Home Made Compost Tumbler

[josephdupont]

very, very , very slick.

[radbcc]

This was not designed by your run of the mill red neck. The plans and drawings show a true attention to detail and engineering. Thank you...

[aetherswift]

Very nice! Thank you for sharing :)

[4301harley1]

Great video and precise plans. I've put mine to use and it was just what I was looking for. I did not use the pvc inside, but drilled air holes in the barrel itself. I may have to build another one! Thank you.

barpilot

[sean123456789]

Great video, but I have two questions. How do you keep the cap from falling off when it's being flipped? and Does compost get stuck in the holes on the pvc pipe?

[stratman4u]

@sean123456789 The top on the barrel shown is threaded and screws on securely. I've never had a problem with compost clogging the vent holes, but if you did, you could just take a garden hose and clean them out.

[sean123456789]

@stratman4u sorry I wasn't clear on my first question. I meant does the pvc cap stay on when you flip it?

[stratman4u]

@sean123456789 The PVC cap is a pretty tight fit so it stays in place with no problems.

[gettingahandle]

u can toss in cow poop, chicken poop, horse poop, even a little doggy poop. But there are 2 poops NOT to put in. They are cat poop and you poop.... ew... much too smelly. If the smell does get nasty, tip in a pound or two of activated charcoal.. the fishy tank type will do.

[madfran6]

I'm building one ASAP!

[surfgeo]

finished mine last week using a 55-gallon blue plastic drum. already want to sell it and make a dual tumbler system! the only modification i made was I used 1-1/4" pvc as the axle, it is plenty strong enough and has zero bend with the barrel totally full of compost. i also just cut out the holes in the supports as notches so the barrel can easily be lifted off the supports to clean or make it easier to move. great design, thanks for sharing!

[buildegg]

I took your plans, and made a dual compost tumbler.

buildegg.com/bewp/?p=127

Thanks for the inspiration!

[stratman4u]

@buildegg Very nice!!! The two barrel feature is an excellent idea. You can have one batch of compost cooking while yo continue to load the other. Typically I have to load the barrel over time and then once full, I have to stop adding material and let that batch cook for 6 weeks. By adding the second barrel you will significantly speed up the process and not have to waste any of your kitchen scraps.

[prairiepatch]

@buildegg I really like your dual compost tumbler as well. I think these tumblers must work wonderfully. Do you find that they are working well for you? By the way here is a little tip that I find helps speed the compost process up. I put all the kitchen scraps what ever they may be in the blender with a little water. Blend them up and add that mush to your compost bin.

[PLD60]

@buildegg How do you transfer from 1 tumbler to the other?

[bedlam101uk]

About to start one of these, I've just got fed up of buying compost. The only thing is I couldn't get a barrel of that size. The one I've got is a 200kg container with a screw on lid! Also I have been unable to find the flange in the UK, does anyone have any advice or ideas that could help me? Thanks

[TheHappydots]

Awww, I just love listening to you. Reminds me of home.

[Pattigirl65]

How do I get the plans to print? When i scale them down to fit on to a letter size paper, I can not read the print. If I print at 100% I don't get the entire page? Thanks for any help in advance.

[stratman4u]

Hi @Pattigirl65,

I'm not sure why you are having problems. I simply went to the plans page using Firefox as my browser. I then selected print all and got 2 pages. The first is just the page title and then page two was the entire plans on one page. Clearly legible as well. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[RosaButton]

@Pattigirl65 Just open up your adobe acrobat-click on File-click on Print-Click on Adobe PDF-OK and that's it will save it and later you can print it out on your printer. Hope this helps!

[Sunnymoonshine15]

Thanks so much for these plans!. I've been wanting a tumbler for a while, but my husband wasn't sure how to build it. I found the plans, then went to Lowes and got the supplies we didn't have myself. Brought them home and told him to get building! A few things were a little off, such as sizes, and the wood was a little wet while driling, but it turned out great! Thank you!

[JaiUneGuruDeja]

The two barrels that my son and I built based on your plans have been in service for a couple of months now. The first one is now a third full of rich soil and getting difficult for my wife to tumble. I couldn't be happier with the results and look forward to seeing the flowers that will grow in the soil that we created!

