Author

Topic: Possible Mining Location. Abandoned Smelter! (Read 907 times)

legendary
Activity: 2618
Merit: 1103
I think the building looks great, I love the climate of it. New, shiny miners surrounded by old industrial walls, like a hacker's hideout.
If I were living nearby I'd help you set it up for free just for the fun of it Cheesy

You should be able to make it happen, just get all the paperwork done. I also don't agree with Amph that it would be considered an abuse. You need to have a written permission to use the building and if anybody asks tell them you're setting up a workshop, they won't care about the details as long as you pay the bills and take responsibility for the property.
What you need to take care of is security. Check all the walls for holes that bums and thieves could use, check the old plumbing because you wouldn't want a pipe to burst and drown your miners. Since the building is metal it can get hot in summer, check the temperatures inside on a sunny day. You'll also need people to help you clean it up and someone to set up a modern breaker box. Call the power company to tell you the ratings of the power connection, meaning the max draw from each phase.
Good luck!
legendary
Activity: 2128
Merit: 1065
The entire building is made from sheet metal and steel girders. Minimal wood fixtures. Most if not all could be replaced with cheap metal shelving so fire damage or ignition sources are negligible. Keep in mind this particular building was used to pour molten steel at temps over 2000 degrees! Almost as hot as a stack of Antminers!  Wink
I wasn't precise enough. I didn't mean "your equipment damages building" but "building damages your equipment".

That could be fire damage, water damage, dust/residue damage, etc. You are basically repurposing heavy, dirty industry facility into something much more sensitive to the environmental factors.

I have no first hand experience with coin mining facilities, but I do have experience with more conventional temporary computing/data centers. One of our facilities caused equipment damage via horse hair getting sucked into fans and seizing them. That was because the attached building was dual use: in an emergency it was used as a livestock shelter.

Edit: in another location we had equipment failures (this time mostly temporary shorts) caused by copper wire shavings/cuttings embedded in packed dust. The facility was used for wiring harness manufacturing (cutting, crimping, soldering, shaping, shrink-wrapping).

Edit2: on the flip side of the coin: in one another facility the hot-running computer equipment (no air-conditioning) was instrumental in fixing the water/mold damage to the premises.

In general I think you have a good opportunity on your hands. Just research some pitfalls of "brownfield" location before you actually move in. Good luck.
sr. member
Activity: 252
Merit: 250
Thanks for the input everyone.

To address the suggestions, yes, there is onsite security 24/7. Since we have docking facilities we have MARSEC Level 1 security that can occasionally go to Level 2 but not since I've been here. The security wouldn't (shouldn't) have any extra cost associated with my proposal since their patrol encompasses the building already.

The building is up to old-standards electrical code, but we have certified electricians on-site and unlimited electrical supplies at cost.

The business has been at the same location since 1935 in one shape or another, zoned heavy industry, no chance of ever going residential (chemical plants, dump transfer nearby).

I can talk to the property owner who is actually the minority shareholder in the business. Usually both owners are on the same page.

The entire building is made from sheet metal and steel girders. Minimal wood fixtures. Most if not all could be replaced with cheap metal shelving so fire damage or ignition sources are negligible. Keep in mind this particular building was used to pour molten steel at temps over 2000 degrees! Almost as hot as a stack of Antminers!  Wink
legendary
Activity: 3206
Merit: 1069
i don't think you can take and build your farm there, would be abusive in many country, i don't know how it work there but i suspcet it's the same

you can't make your a building which was abandoned pretty much like those abandoned house, i would check first if it can be used without issue by speaking with your boss

also is the 0.05 rate without tax or everything included? check this also, there may be a surprise there
legendary
Activity: 2128
Merit: 1065
I have following comments:

1) split profits and costs with the owner of the property. Offer to help maintain the property in a sellable/rentable condition: some cleaning and maintenance, especially windows, roofs and air ducts.

2) upgrade security. I don't know what exactly "abandoned" means in your case. You'll need to make sure that the location wasn't used by squatters, for warehousing some dangerous/toxic materials or is infested with some vermin.

3) recheck the fire safety regulations: alarms, access roads, etc.

4) make sure that you are actually dealing with an actual owner/deed holder, not some "defective lease holder"

The general idea is that when you'll bring your equipment into a location you want to be sure that it is going to stay there and work for you. You want to avoid the possibility of accidental destruction, theft or repossession in lieu of past debts.
sr. member
Activity: 252
Merit: 250
What is the electricity cost and who is playing the bill?

$0.0550 per kWh give or take. On industrial rates there's discounts for on site transformation, metering etc. But there's also rate riders and surcharges I'm not aware of as well. I haven't approached the owner yet to find out the exact rate as I want to get a basic proposal ready first.

The bill would probably be paid by the company I work for in order to obtain the high usage discount of the adjacent business. The cans serve the entire property, 10 acres of the same business.  Smiley
sr. member
Activity: 324
Merit: 250
What is the electricity cost and who is playing the bill?
sr. member
Activity: 252
Merit: 250
Hey everybody.
I've been mining since 2013 primarily at home. The electricity rates for residential are brutal with the 2-stepping they price hydro rates at now.
I shut off all asic miners in the summer and run gpu miners on the always on home server (why not).

There is an abandoned smelter located on the property at my work.
http://imgur.com/RPGR5bz

Still has lots of power coming in. (At the cheapest business industrial rate you can get)  Wink
http://imgur.com/mLjRVqQ

You can't see the ventilation, but its there.
http://imgur.com/Vhcpc92

The second level has lots and lots of racking!
http://imgur.com/YwX0Hlh

Well, what do you guys and gals think? Should I approach my boss and drag all my crap to work? I would still need to install hard wired internet as this place was shut down ages ago without that infrastructure in place. The ventilation would need to be checked out and a little house cleaning.
The big selling point is the crazy cheap electricity this place has. There's four cans outside just for this building.
I'll obviously split the mining profits with the owner. Anyway, I'm gonna do the math and see if this could work.
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