HotBin filled with a mixture of week old material from an existing compost bin, fresh weeds, cut nettles, hay and guinea pig droppings and paper scraps.
The ambient temperature was 18 Celsius when I filled the bin mid afternoon on a sunny but cool period during a showery day. After less than an hour the top temperature gauge read 40 Celsius ( reading the air temperature at the top of the HotBin) and the top layer of material inside the HotBin was at 25 Celsius.
Day 2 (recap) Sat 7th July 2012
After 24 hours it had all slumped as the the material started to decompose.
After 24 hours the top layer of material was at 40 Celsius and the lid thermometer read 50 Celsius with an ambient temperature of 20 Celsius.
According to HotBin, this is a "textbook start"
Day 3 Sun 8th July 2012
Contents now steaming gently and when opening the lid I could feel a blast of warm air on my hands,
When taking readings the ambient temperature a cool 13 Celsius and it was dull and rainy - not very summery weather!
Lid thermometer reading 45 Celsius.
Internal thermometer ( inserted about 10 -15 cm into material same reading regardless) at 50 Celsius.
Day 4 Mon 9th July 2012
11am.
LOTS of steam on opening the lid! Material slumped even more.
Internal temp at 60 Celsius!Yay!
Ambient temp. 16 C
Lid temp 48 C
Internal temp middle of box @ 10 cm down into material 60 C
(readings taken at 1100)
At 1800 the internal temp. was 65 C in the middle, @10 cm down and the internal temp. 2 cm from the edge, @10 cm down was 62 C.
It's hotting up in there!
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