[Yomalex3]

Question, with the earth machine you can place it directly on the ground so that worms can help compost. I see this one isn't on the ground. Does that mean it just bakes the compost? And how long does it take to get some good compost from there?

[stratman4u]

@Yomalex3 Being able to mix the organic material helps speed the composting process but I can't give you an exact time frame as to how long it takes to get good compost. It depends on heat and what you are adding as material, but as a general rule in the summer time I will have good compost 6-8 weeks after I quit adding material to the barrel.

[nealdt]

Just wanted to share that my girlfriend and I just finished a compost tumbler based on your video as a gift to my parents. We have a smaller barrel (35 gal) and had to change some parts based on the plans you posted. It came out great! We don't have much DIY experience but were able to figure out enough to make a really great gift. Thanks for sharing!!

[stratman4u]

@nealdt Thanks for sharing that. I'm glad I could help!

[YYZutuber]

There is probably some cheap timer you can hack into the fan.

Now mount the fan to the top of your downspout pvc tube down the middle that you have capped. This idea will ALWAYS push air through the composter thus SPEEDING up the process significantly. What do you think?

Solar panel $10 (look around for the 1.8 watt units that come WITH all the connectors.

Car battery= free--ask Pepboys or local garage for a scrap battery or replace your car's battery with new bat use old bat for this. fan=$2-$5

[YYZutuber]

Thanks for posting but I have an idea to make your system much better.

If you add the following cheap items

1. small solar panel $10 comes with all the connectors

2. old car battery or boat battery is better, doe s not need power to start a car but should be bale to hold power

3. a computer fan or one used in cheap laptop cooling pads a 120 or 180 mm fan or 2.

Now if you connect the solar panel to your car battery then the fan to the car battery you now have free power.

[JaiUneGuruDeja]

After drilling the holes in our first tumbler barrel dead center on the vertical axis, we regret not finding the barrel's center of gravity. The lid makes our barrel top heavy and our empty barrel will not remain upright. Since it will usually have enough compost in it to make it stay upright, it's no big deal. But, for those of you who want to feel good when you first mount your barrel, drill the axel hole at the center of gravity. You can set the barrel on its side on a roller to find it.

[JaiUneGuruDeja]

Great plans! My son and I are almost finished with our first tumbler and have all the materials to build a second one. We extended your design by adding some wheels and some removable handles to make it easier to move a full tumbler from our deck to our garden and dump it. But, our black food-grade barrels did not come with hand-holds around the rim where you drilled your ventalation holes. Are these top-end holes essential?

[stratman4u]

@JaiUneGuruDeja The ventilation of the barrel helps control the amount of moisture that rcollects in the barrel.. By allowing air to enter/exit through the top and bottom of the barrel you get a cross flow through the material in the barrel and I've not had any problems of too much moisture. You could experiment and see how not having the top holes works, but if you discover your compost is too wet, you will know why.

[JaiUneGuruDeja]

@stratman4u Finished our first AND second barrels! My 16-year-old son, who has never built anything substantial before, is busting his buttons. Not sure how to tell if it's too wet. Smells like good topsoil in there with a mix of kitchen scraps and fallen leaves. The first barrel has been 3/4 full for the past two weeks and I have not seen any tea exit the spigot cap at the bottom of the barrel. The temperature has been in the 40-60's with scattered showers. So, decomposition is slow.

[sdbvideo]

Thanks for making this Open Source! power to the people!

[saturno236]

Where can I find a barrel like that one

[richva1]

(Continuation of previous) I am back to using 4 foot square bins that are open on the top, and put anything in there, and about 1 month later, I have good compost. You do have to turn it twice a week with a pitchfork.

[richva1]

I bought one of the commercially available ones for $159 that looks exactly like the one pictured. I don't use it anymore because the stuff I put in there turns to a thick mud. It is so important for air to get in there, and there are few holes. I guess I could add more, but not sure if it will improve things. I mainly put in green items like grass clippings and plants.  If I had dry leaves, that would help, but there aren't any in the summer.

