Compost tumblers

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Compost tumblers
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Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6612
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Tue Feb 28, 17 9:58 pm Post subject:

This is the one I bought (for the in-laws use

):
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B009378AG2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Not sure if there's similar on UK Amazon, but it's not equivalent to that much purchased compost over here.

(And are you aiming to have the composter for production purposes, or for waste stream mitigation purposes? If you account for the avoided garbage costs (if you work on a weight basis like we do here) than you can factor that value in to your rationalization as well

)

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Feb 28, 17 10:11 pm Post subject:

That looks very similar to the one we're looking at via an organic garden association we're members of.

Our kitchen waste is already composted in plastic bins but would put that materiel in the tumbler if we had one to avoid future problems. (We actually have to pay tax to get our green waste collected even though the council don't actually collect it as we're too remote.

)

Our main purpose of the tumbler is to create as much compost as quick as possible.

onemanband

Joined: 26 Dec 2010
Posts: 1473
Location: NCA90

Posted: Tue Feb 28, 17 10:44 pm Post subject:
Slim. Is that your domestic waste by weight ? How's that work ? Does it work ? New thing or always that way ?

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Feb 28, 17 11:01 pm Post subject:

I have one like this.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B005EGEDH6/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1488322488&sr=8-14&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=compost+tumbler

Although it's smaller, it's really hard to turn as all the weight is always at the bottom (It might be easier for someone taller) If I was buying again I'd buy one like Slim showed, because it's not such a big diameter to turn around the axis, and it's bigger. I might buy one anyway.

If the pivot bar goes through the centre, it aerates as you turn, increasing the capacity and preventing it just flopping around inside as one big lump.

Ty Gwyn

Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4613
Location: Lampeter

Posted: Wed Mar 01, 17 1:05 am Post subject:
Surely an old electric cement mixer would do the same job,without the hasle of tumbling by hand.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15984

Posted: Wed Mar 01, 17 8:17 am Post subject:

It would Ty Gwyn, but you wouldn't get very much in it I don't think.

They keep coming up with the idea here of charging us by weight for non-recyclable waste, but it is too complicated as it would be too easy to slip heavy stuff into someone elses bin in a close packed road.

We give most of our kitchen waste (except bones etc.) to the worms, most garden waste goes in a compost bin, and I have a 'green dome' one that gets things like potato haulms as they break right down in that and no potential things like blight can get out.

onemanband

Joined: 26 Dec 2010
Posts: 1473
Location: NCA90

Posted: Wed Mar 01, 17 8:46 am Post subject:

Mistress Rose wrote:

They keep coming up with the idea here of charging us by weight for non-recyclable waste, but it is too complicated as it would be too easy to slip heavy stuff into someone elses bin in a close packed road.

Hence my questions to Slim. I pay for my commercial waste by weight as do the council when they dispose of our domestic waste. Done properly I think it would discourage waste generation better than the current method of just making it longer between collections or reducing 'tidy tip' opening times. I do see though, convincing everybody else won't be easy.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Wed Mar 01, 17 8:54 am Post subject:

Ty Gwyn wrote:

Surely an old electric cement mixer would do the same job,without the hasle of tumbling by hand.

The idea with a tumbler is the heap is enclosed and very easy to tumble. It's not just about the mixing, a cement mixer would mix but not provide a good place for stuff to rot. If you're going to fork the compost in each day you may as well mix it anyway.

The idea with a tumbler is I can mix a small heaps worth in seconds in each day, keeping the mixture aerated and hopefully rot quicker.

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6612
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Wed Mar 01, 17 11:27 am Post subject:

We are both weight and volume here. It varies between towns, and even within towns.

Most people pay by volume, and pay a hauler to pick up a bin of a certain size a certain number of times per month depending upon their needs. Those haulers will add surcharges if you keep putting out noticeably heavy bins however, as they are paying by weight further down the line. (or maybe they just make you pay for more frequent pick-ups)

The more frugal of us haul our own trash to the transfer station, and there you can pay by volume or weight, though I think they'd prefer to charge you by weight. (I usually pay by volume because I recycle and compost a lot, so my leftover garbage is often heavy....)

Anything larger at the transfer station is done by weight (i.e., a truckload)

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46235
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Mar 01, 17 11:53 am Post subject:

just a thought but would scrap heap challenge including a pv panel, a windscreen wiper motor , a rotor as one of the bearer rollers, some gears and a big insulated barrel be a place to start with a domestic version of the commercial tumblers.
a bit like a tumble polisher for stones , even a hand turned one might be easiest if the drum is supported on a pair of rollers.

the huge ones go from waste to compost very quickly as they run quite warm and tumble constantly to add air to the mix.

for speed putting everything through a shredder before composting helps a lot even with a old style heap.

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6612
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Wed Mar 01, 17 11:58 am Post subject:
If you're looking for speed and automation, you may do better to pursue an "aerated static pile" Basically, shove a perforated pipe under or through a compost pile, hook a blower and watch it go. Hook the blower up to a solar panel for maximum green

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46235
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Mar 01, 17 1:15 pm Post subject:
a pooter fan ,panel and basic control gear to match voltage to fan would make that rig cheap and easy

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Wed Mar 01, 17 7:19 pm Post subject:

Slim wrote:

If you're looking for speed and automation, you may do better to pursue an "aerated static pile"

Basically, shove a perforated pipe under or through a compost pile, hook a blower and watch it go. Hook the blower up to a solar panel for maximum green

Speed yes, and not having to get a fork out to turn a pile everyday. No desire whatsoever to start having electric gadgets involved.

We've looked at a few videos of the smaller tumblers and they seem far too small. Larger tumblers are far too expensive so I might have to go back to getting the fork out everyday.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15984

Posted: Thu Mar 02, 17 7:02 am Post subject:
Could you make your own using an old oil barrel?

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4630
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Thu Mar 02, 17 3:21 pm Post subject:
From various reviews, the general consensus seemed to be that any load big enough to be worth turning was too heavy to turn That may depend on exactly how sturdy the tumbler is and how much leverage you get. The infrastructure also takes up a lot of room.

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