Exaco Trading EARTH Earthmaker 120-Gallon Three Stage Aerobic Composter Overviews
The Earthmaker Aerobic Composter is the world's first continuous cycle compost bin with three chambers for faster results.Simply load the organic waste into the large top opening. The secure swiveling door keeps animals out. The interior triple chamber configuration provides faster results than traditional bins and keeps fresh waste and mature compost separate. This unit will make twice as much compost as traditional bins over the same time period. Aerobic action reduces flies and greenhouse gases. The Earthmaker is easy to assemble, no tools needed. Also easy to use and empty. Composting tool, user guide and assembly instructions included. barrel composters : Exaco Trading EARTH Earthmaker 120-Gallon Three Stage Aerobic Composter>Compare Prices<
Exaco Trading EARTH Earthmaker 120-Gallon Three Stage Aerobic Composter Feature
Backyard composter with continuous cycling, 120-gallon capacity
Gravity-fed triple-chamber separates, aerates material for faster composting
Panel in chamber floor slides out once a month to let material drop
Produces up to 10 gallons per month with fewer greenhouse gasses
Includes composting tool, instructions; measures 47 by 30 inches (height by diameter)
Exaco Trading EARTH Earthmaker 120-Gallon Three Stage Aerobic Composter Reviews
We are pretty new to composting, so I can't give a highly technical review, but I'll tell you what I can. Our family of 4 has owned this composter for 7 months now. I am really beginning to love this thing. Here's why..-It's big. It doesn't look it in the picture, but it really is a good sized contraption. We cannot come remotely close to filling it up. Perhaps we have little waste as a family, but really, I cannot fill this thing up. Of course, we only have one leafy tree in our yard, so that may play a part.-It's contained. Our dogs run and play around it, but have not seemed to care that it is there, so the odor must not be too tempting. (We put ours on top of nine 12" patio blocks.)-It's Easy. If I forget to mix it one week, it's still fine. I also don't have to break my back to try and turn over a compost pile. I have back problems and that is a huge plus for me.-It's pretty easy to Assemble.It took about 2 months for it to really start composting, but now that it's started, it works great. My guess is it had to build up all the bacteria and such that breaks down the matter.The only problem that I've really seen so far is that the first one we ordered had several broken pieces on it. We sent it back with no problems through amazon and the second one we got was fine.All in all, I am very satisfied with this product and feel it was definitely worth the price.
I read a lot of reviews before buying this composter. So far I am happy with it after one year of using it. It came together with no problems. The design seems sensible, although I will know that better as the world warms up next summer. I am learning that it pays to chop up household scraps before putting them in the composter, especially in cool weather. Organic materials do not break down easily or quickly if left too large. This composter is really big, so it can hold a lot of organic material. However, its not easy to hide due to its size, so be sure that you think about the dimensions when considering if it is right for you. The manufacturer thoughtfully included a small sample pack of a compost "cooking" mix.
This composter had A LOT of good reviews on various sites and won 2nd place on Gaiam's compost-off. I've never bought from Gaiam and now I am highly suspect of them for giving this composter such a high rating.I am 5 weeks into my compost process. #1 problem: flies. We get lots of flies in my area starting around May when I started to compost. I also have a dog and her poop attracts flies regardless of me picking it up daily. So now this pre-existing population of flies LOVES hanging around this composter because all the aeration holes are huge so they get in and out as they wish. Lots of composters I see now have these large aeration holes and I wonder why? why not cover them with fine mesh like window screes? I use to only see the average black flies in my yard, the ones that looked for my dog's poop, now I have a larger variety of flies, small fruit flies, LOTS! and other kinds I dont even know. That's all nice for ecodiversity and whatnot, but I didn't start a compost pile to create an ever growing fly colony.Problem #2 chambers 2 and 3 are a joke. The top chamber works nicely. I can put a TON of kitchen scraps plus my monthly grass clippings in there plus all the required brown materials ( a TON of shredded cardboard) and it all fits. it is easy to access, water frequently (hot temps over here) and turn. the material did break down to about 1/4 of its initial volume within a 4 week period (great!) But once you open the first slide to let it drop to the "2nd" chamber, I hate it. the second chamber is is only accessed by a tiny hole, so you have no idea how the compost is cooking and if it's ready to be used (I plan to use my compost regularly since I have lots of plants, ornamentals and edible) There is no real separation between the 2nd and 3rd chamber, just a very cumbersome lack of easy access for the 2nd one, so I end up pushing most of the materials down and they fall to the ground (the "3rd" chamber) So basically in the end you end up with a top chamber that works well and the bottom chamber where you can finally access your cooking compost and check on it to decide when to harvest it, and A LOT OF WASTED SPACE (1/3 of the bin in fact) in between.I would not buy this bin if I could do it all over again. I would have much rather have started with a basic bin like my neighbor has and works just fine (like the Soilsaver Compost Bin) for a fraction of the price and using less space for a similar amount of processed waste. It's black plstic, just like the earthmaker, to retain heat. Mix it, water it, and as long as the temps help you in spring and summer, you'll make your compost just the same.Now that I wasted this money and have learned more about compost I am gonna give the earthmaker away to whoever will take it in my neighnorhood and I am building my own simple 3 bin system from plastic 5 gallon containers. With the mesh for the flies!
I purchased this unit last fall in order to solve two issues: (1) eco-friendly disposal of kitchen waste; and (2) cost-effective way of producing compost for vegetable and flower gardens. I was really on the fence between this product and a tumbler, but settled on this one because of cost and the ability for worms to access the compost without help from me.This product arrived promptly and was very easy to assemble - I did it quickly with my 5 year old "helping." It is also relatively light and easy to move into position. My only complaint is that it is somewhat difficult to stir the compost in the top chamber and compost can stick between that chamber and the second chamber. There is little smell and no unwanted animals really mess with it. It is placed near a structure so I believe a raccoon opens the top, presumably to see what is inside, but does not apparently attempt to get inside or else it would have toppled over.I would recommend this product but caution that a stable base (we chose bricks) will help immensely in terms of retrieving the finished compost. Also, it takes a fair amount of stirring and movement - so if you do not like to get dirty, you might choose the tumbler instead.
This is our first shot at being green and wanting to start composting. There are many options out there and prices are not cheap. This item came to our house promptly in a rectangular box. The unit comes in large pieces (4 sides, 4 splines, 2 shelves, 1 "stopper", a stirring tool, a 2-piece trap door for the top and a trap door for the bottom). Assembly was easy with 2 people and took about 10 minutes. Material is high quality plastic, similar to sturdy Rubbermaid garbage cans. There is no bottom to this barrel but the splines which hold the 4 sides together have little hooks at the bottom. My thought is that I may be able to anchor it to the ground with camping stakes and a wire of sort. We have black bears where we live (northern NJ) and I am not sure whether the smell of decomposing fruit and vegetable peels will be a temptation or not. Will do a follow-up review in the summer after a few months of use. But so far I am pleased with the unit (though I am not sure it is worth US$249 but that's another story). This is a very large unit indeed (we are a family of 6 so I am sure it will come in handy).
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