[stratman4u]

@richva1 Yes, if you don't add green and brown materials at a 50/50 mix along with monitoring the amount of moisture in your tumbler you can end up with mud. Open bins are a good way to make compost., but they do have their drawbacks. They attract vermin, can have a undesirable odor as well as being unsightly. For a lot of small area and urban gardeners, a compost tumbler is ideal for making small batches of compost.

[o2bapiper]

Finished my tumbler two nights ago and now it's off and running. Thanks for the excellent video and plans to go along with it. I had fun building it and am looking forward to the "black gold".

[tapthepope]

Lol was this narrated by john goodman?

[tipocubano]

@comfortabily

WHAT?????

[lesandnate]

Do you find that your compost tumbler makes compost faster in the summer than it does in the winter? Any tricks to get it to work faster when the temperature drops?

[stratman4u]

@lesandnate Part of the composting process involves heat, so organic material is naturally going to break down quicker in the summer. If you keep a 50/50 mixture of brown and green material along with the proper water content the compost will generate it's own heat. No way beyond this do I know of speeding up the process.

[zobcity01]

If you get the barrel type use some very thick plactic visquine to cover it in the winter (if you area is cold ) to trap the heat so it will cook better. Will help a bit even in summer. I would say about a month and if the ingredients were balanced combination, you will have the good finished stuff then. It's well worth the little efforts.

[anyonefindAMERICA]

nice work.

[kingbiscuit28]

Here is a shopping list for Lowes 1" Wood Bore - Item# 170983 Galv Cap - Item#22461 Galv Pipe - Item #24011 3" Flange - Item# 253222 Hex Bolt (8) - Item# 63483 Washers (8) - Item# 63308 Hex Nuts (8) - Item # 63303 3"x 5' PVC PIpe - Item # 42395 2x6x8 Treated Lumber (2) - Item# 86149 I don't the item# for the screws or PVC pipe Cap. I would suggest a 1-1/8" bore so it fits more smoothly. As already stated you will have to get the barrel on CL.

[shashwa]

Excellent video, good work and thank you

[keithallenlaw]

Excellent! Thanks for sharing.

[jaegermus2]

I made my own tumbler based on your plans, and it's been about 6 weeks and I've seen very little progress. Everything seems to be moist enough, but I'm getting frustrated - any suggestions? I did not put the air holes at the top, but otherwise made sure there is plenty of air flow.

[bobco303]

I used your instructions and it works GREAT!! super easy. thanks a TON.

[b2525]

Plenty of youtube videos about making compost tea once you have finished compost. I've been taking the compost, putting it into a paint strainer mesh bag. Put it in a clean paint bucket full of rain barrel water and a tablespoon of molasses and use some fish tank aeration pumps to build the microbial count. Then use a clean pump spray or dump it on your lawn and garden. Free organic fertilizer!

[LovemeAquarius]

Great information.

Thanks, Hope to build a one very soon.

[envirosponsible]

Great video.

[BCGOODMAN]

Awesome Plans! Thanks

[xxstealyourface]

One of the more complicated compost tumblers I've seen, but it has a genius design to it. I hadn't equated the bees getting into it. Great idea to cover the air holes with screen.

[phx515]

My son and I are constructing this far an extra credit project in his HS biology class. Thank you for such a detailed plan. I am really looking forward to churning out some awesome compost with this. Any person in SO. CA. area I found a recycled barrel seller in the City of Ontario who has about a gazillion barrels to choose from in the $10.00-$25.00 range...You'll find them under Craig's list ,Inland Empire, farm and garden category.

Again, my son and I thank you for such an awesome plan!!

[vionvese2010]

This the best design I think I have seen anywhere. I want to make one but I can not get your plan and material list at the end of the video. Can you or anyone send it to me?

[jbpitcher]

Excellent ! You have done a nice job of explaining your project. One of the best I have seen on YouTube. Thank you for the detail and drawings. What do you think about adding additional horizontal pipes to aid in stirring and aerating the compost?

[stratman4u]

@jbpitcher That might be a good idea. I had though of putting short pieces of 1/4" all thread rod through the galvanized pipe at 90 degrees inside the barrel, creating kind of a rotating rake. This would help break up the material as the barrel turned. I might try that on my next one.

