Instructions & Assembly Urban Compost Tumbler - UCT-9 (9.5 cubic foot capacity)

Transcription

1 Instructions & Assembly Urban Compost Tumbler - UCT-9 (9.5 cubic foot capacity) Urban Composting PO Box 8226 Lancaster, CA info@urban-composting.com 1

2 TABLE OF CONTENT PAGE About the Urban Compost Tumbler (UCT) 1 Composting with the UCT (IMPORTANT TO READ) 4 Troubleshooting the UCT 6 Warranty 7 Detail Composter/Composting Information 8 Assembly Instructions: 9 Removing the pivot rod 18 ABOUT THE URBAN COMPOST TUMBLER (UCT) Using the fully enclosed Urban Compost Tumbler (UCT) offers some distinct advantages over compost piles, bins and even other tumblers. There are a number of composters to choose from ranging from bins and boxes, to do-it-yourself chicken wire enclosures. For people that just don t have the time, space, desire to deal with all this, the UCT is the fastest, most convenient, easiest, and safest composter on the market. There are "Four" ingredients that are critical for effective composting of all organic materials: carbon, nitrogen, water, and oxygen. The unique patented core aeration system of the UCT provides the essential oxygen for the aerobic microorganisms and tool free mixing of the composting materials. This near odorless, fully enclosed composter is ideal for both yard and kitchen materials. Many cities ban open compost piles because of the pest control issues (e.g. rats, mice, raccoons, insects, etc..) and are turning to fully enclosed composters like the UCT. To effectively use the UCT, please be sure to read the Guide to Small Batch Composting that comes with this unit or review it at Some specific advantages of the UCT include: Ease of operation with no special tools or pitchfork required Speed of operation Avoids pest control problems Avoids odor problems even with higher nitrogen ratios Aids in moisture control in extra dry or rainy climates Provides insulation to aid heating of smaller batches Portability, as the UCT can be moved about your yard Ascetically fits into a landscaped yard nicely Ease of operation with no special tools or pitchfork required Many people simply do not have the time to turn their compost pile with a pitchfork every weekend let alone daily. Many of the compost bins on the market require tools to reach in to turn or remove material. What sets the UCT apart, even from other tumblers, is its central aeration feature. With tumblers without this feature, you soon discover that occasionally you need to open them up, reach inside, and break up the material. With baffles on the sides of the barrel, an aeration tube and 2

3 pivot rod in the center of the UCT, you avoid this problem. Not only do you get and maintain more oxygen in your mix, it allows the compost to mix when the tumbler is rotated rather than just sliding back and forth. Ease of operation includes ease of maintenance. The UCT does not have rollers, cranks and gears to become clogged and wear out over time. It is made of recycled plastic that does not rust when left exposed to the elements. Speed of operation A real strength of the UCT and what makes it different than any other tumbler on the market is how it gets oxygen into the mix. The most efficient microorganisms at composting are called aerobes and require oxygen to live. Without good aeration, the aerobes die and the bacteria called anaerobes take over the composting effort. When this occurs, composting can be slowed up to 90%. This is why the UCT with its core aeration tube can produce compost faster than practically anything on the market today. In addition, the UCT allows for higher nitrogen content than a typical pile would because odor is not a problem. Being a fully enclosed unit, the UCT helps smaller batches reach higher temperatures that are important for speeding the composting process and destroying unwanted seeds and root structures. Avoids pest control problems Depending on what you put in your compost and how well you maintain it, it is not uncommon to attract a variety of pests. Pests can include stray dogs, raccoons, rats, mice, opossums and a host of insects. The UCT's lid screws on and the aeration tube in the bottom is closed with a grate to prevent rodents and large insects from entering the barrel. Again depending on the composition of your compost, you can have some forms of active bacteria and fungus you don't want pets or children around. The UCT is a fully enclosed and elevated unit that provides a significant safety margin. Avoids odor problems even with higher nitrogen ratios Especially within an urban setting, many neighbors object to having compost piles and bins next to their property due to problems with odor. Even when the mix is nitrogen rich (green stuff) which often create an odor problem, by being an enclosed unit, the UCT eliminates the problem. Aids in moisture control in extra dry or rainy climates Exposed compost piles and bins can become drowned in rainy weather and dried out in hot climates. Compost exposed to the wind dries quickly slowing composting. Being an enclosed unit, the UCT is impervious to rain, helps to retain moisture content in hot weather while protecting the material from the wind. Provides insulation to aid heating of smaller batches When composting in the open, it is recommended you have a minimum 3' x 3' x 3 pile (27 cu ft) to produce proper heating (130 degrees or more). Heating is an important element in composting as it helps break down the material while destroying weed seeds and insect larva. Composting in smaller batches requires more attention to the issue of compost heating. By being a fully enclosed unit, the UCT provides the insulation necessary for smaller batches of compost to heat and retain heat longer. Also by being an enclosed unit, additives such as alfalfa pellets, 3

