Really Hot Composter

anotheruser

SO I opened the composter yesterday (it's been going for about 5 months now) and felt the heat escape, it surprised me a little.

Is it okay to be this hot inside? It wasn't burning but was certainly what I would call "hot" not "warm".

Don't want to burn the ants who appear to have commandeered it.

wallbash

Have you never heard of Hot beds ?

Heat is natural , welcome and shows you are doing everything correctly.

Leif

Quite normal, and in fact a very good sign, as it will be killing weed seeds. You might want to turn it.

Mojisola

The heat is what kills any seeds in the compost as well as getting the rotting process underway.

Any ants, worms or other wildlife will move out when it gets too hot.

sunnysurrey_2

Ants usually means compost is a little dry so you may want to add a little water & turn it. My bin gets so hot flies die when they land on the lid!!

macma

My elderly neighbours "dalek" exploded :eek: ok not exactly but it made a rumbling sound and as the lid was on tight fell backwards shedding a dreadful mess. We have had several daleks for many years without issue and frankly I'm not sure quite what he composts ?:think::rotfl:

anotheruser

Good

The grass in it will get things damp, although I put some egg boxes in to compensate for that. I did give it a turn though, turns out we put it in a great position to get loads of sunlight.

Shouldn't I be advocating worms, ants, spiders and such in there to help?

Mojisola

anotheruser wrote: »

The grass in it will get things damp, although I put some egg boxes in to compensate for that. I did give it a turn though, turns out we put it in a great position to get loads of sunlight.

Shouldn't I be advocating worms, ants, spiders and such in there to help?

It needs to heat up first. When the compost cools down and moves into the next stage of decomposition, the wee beasties will move in and do their bit.

cyclonebri1

Sod the ants, the bin is working.

Getting the heat in there is the difficult bit, it will not be too hot

anotherbaldrick

anotheruser wrote: »

Good

The grass in it will get things damp, although I put some egg boxes in to compensate for that. I did give it a turn though, turns out we put it in a great position to get loads of sunlight.

Shouldn't I be advocating worms, ants, spiders and such in there to help?

Just pee into the bin, you might have to stand on the watering can or the wheelbarrow if female. A night on the beer before also helps.

Leif

I keep a watering can in the garage, we are more modest in this neck of the woods.