110V, 220V, 240V - Which One Do I Need? Simplified

In this article I will explain the differences between input voltages for mining equipment. I'm not an electrician, so, always consult your electrician for your own setup.

This article is mainly for US readers, where the standard wall outlet voltage is 110V.

USA decided to have 110V as the standard voltage for homes. In other locations around the world for example, Europe, they actually use 220V.

Most large miners, for example, Bitmain Antminer S19 ONLY work on 220V. This means that if you live in the US, you can't mine using a regular outlet. You will need to hire an electrician to install a 220V outlet, or, sometimes some warehouses come with 220V outlet already. I have seen people use their Dryer or electric stove connector, which is also 220V sometimes but then you can't dry your clothes or cook food so maybe not the best solution. Most 220V miners also consume allot more power - from 2000W to 3500W which means they generate allot more heat and much much louder and not suitable for home mining.

There are actually multiple benefits mining using 220V. I would always recommend mining on 220V. 

Here is the list of benefits running on 220V - 

1. The main benefit is that you can draw more power. A regular 20A 110V outlet in your home can probably only supply up to 1850W consistently before popping the breaker. A 20A 220V can get up to 4000W sustained power draw.

2. It runs cooler - cables inside your home or office or warehouse get less hot when you run higher voltages on them with lower amperage draw. You also need thinner cables when you run them from your main power board, which can lower installation costs.

3. It runs more efficient - I have noticed a 5% or so less power draw when using 220V compared with 110V.

Lets look at some setup examples and compare the two -

Antminer L3++ with our Bitcoin Merch Power Supply

Running at 110V - will draw 990W

Running at 220V - will draw 942W

As you can see, running the same setup on 110V VS 220V will give you different power draws. Make sure that the power supply you are using can support 110V or 220V. In the case of our Bitcoin Merch Power Supply, it supports both 110V and 220V.

Some power supplies will only take 220V, for example, the Antminer APW3+ Power Supply. This power supply will not work on 110V and you will have to add a 220V port to use it.

Another thing that most people don't really consider is the cable you are using. MAKE SURE TO ALWAYS USE HIGH QUALITY 14AWG CABLE OR BETTER!. Most regular computer power cords can't sustain high wattage for a long time and will heat up quickly. Eventually melt down and could cause a fire.

So for any mining setup I will always recommend our Heavy Duty Miner Power Cord 6 Feet 14 AWG 15A (110V-1650W, 220V-3000W). There is a reason why we sold hundreds of this exact cable, and we always recommend adding it to your setup. Most miners do NOT come with a power cord. If you do get a power cord from a difference source, make sure on the cable it will say 14AWG or better, which is a lower number.

Now, why sometimes it says 240V or 250V? Some warehouses and locations provide higher voltage than 220V. This is not a problem and most power supplies will not trigger over voltage under 250V. It's basically the same thing.

If you can't get any 220V power source, mining is still possible using 110V. Here is some examples of miners you can use in your home on a regular 110V - 

Bitmain Antminer L3+, Antminer Z9 Mini, Bitmain Antminer R4 Ready-To-Mine™ 2 X Nvidia RTX 3000 Series GPU, Ready-To-Mine™ 8 X Nvidia RTX 3060

Make sure to not run anything else on the same breaker when you mine at home. If you do - it will trigger the breaker. If the breaker heats up it's also a bad sign, and you might be drawing too much power.

So now you know the difference between the two and you can make better purchasing decisions.