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Mulching instead of raking
TomG, my compost piles (8x4x4) get pretty warm. I turn it and keep it moist. I've seen steam rise off in the summer, but never had anything approaching smoke (spontaneous combustion). What would get it that hot? Is it added fertilizer? My pile is leaves, branches, kitchen scraps, and just about any organic growth from the property. Thanks. JonB
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Mulching instead of raking
Tom, you made good sense so I wanted to find out more. (If my compost pile catches fire, it would set off a grove of Eucalyptus and take my house and neighbors house with it.) I found news articles and some info sites on sawdust piles spontaneously combusting, and some on woodchips and even more on hay. The best discussion relating to compost piles is linked below, from the University of Minnesota. The part on spontaneous combustion says this:
Questions sometimes arise about spontaneous combustion in compost piles. Spontaneous combustion is the occurrence of fire without the application of an external heat source and can be caused by chemical, biological, or physical processes. Organic material can ignite spontaneously due to biological activity at moisture contents between 26-46% moisture if the temperature exceeds 200 degrees F. These high temperatures only occur with restricted air flow and piles exceeding a height of seven feet. Spontaneous combustion happens to stored hay or silage and only in rare cases to compost. No documented cases of spontaneous combustion have been reported for compost piles smaller than seven feet. Most reported fires occurring in compost piles are the result of external sources such as matches or the addition of hot ashes. In short, a well maintained compost pile with temperatures less than 150 degrees F will not spontaneously combust. If a compost pile gets too hot--more than 160 degrees F--you can cool it down by 1) reducing the size of the pile; 2) adding water to 55% moisture; or 3) mixing in coarse, bulky material such as wood chips. Compost piles work best at temperatures between 130-150 degrees F.
-so it's not a worry if we take care of the compost pile. Thanks again.
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