New Umbrel Home issues installing bitcoin node

Support and Troubleshooting
1

installing bitcoin node around 230899 blocks an error says corrupt block reindex
i reindex gets to 100%
i restart app it continues with a pre sync loop and after while freezes up the umbrel home then i can not read logs or use terminal or shutdown the device
ive send logs to support but not heard back from them for some time now so im trying here

2

how’s your disk space and cpu?

3

hi
its a brand new umbrel home disk empty nothing installed updated to new beta os but still does the exact same
cpu goes up 85-95% when presync loop happens just before it crashes but normal at rest

4

gotcha. that’s crazy odd. I did just get a bad unit; ssd’s failed overnight after a sync.

Here’s something to try:

Here’s the simplified process to check your NVMe SSD’s health on Umbrel’s Debian-based OS:

  1. SSH into Umbrel:

ssh umbrel@umbrel.local

  1. Install smartmontools:

sudo apt update sudo apt install smartmontools

  1. Confirm NVMe Device:

lsblk

Look for /dev/nvme0n1 (Umbrel Home’s 2TB NVMe SSD, likely mounted under /home/umbrel).
4. Check NVMe SSD Health:

sudo smartctl -a /dev/nvme0n1

Key metrics:

  • Percentage Used: <10% is good, >50% indicates wear.
  • Media and Data Integrity Errors: 0 is ideal.
  • Temperature: <65°C.
  • Overall Health: PASSED.
  1. Optional Self-Test:

sudo smartctl -t short /dev/nvme0n1

Check results after ~2 minutes:

sudo smartctl -l selftest /dev/nvme0n1

5

interesting… i found some info about possible interference from electrum. If the disk is fine, you’re not using electrs, it maybe time to start over.

Check for Electrs Interference
The Electrum server (electrs) can cause sync issues. If installed:

  • Uninstall electrs via the Umbrel App Store.
  • Restart the Bitcoin app:

~/umbrel/scripts/app restart bitcoin

  • Reinstall electrs after the node syncs to 100%.

Clear Corrupted Data and Reindex
If reindexing fails or loops:

  • Stop Umbrel services:

sudo systemctl stop umbrel-startup

  • Delete corrupted blockchain data (preserves wallet):

sudo rm -rf ~/umbrel/app-data/bitcoin/data/bitcoin/blocks sudo rm -rf ~/umbrel/app-data/bitcoin/data/bitcoin/chainstate

  • Restart Umbrel:

sudo systemctl start umbrel-startup

  • Reindex again (this forces a fresh blockchain download, which may take days).
9

Hi! I’m having the same issue. I have a brand new Umbrel Home that arrived just 3 days ago, and it has never been able to finish syncing the blockchain. I’ve already tried at least 10 times, encountering different types of errors at various block heights. I also tried reindexing, and even deleted everything to start from scratch, but I always end up getting errors like:

  • Fatal LevelDB error: Corruption: block checksum mismatch
  • ProcessNewBlock: ActivateBestChain failed (bad-txnmrklroot, hashMerkleRoot mismatch)

I ran disk and RAM checks using smartctl and memtester, and everything seemed fine. At this point, the only thing I can think of is a potential hardware issue from the factory.

@scanz were you able to solve the issue?
Thanks in advance!

10

no
i have returned mine :+1:

11

Thanks for the response. I’ll try to do the same, since I haven’t received any replies on the forum or from technical support either. Unfortunately, it’s turning into an expensive paperweight.