[boahet]

Great video! I have one question for you . What kind of glue did you use to attach screen to the barrel and the flange? Thx

[stratman4u]

@boahet I used 5 minute Epoxy

[JaiUneGuruDeja]

@stratman4u Not that it is as good, but I used PVC glue to glue my nylon mesh to the closet flange as well as the inside opening of the drain spigot. Seems to hold...

[frostxr]

Ive seen a lot of these tumblers. And I have one question. Do you have to spin it daily? Im not sure I understand how thy work. What else is there to know for beginners. Thanks

[stratman4u]

@frostxr I spin it every time i add material. You want a 50/50 mix of brown and green compost materials. I stock pile dry leaves (brown) and add them when I put in my kitchen vegetable scraps (green)

[kingbiscuit28]

So I am in the process of making one. A few questions. I got the 3/4" galvanized pipe and it is exactly 1" in OD, so it does not want to go through the 1" holes I drilled in the wood. Any ideas on how to open those holes just a bit more so the axle fits through?? Also a few comments on the pdf plans. I think you only need one 3" closet flange.

I am going to make a Lowes Item list for others that want to make one when I'm done.

[stratman4u]

@kingbiscuit28 Yes, my mistake. You only need one flange. You can wallow out the holes in your wood by rotating your drill bit in a circular fashion or just use a 1-1/8" bit

[MRSLUVMYMAC]

how much would all the materials cost me? and can a women put it together or will i need my husband?

Thank you.

[kingbiscuit28]

Depends if you can get a free barrel. ~$75 if you have to pay for the barrel and around $50 if you don't. Also if you make more than one the costs go down a little bit because you don't have left over wasted material.

[kingbiscuit28]

Depends if you can get a free barrel. ~$75 if you have to pay for the barrel and around $50 if you don't. Also if you make more than one the costs go down a little bit because you don't have left over wasted material.

[kryptiea]

not hard to make . barrels are hard to find

[kingbiscuit28]

Thanks Man!!

Most detailed and thorough plans on YouTube!! Really helpful.

[dioje787]

Changed my mind. Instead of a spigot, (which would hold in too much moisture), I'll just keep a small bucket underneath the drain hole to capture the "compost tea" and then pour it onto my plants that way. Picked up the pickel barrel last night! Mine is a 55-gallon instead of 60, and is 42" tall instead of 44". I guess I'll just do the center axle @ 20 1/2" instead of 21 1/2", and hopefully that math is correct.?????????

[dioje787]

Thank you. Just bought all the supplies from Home Depot, and including the $40 for the pickle barrell (Craigslist... guy from NC is delivering here in TN today!), my material cost is around $100 as well. I think instead of the drain hole like you have, I'm going to make a spigot so I can do the compost tea thing. Other than that, GREAT plans.

[motdrads]

@dioje787 no way I only paid 45 dollars for two of these barrels same exact one by the way if your nears mt olive a guy there has them for 10 dollars they dont pay for them they are discarded by the pickle company

[lastquest]

I Love to see great craftsmanship and pride in construction! Nice attention to details. GREAT JOB...Thank You

[TheWealthyNinja]

This is AWESOME! Thank you so much for posting this video!!!

[Bonstergirl]

What a great idea! Thanks for sharing this.

[Cosmodot256]

What kinds of 'pests' will contaminate compost? From what I've read so far, many insects aid in the composting process.

[stratman4u]

@Cosmodot256 The kind you don't want jumping out at you when you open the lid. Bees, wasps, yellow jackets etc.

[b2525]

Thank you very much for these instructions! I built a couple of them with a few modifications, but did not include the drain and the frame. I don't have a lot of room where I have put mine under the sun. Even though they get heavy, I prefer to roll the barrels to mix up the debris. The cost can get up there for the frame if you don't have all of the material on hand. I'm still adding to the first barrel, but it seems to be composting pretty quickly. I threw some earthworms in as well.

[nicocoper]

So nice!!! thanks a lot buddy

[susanbunch1980]

This video has so helpful! You should enter your video in this contest, Ewisdomtv

[mommybwalker]

Excellent video! I can't wait to try to make this. This is exactly what I've been looking for. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us!