4 cotton seed meal, manure, blood meal and other natural ingredients can be added and mixed more easily to aid in the heating and more rapid composting process. Portability, as the UCT can be moved about your yard Unlike compost piles and most of the composting units on the market, the UCT (when empty) is portable allowing it to be moved into a shed or onto a patio. Just slip a drip pan under the barrel to protect any surfaces from drips and drops and you can compost year around. Aesthetically fits into a landscaped yard better In many urban settings, yards have been carefully landscaped and/or neighborhood associations have strongly encouraged ascetics. The UCT is an unobtrusive addition to the yard allowing a full range of composting activities without having a "barnyard" look, feel or smell. COMPOSTING WITH THE UCT (IMPORTANT TO READ) It is important that the UCT be setup on a level firm footing. If set on the ground or lawn, be sure it is level, firm and dry. If set on a deck, patio, concrete floor, decorative blocks, or similar material, consider using a "drip pan" beneath the unit to catch occasional drips. Consider setting the UCT on firmly positioned patio stones or concrete blocks which can also help raise the unit to aid in unloading. CAUTION: Care must be taken when rotating (tumbling) the barrel to avoid possible personal injury or damage to the unit. To rotate, stand to one side and begin "rocking" the barrel back and forth a couple times to build momentum. As the barrel swings forward, using the force of the momentum of the barrel, "push down" to complete the rotation. Use momentum instead of just muscle to turn the unit. It is important you push down on the barrel and NOT outward or sideways. Pushing outward may cause the unit to tip over and lateral (sideways) movement may cause damage to the stand. The UCT is easier to turn when full rather than when just partially filled. The barrel turns around the center shaft so the more weight you have on both sides of the shaft (top vs. bottom), the more "in balance" the barrel is. To effectively use the UCT, please be sure to read the Guide to Small Batch Composting that comes with this unit or review it at Knowing the type of composting you want to do will determine how you use the UCT. You have a choice to cold or hot compost and the differences are significant. Cold composting with the UCT means you will probably be adding material to your composter as it becomes available over a time period of several weeks to several months. It could also mean you are not using a recipe that has a carbon to nitrogen ratio that allows for much heating. This material will compost but it will be slower and you will not get the benefits associated with hot composting. 4

5 A caution when cold composting with UCT: If you are adding material over extended periods of time the unit can easily become overloaded and become too heavy. When that occurs, the lid may be difficult to get on and the unit is harder to tumble. Hot composting (also called batch composting) with the UCT means you are adding all the material at one time in a batch that has a recipe with the proper carbon to nitrogen ratio, and possibly amendments that supports effective heating. This type of composting is much faster and typically yields higher quality compost than cold composting. A typical compost batch of properly balanced and dampened material will weight lbs and fill the UCT to 90 percent capacity (do not exceed 100 lbs). A common problem with adding material over time is it frequently ends up by weighting too much and that weight is concentrated in the bottom half of the barrel. Several things will probably happen if this occurs: 1- the lid becomes difficult to put on and may not close properly, 2-the unit becomes difficult to turn; 3-composting will take longer. Once the UCT is filled to 90% capacity (content weighting lbs.), screw on the lid and let it sit. Every 2-3 days rotate the tumbler a few times in each direction (daily rotation is even better). Remember that oxygen is the key to rapid composting especially during the first week or so. Be sure that the material was not packed so tight that it is not mixing when tumbled. If the material can't move around enough to allow fresh oxygen into the mix, composting will be slower. Remember to keep an eye on moisture content. If the material becomes too dry, add water. If it becomes too wet, remove the lid until it dries some. Making compost tea in the UCT We offer a Tea-Catcher option you can purchase for your UCT-9 that has all the parts you need. You should have a large drip pan under the UCT-9 or place the UCT-9 where a little spillage of liquid will not hurt anything. In the early stages of composting you may have a dark-colored solution that leaches out of the mix and can be drained out of the bottom of the barrel. However this is not compost tea but compost leachate and may contain pathogens. Compost leachate usually needs further bioremediation and is not suitable or recommended as a foliar spray. It can still be used as a fertilizer, but with care. Unless you specifically need to reduce the moisture content in the barrel, do not drain it until you have fully matured compost. Compost tea should be obtained from mature compost only. If you have maintained a good moisture level in your compost mix (moist but not wet) and have been tumbling it frequently, you will probably have little to no liquid in the bottom of the barrel when the compost is finished. Creating a rich compost tea is actually a brewing process. The purpose of this process is to create additional beneficial microbes from the compost into a water medium. 5

