Wondering where is Best to Position your HOTBIN?
Store Your HOTBIN Outside… Just not ‘Out-of-Sight’
Choosing the right location to place your composter is very important. You want it to be outside, but not far enough from your kitchen for easy access. The HOTBIN’s internal charcoal-filter should ensure that minimal odors, and you will be able to easily, frequently and continuously feed it with food and garden scraps... and keep it composting.
Here are some tips and recommendations
- Choose a firm level surface on soil, grass, paving or gravel in sun or shade.
- Choose a place close to the kitchen door/house so it is easy to pop out and empty your food waste in regularly. The HOTBIN charcoal filter removes any bad odors - so it is OK if it is placed by your door.
- If your HOTBIN is an earlier model (200LT MK1) You may notice a small amount of brown liquid draining from around the air intake if the leachate reservoir overflows.
It will dry as a brown stain, but it is not permanent, and it is easy to wash off using a brush and water. This leakage is water plus dissolved humus substances (liquid fertilizer!). - Can the HOTBIN be in a greenhouse? The quick answer is Yes - we have a number of users with the HOTBIN located in their greenhouse to recover the heat. Composting releases water, carbon dioxide and heat. The HOTBIN expels warm carbon dioxide and water vapor (steam) via the valve. Your greenhouse plants will use the carbon dioxide and the water vapor (which will reduce watering).
- Can I use it to heat the greenhouse? The HOTBIN will provide a small amount of heat to the greenhouse. How much heat depends on how much waste you are adding each week. Assuming the minimum fill rate of about 5Kgs per week, this equates to roughly 30W (watts, joules/second) of 'heat/energy. It is like warming the greenhouse using the heat from a 30W light bulb - it is probably just enough to keep the frost off - but will not 'heat' the greenhouse to stay warm!
NOTE: Please do not attempt to move the HOTBIN into a greenhouse when full - it can be very heavy and may result in injury.