Return to the Vermicomposting Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
flow through and lid
| | |
Posted by beesee (My Page) on Wed, Nov 18, 09 at 16:24
| I finally built a 55 gallon barrel flow through bin, in essence copying Eric's design.
The question now is do I put the lid on? Or do I leave the lid out? I have a pretty tight lid and I feel like I am suffocating the worms if I put the lid on even though they probably get a lot of oxygen from the bottom.
Experiece folks, please advise. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: flow through and lid
| | |
| Hello. I actually copied the design from a couple other people, mine was only different in that I used conduit for the grate. If I built another one of these I wouldn't saw the lid off. The barrel loses it's round structure and gets oval shaped. I would rather cut a door out on top of the lid. Since my non-fitting lid is cumbersome, I just have the whole barrel covered in an old comforter. Also, I am renting and I don't need the landlord asking me why I have a blue plastic barrel full of paper and dirt in my porch. Anyway, unless your lid is air tight, there should be plenty of air flow through the barrel. |
RE: flow through and lid
| | |
| Thanks for the reply, Eric. As I was rereading my original post, there were many spelling errors. Oh, well. At any rate, the 55 gallon drum I bought came with plastic lid that closes the bin. It also came with a extra band that seals the lid immensely tight. I will never use the extra band. However, I wondered if I could use the plastic lid. I made this bin on Sunday and I have been using large cardboard as a lid. Since this cardboard lid doesn't seal completely, it left some air pockets on top. Is it safe enough to use the plastic lid as a lid without worrying about air flow problem? Is the air coming from the bottom provide enough oxygen for the bin? |
RE: flow through and lid
| | |
| since it is air tight, I would worry about the air not flowing through the whole system. Maybe drill some holes in the lid. For several months I actually laid some cardboard over the top and put the lid on that. Once it got mildew on it, I would tear it up for bedding and find a new piece. |
RE: flow through and lid
| | |
beesee, for my flow-through bin I cut pie-shaped pieces out of the top and then used my hot glue gun to fix pieces of window screen over the openings. It seems to work.
mbetts |
|
|
|
|
