Hotbin

I bought one last September and I find it very good, although not quite as stunning as it appears from the marketing blurb. You need to get it at least half full for it to work, and I used it initially for my autumn clean up, with loads of stuff like dead tomato plants, bedding plants, herbaceous foliage and grass cuttings (mixed with the obligatory paper and bulking agent) and it worked great. It got upto 60 degrees within a few days, I started adding food waste, and it carried on between 40 and 60 degrees well into November, being "fed" every other day. The waste shrinks remarkably quickly when it is hot, so its great for getting rid of large piles of rubbish although you can't put too much in at once as it cools it down. I always shred everything before putting it in.

Then the temperature dropped to 30 degrees and then to 20, and I couldn't get it back up. Of course by then I hadn't any grass to put in so I tried using the hot water bottle they supply with it, but it didn't do much good. I rang the hotbin people and they were very helpful, suggesting (from photographs I sent in) that the bin was ready to empty. They also sent me an aeration pipe to fit into the bin, as sometimes a solid layer builds up which stops the air circulation and the bin goes cold.

I decided to empty the whole bin out to fit the pipe, and I used the rotted compost from the bottom as a mulch. I then put the top stuff back in the bottom and tried to get the temperature back up, but it really wouldn't go much past 30 degrees. I think unless you have grass, or possibly a lot of food waste (I live on my own so I don't) you have to accept that the bin will run colder than ideal in winter - it is still a lot hotter than a conventional compost bin.

I emptied it again the other day. I find the best way to empty it is to use the hook they give you, which looks like the handle of a mini paint roller. I put a tarpaulin down in front of the bin, then pull the compost out onto it. There is a tendency for the compost above to collapse down into the gap below which is a bit awkward. The compost is quite coarse because of the bulking agent, and some of it still has identifyable pieces in it, which you can put back in the top if you like. I put chicken bones in, and these come out intact, but all the cartilage, meat, skin etc has gone.

The bin itself is quite robust looking with good thick walls, but very light to lift when empty. They do say not to use pointed implements like forks etc when removing the compost as you could damage the bin. Its hard to say how durable they are as I haven't had it that long, but I'd be surprised if it fell apart - I'm expecting mine to last a long time.

One point that is not clear on their website - the waste at the bottom of the bin goes cold as it matures, and however tightly you shut the door at the bottom, worms and the odd slug can get in. I was quite surprised by this as one of the points made was that the compost is free of slugs. I haven't had any problems with smells or flies though.

I hope this helps you decide.

Thanks penellype for taking the time to post such an informative reply to my question.

Certainly gives me plenty more to think about and a bit more research to do

Thanks again

Hollow101

I met one at the Royal Norfolk Show (I was manning (womanning?) the compost stand. The hotbin was super expensive, and pretty hot (60c, in the sun).
When I got home, I temped my own dalek, and it was in the 50s near the top of the heap.

A hotbin has its pros, but you can make perfectly great compost in a £10 dalek, if you remember that decomp bacteria needs food; warmth; moisture; a mix of browns & greens.

Two daleks are a far cheaper solution. Feed one as the other decomposes...

and as soon as one is full, move it to a new spot & pile the unrotted stuff back in.

I have had a Hotbin for the last year. It's amazing, I can't praise it enough. It does all it's claimed and produce what can only be described as a hybrid manure/compost. It takes huge volumes of card board and paper, Food scraps cooked or not , it doesn't care and reduces them to a sterile black "stuff" in a month. It takes a bit of practice to keep it going well. It likes a good balance of cardboard, twigs and green stuff and slops. I also give it a turn ( which is VERY smelly!) with a fork, and add some chicken pellets if it needs a boost. I know £150 sounds alot but trust me it's a god send, no more stinky bin bags! No card or paper in the recycling bags! and a "harvest" every month or two for the garden. No disease or blight or weed seeds can stand up to being slow cooked for three months at 55c.

Ps I have no connection the company!

Richard, how do you keep the bin hot during the winter? I tried everything from turning it to emptying it to adding large amounts of a combination of horse muck, shredded rotten wood, cardboard and paper, chopped green plant material, food waste etc - I kept buckets of greens in the garage and fed it every few days rather than opening the lid every day. I even added blood fish and bone to give it some nitrogen. I phoned the company and they supplied an aeration pipe which made no difference. The only thing that gets mine hot (its currently 60C and happy) is grass. I simply don't have grass in the winter.

I just tip a bunch of chicken manure pellets in and maybe some sugar if it needs a real kick.. Think of the Hotbin as a fire, It needs Nitrogen and carbon(cardboard and wood) in equal measure (ish slightly more carbon) and oxygen. Remember it doesn't have to always be 60c. 30-45c is still plenty hot enough and if you take your reading from the lid remember that that is just the air temp at the top of the bin, the actual temp of the Muck is far higher.

Just a last tip. I don't shred or cut up stuff I put in the bin as I find that larger pieces create more air pockets. Chuck plenty of sticks and twigs in, as they provide support for the air spaces within the compost.

You could get a couple of sheets of Polyiso board a frame, linings and something to bond it cheaper. White goods casings reclaimed from a skip would provide a sturdy frame to bouild round.

Alternatively you could stack sturdy fish boxes, Bond the top of one to the bottom of the one above it. cut out the bottoms, leaving just the sides.
Line inside and out.

The Hotbins are quite a neat COTS arrangement though.

I'm sure you could. I grow in my tiny london back garden so the compact nature of the Hotbin suits me. It does feel like a new product, and has plenty of room for improvment but on the whole it works damn well if like me manure isn't local. It's made a massive difference to the quality of my soil, my bin hygiene, and on my need for imported stuff. The worms are mad for it. Ya just can't beat slow cooking all your cardboard and food scraps at 50c for a couple of months!

This is a really handy thread! I managed to get hold of a free hotbin and filled it to the brim with fresh stable manure. The temp was at 55-60 for a week or two and has steadily fallen. To be fair the manure was searingly hot when I put it in - I dug it out from the middle of the heap.

Do you find that you need to add water to yours?

Perhaps it is from filling it with manure only, but when the temperature dipped I noticed that the contents were really dry. I added some dilute homemade nitrogen and have been adding chopped greens, and the temp is now maintaining at about 30C on the top thermometer.

When you empty yours out, do you use it straightaway or leave it to age somewhere? I have 3 daleks aswell, and I could top up the maturing one with this stuff if it needs to rest a bit more.

Lucky you. Sparrow

Yep I am *smug face* Still trying to get the hang of it though.

And it won't stop me adding to my dalek family too. I could do with another couple of bigguns so am keeping my eyes peeled.