DIY - Compost Bin and Trommel - "Your trash is our cash"

This has been an ongoing project and its finally reached a satisfactory completion for now.

Over multiple posts I have documented the compost bin and then the addition of the trommel. After searching long and hard for a gear motor that was already reduced to the correct RPMs, we gave up and went with a standard motor and geared it down ourselves. Its not a complicated process, just involves more moving parts and thus more room for something to go wrong. The idea for this design came from a video I found on youtube.

Over Thanksgiving we completed the frame around the trommel. With the addition of the castors on top, it made it very difficult to manually turn, so I was concerned there would be too much friction for the motor.

Dad got the motor a few days ago. It is a 1 HP single phase motor registering 1750 RPMs. Through the system of pulleys we got it down to 30 RPMs. This gave good agitation in the trommel to allow lots to pass through.

We got everything hooked up and plugged it in. It worked extremely well and we didn't have to make any adjustments. We then took it outside and got it in place. It handled all the addition of material very well, greatly speeding up the entire process.

I was having trouble keeping up with the demand for composted soil. Manually sifting it was too much work for not enough return. This will greatly speed up the process and allow me to sift by myself.

The top and bottom of the frame.

Wiring the motor.

DIY - Trommel

An ongoing project in the Longscape world has been the compost bin. Overall it has been a big success. I have a constant supply of material from my work and the conditions for decomposing seem to be doing well. My final product is great stuff, the only problem is it is tremendously time consuming to sift with my current method, which involves a screen and me shaking it back and forth by hand.

I searched online for more efficient methods and found several neat designs on youtube. A trommel is the more official word for what I'm wanting. Not wanting to spend a lot of money on it, I've been looking around for parts for a while. Fortunately David and Matt came through for me on the bike rims. So I finally got started on it this past week during the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.

Bicycle Rims and Castors

Removing the spokes.

Spokes Removed

The first rim attached to the screen

Two rims

Three rims

Finished rotary screen

One side of the base

The base

First test run. The idea is to add material on the right side. As you spin the trommel, the finished product will fall through while the unfinished material will fall out on the left side back into the original bin.

That's steam coming off the trommel from the compost. It was very warm.

So it's only partially done but I'm pretty happy with how its turning out. I'll probably need to replace the castors with some that fit the rims better. I also need to get a motor so I don't have to turn it by hand. Even at this stage though its still more efficient than my previous screen.

DIY - Compost Bin Update

The compost bin is still getting settled into the back yard. Both sets of neighbors have come over to inquire about the new addition. Fortunately they both think its a good idea and mentioned wanting to do something similar themselves. I have almost filled up the 1st bin and have a good bit of material in the second. When I was 'turning' the pile the other day I noticed steam coming out of the pile. I first thought it was dust, but when I stuck my hand down I could feel the heat coming out. I knew it would generate heat as it decomposed, but was surprised at the amount with it being so cold outside. Today we took Mom's infrared thermometer to see just how hot it was. Just a few inches down we took readings well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit with the highest being 135 and the air temperature outside in the low 40s.  So if the heat ever goes out in the house, there's a free source outside.

Seeing this process first hand reminds me of the perfect design of creation. With relatively minimal inputs, plants grow providing a plethora of benefits to us. One not often mentioned is that the shedding of their leaves every fall, contribute to the soil. What we often consider waste, is really of great importance to the continuation of growth. Such an amazing design of balancing human life with plant life always reminds me of our creator. An amazing creation points to an amazing God.

DIY - Compost Bin

One question I get asked a lot when I tell people what I do is, "What do you during the winter?" Business does slow during the winter, but doesn't completely stop. The slow season allows me to catch up on other projects for the business and get geared up for a new year.

A project I've had on my to do list for a while now is a compost bin. I have not intention of saving the world with this addition, but rather as a way to make money. I collect lots of yard waste and need a way to dispose of it. The phrase "One man's trash is another man's treasure comes into play here." With a little bit of time, heat, and small organisms; the leaves and grass clippings I collect will turn into a nutrient rich soil. Mom also contributes her food scraps to the pile. All of which will be ready to sell in a couple of months.

I wanted to build a 3 bin system so I can have different bins for the progression of decomposing. The first and largest is for fresh material. The middle for halfway. And the final for the finished product. Big thanks to my mom for allowing me to put this in her back yard since its not exactly adding to the aesthetics. I came up with the basic design and my dad engineered it so it would actually work and last for a while. If you added a roof it could double as a tornado shelter.

The structure is 18' long, 4' high, and 6' deep. Each wall is essentially like the frame of a house with studs spaced at 20". The siding is treated 5/4" x 6" decking boards. The front of the bins have removable slats so you can have easier access depending on how much material is in the bin.

The project took the better part of two days. I'll let the pictures explain the course of the project.

The soon to be home of the compost bin.

Lumber from Lowe's

The spot cleared off and tilled.

The base.

Plate holding the base together.

The base in place.

The frame for the back wall.

The back wall installed. This part took the longest.

Two walls up.

Day 2 started off very cold.

The frames for the remaining walls.

More of the frames and Mom's new nail gun. Its a Pasolade cordless framing nail gun. Very cool.

Three walls up.

The first bit of material added to the pile.

The first inside wall

Second inside wall up.

The front slats being added.

Dad and me with the finished product.

 

The finished product.

The first of many bags of leaves I had collected.