Compost Workshop

Compost Powered Water Heater   (update 10-20-15)

The Compost Powered Water Heater at the Gibbs Permaculture Site was awarded funding through the Fall 2014 Student Sustainability Grant application cycle. The grant included an AgriLab Feasibility Study (design manual), support for hosting an educational workshop on October 17, and all necessary materials for the assembly of the Compost Powered Water Heater. 

The educational workshop took place on Saturday October 17. The pex coil for the mound was already in place before the workshop and all participants were able to view the components before the mixed wood chips, sawdust, and manure were built up around the pex coil to create the compost mound. Consistent with the Student Sustainability Grant, which was written and approved by WMU students, the event was free and open to students and community members. We ended up having 13 students and 3 community members participate in the workshop. 

Each of the straw bales are tied to a metal corn crib to create a layer of insulation around the carbon rich compost materials. To prevent straw from blowing away or falling off the bales prematurely, we added a third cord of baling twine to provide additional support to the integrity of the bale. We are currently waiting for delivery of the last remaining straw bales that will surround the pile and create the desired insulation and appearance of our finished compost mound. Once these bales are delivered, we will remove the black tarp that is temporarily covering the pile. 

Radiant flooring and mound design were drafted and revised over the spring and summer of 2015. One inch pex tubing for radiant zones 1-3 were installed one foot underground and insulated under three grow beds in our research hoop. Prior to the workshop, 40 yards of wood chips, 10 yards of sawdust, and 5 yards of manure were staged and mixed together prior to the compost mound workshop. The compost heater mound is approximately 6.5 feet tall and 13 feet in diameter (same dimensions of the corn crib). The center of the pile is slightly taller than the edges creating a dome of insulation over the top of the mound. 

To view photos from our design and build process please click this LINK

For inquiries, please contact Kelsey Pitschel at kelsey.m.pitschel@wmich.edu or Eli Lowry at elijah.n.lowry@wmich.edu