6 There are several ways compost tea can be made using the UCT-9, but here is one way you can try. Wait until your compost is finished and remove all but about one inch of finished compost on the bottom of the barrel. Then add 2 gallons of water (non-treated is best). Consider mixing a little (couple tablespoons) molasses, kelp powder or fish powder into the water to provide an additional food source for microbial growth. When adding water, remember there is only a 2 inch lip around the large hole in the center of the barrel. It will contain about 11 quarts of compost and liquid before overflowing this lip. Try to let the mix brew for at least 3 days but up to 7 days would be optimum. Stirring the mixture a couple times daily to get oxygen in the mix is important. Even better, instead of stirring, you can use a couple air stones and air pump (like in an aquarium) to aerate the mix. Avoid tumbling or rocking the unit to mix as it could get messy. TROUBLESHOOTING THE UCT Most issues are covered in the Troubleshooting Compost section of the Guide To Small Batch Composting. The issues listed below are more unique to the UCT. Lid difficult to put on, does not seem to latch, barrel is oval in shape: Some people have difficulty getting the lid to close. While some barrels seem to have a personality of their own, in almost all cases the lid can be closed securely. Three factors contribute to 99.9% of the lid closing problems. 1. Extra weight in the bottom half of the barrel causing the top to oval making the lid difficult to seat properly. 2. Not properly aligning the OPEN mark on the lid with the ARROW on the barrel. 3. Not pushing down firmly enough on the lid (all the way around) when the OPEN and ARROW marks are aligned to seat the lid on top of the barrel. Whether from higher temperatures and/or extra weight in the bottom of the barrel, there are times when the lid will take more care to close properly. It is very important to align the arrow next to the OPEN on the lid with the ARROW on the side of the barrel. Then press down firmly and seat the lid all the way down on the top of the barrel. For barrels that are oval, you will need to press the top of the barrel back into a round position to get the lid on. Then while continuing to press down, rotate the lid to the CLOSED position. Putting a lid on an ovaled barrel top can be deceptive as it may feel like the lid seated onto the top of the barrel, when it really did not. The result is either when you turn the lid one side does not lock, or when you tumble the barrel; the lid falls off. It is very important with lids that they be fully seated on top of the barrel before rotating the lid. Excess moisture in the unit: Several things can cause excess moisture in the barrel. It means either too much water has been added or too much green material (fresh grass, vegetables or fruit) was in the mix. If you keep getting too much moisture in the mix, you must change your recipe to use more brown (carbon rich) 6

7 material and avoid adding water. In some humid areas excess moisture can build up in the barrel as the temperature varies between night and day. If the compost becomes too moist, remove the lid until it dries out some. To speed drying, replace the lid periodically and tumble the unit to keep wet compost exposed. Let the barrel rest at an angle to expose as much compost as possible. When the lid is on, remember to keep the vent holes at the top of the barrel clear to allow air circulation. LIMITED WARRANTY Urban Composting s (UC) limited warranty covers defects in workmanship and materials of the UCT-9 under normal use (as outlined in instructions) for a period of ten (10) years. Damage resulting from improper use or care is not covered. It is important to read and follow the product information contained in this document and any instructions/guides that come with the unit. To reduce waste, UC warranties require repair whenever reasonable rather than discarding of parts or products. The buyer/customer is responsible for assembly, installation of parts, and performing repairs as instructed. When under warranty replacement products, parts, and/or repair materials are shipped to customers free of charge only to the lower 48-States in the Continental United States. 7

8 For more detail information concerning the use of the Urban Compost Tumbler and composting in general, please visit our website and view or print out a copy of our Guide to Small Batch Composting. This guide is specifically written for people who compost using one of the many small batch composters on the market today. Then for even more information about the composting process, review our Composting Tutorial. 8