[TooChill]

very nice..thank you

[mattmaes]

never mind - just saw your answer below:

"By running the tube up the center you can cover the bottom of the tube to keep pests out. If you were to drill a lot of holes on the exterior of the barrel, you would have to cover each one with screen. Exterior holes would also allow to much moisture to enter your compost."

[mattmaes]

I like the interior aeration idea with the PVC - But couldn't a guy accomplish the same thing by drilling holes through the barrel?

[stratman4u]

@mattmaes By just drilling hole into the exterior of the barrel you allow too much moisture to get inside the barrel. With an exposed compost pile this is not a problem as when it heats up the moisture evaporates. With the barrel you are trapping this moisture.

Also the hole would create many places for pests to enter and make a home. You don't want to open the top of your barrel one day and find a hive of bees.

[theunknownknows]

I want to build a few of these, to replace my Bronze Age-style heaps. I haven't been able to find a source for the barrels. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[russroscoeruss]

Surplus centers usually have them for about 20-25 each

[theunknownknows]

Thanks!

[lesandnate]

@theunknownknows Craigslist is a great place to find them.

[theunknownknows]

Thanks. It's the one place I haven't looked for this particular item yet.

[charliemor3]

Hi, I've been looking for an good design to build. Very good explaination to go with it, thanks.

[dmacosta1]

Great video..

[neithspell]

Great video... thanks

[neithspell]

Greatt info... thanks

[chiefmtn]

thanks for posting this! I can hardly wait to get started - (frozen in Canada)

[Hamish121212]

Why did you choose to put the airation tube up through the centre rather than just drill holes ib the barrel?

[stratman4u]

By running the tube up the center you can cover the bottom of the tube to keep pests out. If you were to drill a lot of holes on the exterior of the barrel, you would have to cover each one with screen. Exterior holes would also allow to much moisture to enter your compost..

[mustang7006]

Is the internal airation provide the same amount of air etc... Just curious as to why some many just drill holes and vs. the internal system. I like the interal way much better just curious if there is any major difference?

[idrumba]

Thanks, great video plus free plans. The world needs more folk like you. Bravo!

[lesandnate]

Do you think this could be done with a wine barrel?

[stratman4u]

Don't see why you couldn't use a wine barrel. You could cut in a hatch on one end and hinge it with a latch to add and remove materials. Not sure how hard it would be to turn once it was full, but it might be worth a try.

[J4UNIPER]

Thank you so much! I have my barrel, and your inspiration, and thorough direction.

[spafa9]

Does anyone know of a website where I can order a pickle barrel for cheap?

[cartsoni]

can't tell if this got posted.

Any issue with the weight causing the axle to tear the plastic?

[stratman4u]

That was one of my initial concerns, but after using it over 5 months and running several full loads of compost, there is no sign of wear or tearing of the plastic at the axles. The plastic they make now a days is pretty tough.

[MTEXX2]

quite a deluxe design. i like this design much better than the axial tumblers. no need for a side hatch.  Do you collect your drain water for making compost tea?

Cheers! 5*

I just picked up 2 of these exact same barrels locally for 35$ each. (Charlotte, NC area msg me I'll send you the reference).

[stratman4u]

This one has been great to me. I don't collect the drainage for tea, but you certainly could.

[packagewarren]

very well done. and thanks for the plans.

[musicguy20]

Looks like a primitive R2 unit! Thanks for posting DIY.

[apachebow]

I really appreciate all the detail you describe in the video. Very thorough job.

[idahotandj]

Built one today, it took about 2hrs or so, I made it a little higher so we can dump right into a wheel barrel.......cost right at 100 bucks with hardware.

[idahotandj]

Excellent idea and job!

[aussiejay5555]

well done mate

[gardenwife]

By the way, I think it's now possible for you to put in an annotation that contains a clickable link. Doing that or putting it in the description for your video would be really helpful. Thanks!

[stratman4u]

I put the link to free plans in the description. Thanks for the suggestion.

[gardenwife]

That's a good idea to put screen in there. It doesn't take long for stinging critters to build a nest in an inviting dark place like that.

[asafparis]

nice!