Troubleshooting · 10 of 30
Material balls up in a tumbler
10-15 cm balls of wet material visible through the hatch, a sour smell at the vent, and a temperature stuck around 40 °C.
01Symptom
10-15 cm balls of wet material visible through the hatch, a sour smell at the vent, and a temperature stuck around 40 °C.
02Why it happens
Wet kitchen waste without enough dry structure, and over-filling the drum so the contents rotate as a block instead of tumbling.
03What to do
- 01 Open the hatch and break up every ball by hand or with a stick.
- 02 Add shredded cardboard at 30 % of the charge weight and tumble 20 revolutions.
- 03 Keep the drum at 60-70 % of capacity, never full.
- 04 Tumble every two days during the first three weeks, checking for new balls each time.