One Bitcoiner Is Using Waste Heat From BTC Mining Hardware to Warm His Swimming Pool

One enterprising Bitcoin miner is using the energy produced by his mining hardware to heat his swimming pool. 

According to a report by Cointelegraph, Minnesota-based Bitcoin mining enthusiast Jonathan Yuan wanted a solution for his children’s love of swimming. Yuan said his kids were unable to use their swimming pool for the majority of the year due to the water being too cold. 

Yuan, using his knowledge of Bitcoin mining, decided to use the heat production from the equipment in order to heat the swimming pool. The father told Cointelegraph he was able to purchase a heat exchanger and some ASICs, rigging a system that kept the pool above 90 degrees fahrenheit throughout the swimming season. 

The report claims the process works via immersion, which simultaneously cools the ASICs during the mining process and reclaims the heat towards raising the temperature of the pool. Yuan said his process could also be used to heat living and working spaces, in addition to his children’s favorite pastime. 

Yuan explained he had a bit of a conundrum during China’s ban on crypto mining, which suddenly dropped Bitcoin’s mining difficulty substantially:

When [the] difficulty dropped like a rock, I actually pushed all the ASICs to the limit, which brought the pool temp above 110F, so the kids had to not swim for about month or two. lol. Yes, I had to say “sorry kids, the pool is too hot, you can’t swim today.”

The report went on to say that “the difficulty adjustment has since risen to new highs,” and Yuan’s kids are” able to swim again.” Yuan told Cointelegraph that he has “made money” from Bitcoin mining, and “the best part is the pool acted as a perfect heat buffer.”