9 Assembly Instructions: Urban Compost Tumbler (UCT-9) Parts: A- (2) Barrel Halves H- Aeration Tube Assembly B- (1) Barrel Lid (2) Aeration Tube Halves snapped together C- (2) Stand Supports (2) Ty-Wraps D- (2) Stand Halves (1) Dome Cap E- (1) Pivot Rod (1) Breaker Bar F- (4) Gusset Braces xx (2) Pivot Rod Sleeves (shown on pg 14) G- (4) Retainer Rings (These Rings are usually already installed on Stand Halves and not loose in the box.) There are options in assembling the UCT-9 so be sure to review all the instructions before you start assembling. 9

10 Check and be sure the aeration tube has been snapped together, secured with two Ty-Wraps (shown as white here but are usually black), the cap is snugged down and the breaker bar inserted. You can insert the aeration tube assembly into the bottom half of the barrel at this time, or wait until after the barrel has been put together and insert it through the top of the barrel. It will make assembling the barrel halves a little easier if you wait. This picture just shows how it should look inside the barrel. The breaker bar you see in our models left hand is 1/2 x 25 SCH80 PVC. Some people prefer not using this bar and leave it out. The barrel halves use a tongue & groove connection. Review the next page before continuing. Be sure to liberally coat both sides of the tongue on the bottom half of the barrel with vegetable oil (or similar lubricant) before attempting to put the halves together. Also put some oil on the surfaces of the locks where they come together. Align the barrel halves as shown here on the left. Align and insert each latch as seen here on the right. Then work the lubricated tongue of the bottom half of the barrel into the groove of the top half of the barrel together so it is securely seated all the way around the barrel. This may take working around the unit several times for it to seat properly. Be sure it if fully seated so when rotated the locking lugs will engage properly. 10

11 The barrel halves must be locked together by rotating the top halve counter-clock-wise until the large pivot rod holes are perfectly aligned. Don t be concerned with fully closing the locks as aligning the pivot rod holes is what is important. The seam has a snug fit to minimize leakage so this step will take some patience. Making sure the barrel halves are fit together with the locking lugs fully inserted, begin working the top half of the barrel counter-clock-wise to securely lock the halves together so the pivot rod holes are aligned. Usually this can be done by hand, but because of the snug fit, you may need to gently use a screwdriver as shown. It is important to be careful not to damage the locking lugs with excessive pressure. If properly lubricated, it will not take much force to rotate the barrel into place. Do not attempt to rotate the top half of the barrel without liberally lubricating the tongue on the bottom half of the barrel all the way around on both sides. If using a screwdriver, gently apply pressure to each locking lug in turn working your way around the barrel several times as shown above. The locking lugs should be in the position shown in the far right photo and the large Pivot Rod holes aligned. Sometimes it helps to use the handle of a screwdriver in the Pivot Rod hole to help rotate the barrel halves in the final stage of aligning these holes. Below pictures the pivot rod hole aligned. Note that sometimes the two barrel halves almost appear to not align making it more difficult to fit them together. Because of plastic shrinkage in the manufacturing cooling process, this commonly occurs. It just means the seam will be fitting a little tighter but it will still fit just fine. It will help to place the barrel halves in the sun for a couple hours to make the plastic more flexible. Or it is not sunny, put the barrel halves in a warm room for awhile. Remember to lubricate the tongue portion of the bottom barrel before attempting to bring the halves together. 11

12 Lay one of the stand halves flat on the ground. Insert a Gusset Brace into a Stand Support. Place a Retainer Ring (large opening side down) over the end of the Support Bar, pressing the Support Bar and Gusset Brace into the stand. Be sure the Gusset Brace and Support Bar is pressed all the way into their sockets. NOTE: Usually the Retainer Rings are not loose in the box but pressed onto the Stand Halves already. 12

13 Insert the same assembly on the other side of the stand. Make sure the locks in the Stand are fully engaged in the Stand Supports. Then check to see the Retainer Ring is securely seated. There is a ridge or bump on the Stand Support itself that should be helping to lock this ring in place. Your assembly should now look like this so far. 13

14 If you have not put the aeration tube assembly into the barrel yet, do it now. Press the Pivot Rod through the barrel halves and through the Aeration Tube. It should look like the picture on the right here. (Except for the optional breaker bar which most people will not have.) As an option, we have added two 11 PVC sleeves over the pivot rod as shown here to help prevent ovaling of the barrel when holding extra heavy loads. As described above, when you press the Pivot Rod through the barrel and aeration tube, include the two white 11 inch PVC sleeves over the pivot rod on each side of the aeration tube. These sleeves are each 1 ¼ x 11 SCH40 white PVC. This picture shows the aeration tube, Pivot Rod, optional PVC Pivot Rod Sleeves and an optional gray Breaker Bar. The Breaker Bar is ½ x 25 gray SCH80 PVC which some people believe helps break up material when tumbling. 14

15 (NOTE: It may actually be simpler to go ahead and fully assemble the stand without the barrel rather than assembling just half the stand as shown here. Then with the completed stand, insert the barrel.) Keeping the Pivot Rod extended several inches on both sides of the barrel, insert the Pivot Rod into the upper portion of the Stand. Once aligned, firmly press down making sure the Pivot Rod locks into the Stand. Insert the Gusset Braces and Retainer Rings on the Support Bars as shown. Be sure the Retainer Ring has the large open side up to fit over the socket in the Stand. 15

16 Align the second Stand Half with the Pivot Rod, both Gusset Braces, and both Stand Supports. At first, gently align all of these parts with the appropriate holes being careful not to damage the Retainer Rings. Just let the Stand Half rest in place. Then by hand, press the Retainer Rings up into place over the Stand sockets. Now firmly press down on the Stand making sure all of the components are inserted with their locks fully engaged. Stand the unit upright and prepare to put the lid on. Looking at the top of the lid. Place the lid on the unit by using the aligning arrows. Notice there is three (3) settings marked on the lid OPEN, VENT, and CLOSED with an aligning arrow to the right of each (shown on left here). Notice there is an aligning arrow on the upper barrel half (shown on the right here). To put the lid on or take it off, be sure to align these aligning arrows in the OPEN position. Rotate it to the CLOSED position to tumble (turn) the unit as it prevents material from coming out of the vents that are under the lid. After tumbling, turn the lid to the VENT position so air can circulate while it is just sitting. If you do not keep it in the VENT position, composting will be slower. 16 Looking at the side of the barrel.

17 This is an example of how the arrows need to align in the OPEN position to either put the lid on or take it off. SPECIAL NOTE on putting the lid on. The recommended max weight limit for loading the UCT-9 is 100 lbs. However, a typical batch of compost should only weight lbs which is the effective operating weight range of the UCT-9. When this effective weight range is exceeded the top of the barrel may become oval in shape so the lid will not go on as easy and lock into place as well. This will not hurt the unit but means you will need to be more careful when putting the lid on and making sure the lid is all the way down and locked into place before tumbling. Repairing a broken lock Sometimes when assembling, disassembling or from accidental impact, one or more of the eight (8) locking tabs on the lower part of the barrel get broken. In some cases even one or more of the eight (8) locking lugs on the top portion that the tabs fit into may get broken. These are fairly simple to repair and repairing should be preferred to discarding. For each of the eight (8) locking tabs or lugs that become cracked or broken, install four to six 8 x ¾ pan head sheet metal screws next to the latch as shown here. Drill a 1/16 inch hole for each screw in the top portion of the barrel 1/4 inch up from the seam and insert screws. 17

18 Removing the Pivot Rod From time to time it may be necessary to remove the pivot rod. To begin with, be sure the barrel is completely empty. There is a small access hole in the top of the stand used to disengage the clip holding the pivot rod. Notice in the picture to the right the red arrow pointing to this access hole. The picture to the right shows a close up view of that access hole. Here you can see the end of the pivot rod and the end of the clip that holds it in place. To disengage the clip, use a flat head screwdriver. Place the blade of the screwdriver toward the bottom of where the pivot rod and clip come together. Gently pry the clip out away from the pivot rod. It will move about ¼ to ½ inch to the right freeing the pivot rod and allowing the rod to slide out of the stand. To the right here is looking down from the top of the stand. While holding the clip away from the pivot rod to allow it to slide out, insert a second flat head screwdriver between the stand and barrel and begin prying the barrel away from the stand. Continue to pry the rod from the stand (picture bottom left) until the rod end clears the stand (picture bottom right). After the one side has been removed, repeat the process on the other side. When both ends of the pivot rod have been removed from the stand, you can pull the pivot rod out of the barrel. 18