Is this normal?

[CarelessSquid07]

I have a hotbin mini, I've been using it about 30 days.

Mix of garden kitchen and rabbit waste. Took a bit to get started and often have the temp at 30-40 on the lid thermometer.

I've been using mostly shredded cardboard as we don't have much paper but loads of amazon boxes.

I've been collecting leachate biweekly and theres never been loads. About half a takeaway pot.

My partner pointed out that it looks like it's leaking from the door. I added an extra strap to the door last week as it was bulging out.

Is it normal for it to leak this way?

[ColinMudd]

Hi,I'm fairly new to notbinning too. If I don't drain the leachate by unscrewing the blue cap for a few days it does leak out from the air vent like yours seems to be doing. I didn't look at the inside of mine before I started filling it, but perhaps you have a blockage. However, if most of the waste you're putting in is fairly dry I guess you won't get much. I'm using mainly kitchen waste and cardboard and I get abit 0.5 litres each day! Have fun, Colin

[SusiBiker]

Hiya.

tldr;

Fluid discharge from vent if tank is dry, is not so great. Might want to have a chat with the HB folk.
Fluid discharge from vent if tank is full, seems to be normal.

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Totally new to this too, but my takeaway was if the contents hold a lot of moisture, as soon as the temperature goes anywhere the 40°C+ mark the moisture consolidates and what is not expelled through the upper vent, heads downwards.

I used a LOT of partially cold-composted waste in my first fill, mixed with 20kg of shredded pine wood animal bedding and two black sacks of shredded cardboad. I thought (wrongly) that would sort out the moisture issues.

Temp soon hit 50°C and within a day of this, moisture was pouring out the vent.

From what I've seen on here, "normal" depends on what you feed it.
Supposedly you are supposed to get an eggcup full or two of leachate a week, but I'm getting about 150-200ml a day now. If I don't empty daily, it comes out the vent the following day.

I get given a lot of compostable waste from neighbours, but the biggest issue is now that I have to dry a lot of this stuff before it goes in the HB or it kills it. It's utter pain!
I seem to be composting more paper/cardboard waste and bulking material than I am vegetable matter. 🤷

But if the end result is good compost in months... 😀

Cheers, Susi.