocks and aluminium radiators).
This causes mineral scale to build up, reduces heat transfer efficiency, causes thermal throttling, and could cause electrical shorts. Alliance Chemical’s scientific analysis says that the conductivity of normal water might cause “aggressive galvanic corrosion” and the buildup of “insulating mineral scale.” This reduces cooling efficiency and increases the risk of .
Benefits of Mixing Deionised Water with Ethylene Glycol
To reduce these dangers, mining companies are increasingly using deionised (DI) water combined with ethylene glycol in direct-to-chip and immersion cooling systems. removes almost all ionic contaminants, making it very low in electrical conductivity and less likely to corrode.
Adding ethylene glycol has several protective purposes:
- Protection against freezing and boiling over
- Using special additives like silicates, phosphates, or organic acid technologies to stop corrosion
- Biocide characteristics to stop microbes from growing in cooling loops
- Better at moving heat than plain water
The mixture yields a stable, non-conductive, thermally efficient coolant that extends hardware’s lifespan in harsh conditions.
Practical Recommendations for Coastal Mining Operations
Operators who are thinking about coastal sites should put rigorous environmental measures in place:
- Keep the relative humidity inside below 50%.
- Use dehumidifiers for businesses
- Install air filters designed to capture salt aerosols.
- Put conformal coatings on circuit boards
- For racks and enclosures, use stainless steel or rust-resistant materials.
- Check coolant conductivity in liquid-cooled systems regularly.
It is still essential to stay away from the shore. Most experts say that activities should be at least 1–2 km inland, depending on the wind and the ground.
FAQs
Can saltwater completely destroy crypto-mining equipment?
Yes. Prolonged exposure to salt-laden air combined with humidity can cause severe corrosion that renders ASICs, power supplies, and fans unusable within months.
How far from the ocean should a mining farm be located?
Most experienced miners recommend at least 1–2 kilometers inland, depending on wind patterns and local humidity levels.
Is tap water secure to use in mining cooling systems?
No. Tap water contains minerals and ions that promote galvanic corrosion and scale buildup, significantly reducing cooling efficiency and hardware lifespan.
Why is ethylene glycol added to deionized water for mining coolant?
Ethylene glycol provides freeze/boil protection, corrosion inhibition, and biocidal properties, creating a stable, long-term, secure coolant for high-performance liquid cooling.
Can dehumidifiers fully protect mining rigs near the sea?
Dehumidifiers significantly reduce corrosion risk by removing the moisture that makes salt corrosive, but they should be combined with air filtration and protective coatings for optimal protection.
References
- Mining Near Salt Water:
- Chilling the Blockchain: How Deionized Water and Ethylene Glycol Optimize BTC Mining Cooling:
