Inspect before deciding to clean
Start with operating evidence: inlet conditions, miner temperatures, fan behavior, hashrate, rejected shares, and recent error logs. Dust can restrict cooling, but low hashrate can also come from a pool, network, firmware, or hardware issue. Record the symptoms before changing anything. Visually check accessible air paths, external grilles, and the surrounding area without touching moving or energized parts. Use the exact model’s maintenance guidance to set an inspection schedule that reflects local dust and humidity.
Make the equipment safe first
Arrange a planned outage and follow the manufacturer’s shutdown instructions. Before maintenance, have all energy sources isolated through the site’s approved procedure, with protection against an unexpected restart. A software stop or a motionless fan is not proof of electrical isolation. Allow the specified cooling and waiting periods. Stored electrical energy can remain inside power supplies after disconnection. Do not open a power supply, probe live circuits, or improvise discharge methods; involve a qualified technician.
Clean only within the approved scope
Once the equipment is safe, follow the model-specific cleaning method and use suitable protective and antistatic measures. Keep liquids, household sprays, abrasive tools, and unapproved chemicals away. Do not direct uncontrolled compressed air at components or force fans to spin. Manufacturer procedures differ, so copying a pressure setting or dismantling sequence from another miner can cause damage. Sticky contamination, corrosion, loose heatsinks, damaged fan blades, or dust requiring internal disassembly should go to an authorized or suitably qualified service provider.
Check the environment and return carefully
Clean the surrounding area and restore unobstructed intake and exhaust paths without blowing dirt into nearby running machines. Have damaged cables, discolored connectors, and loose electrical fittings assessed by an electrician. Do not restart visibly damaged or damp equipment. An authorized person should confirm that required parts and guards are correctly fitted, tools are removed, and the site procedure permits re-energizing. Resume using the manufacturer’s sequence, then watch temperatures, fans, accepted shares, and error logs through a stable operating period.
Keep a short service record
Log the date, device identity, symptoms, approved work performed, observations, and before-and-after measurements. Use these records to adjust inspection intervals and identify recurring faults. Repeated overheating, unusual smells, smoke, liquid ingress, or recurring shutdowns call for stopping operation and professional assessment, not repeated cleaning or restarting. Preserve relevant logs and warranty information for support. Routine maintenance reduces avoidable problems, but it cannot guarantee uptime or repair failing electronics.
Sources and further reading
BITMAIN — cleaning and dust removal
BITMAIN — operating and maintenance precautions