Aerobin 400 / 200 Compost Bin

Aerobin Composter Reviews

MAGNIFICANT COMPOST BIN

After unboxing the Aerobin 400 it took 10-15 mins to set it up completely and this without TOOLS. Sturdy as a brick and assembles like a dream. While I've only had it composting for a few days now, it already has shown what an incredible product it is. I just lightly layered various garden trimmings and leaves and wood chips and some rotted fruit. Since I live in the 9b growing zone and it's cool and wet now, I added some composting worms to the bin to hopefully make up for any short comings on my part of balancing green and brown material. The first thing I have noticed is that if you just lightly layer material in the bin it self compacts all on its own be that by simple gravity, settling, or whatever. In the first few days of use, I was able to add at least another 20-30 gallons worth of bulk material to the bin as things began to settle all on their own. I have been wanting one of these bins for AGES but never needed one until a neighbor decided that a garden should not be allowed in a desert landscape and began harassing the local city govt and subsequently me. If you are going to replace your yard with a garden in California it can be a dicey proposition with lots of hassles. This bin is saving my garden as the good folk at code enforcement insist that while I am allowed to have a garden instead of a grass lawn in my desert neighborhood I am NOT allowed to have "dead plant material" on the ground which was my mulch and my ground cover that I've used for much of the past two decades. Thanks to the Aerobin 400 and its large capacity, I now have a place to "hide" my dead plant material and when it is eventually reconstituted as compost I can spread it like dirt and no one can complain about that I guess.

Donald rasky | 1/24/24

I was excited to start composting again and decided to invest in a high-quality, large-capacity compost bin. I especially liked that this didn’t require turning and was rodent resistant. Also, it was easy to build (after I found videos online) and easy to use. I diligently mixed our kitchen scraps—mostly vegetables, fruits, egg shells, and coffee grounds—with leaves before adding it to the bin to maintain a proper greens to browns ratio. Things were going well for the first four weeks or so, but then, the mice moved in! I stopped adding kitchen scraps immediately, and after a few more weeks, the mice moved out. After I emptied it out, I noticed a small hole in one corner at the bottom of the bin. It seems that the mice were able to chew right through it! I would not recommend this composter if you have concerns about field mice or other small rodents.

RG | 12/12/23

Hi there,

Thank you for your review. I am sorry to hear that you have experienced issues with rodents in your composters – they are certainly persistent creatures and will manage to chew through just about any material, given the time.

We do have a few suggestions for using the Aerobin if you are in an area where you have to cope with these creatures:

Preventative measures: Locate the Aerobin in an area where there is as much people traffic as possible – Rats/Mice do not like being disturbed – so the more sheltered the location the more aggressive rodents can/will be.
Preventative measures: Try not to position the Aerobin close to a fence line – it provides a sheltered cavity between the fence and the Aerobin.
Defensive measures: Wrap Chicken Wire Mesh under & around the Base of the Aerobin. Include the leachate collection tap space – and if necessary up the side walls of the Aerobin. Cut through the mesh where the Access Doors are located, then bend the mesh along the line of the bottom edge of the Access Door and it will then fold (open & close) like a live hinge so that you can access the Aerobin to harvest compost. This makes it difficult for rats to gnaw through the vertical walls or the Base. Use Clothes Pegs to retain the Chicken Wire together at the vertical line of the Access Doors – effectively to keep the wire in place.
Defensive measures: An alternative to the Chicken Wire would be to install your Aerobin on a raised platform – like the 1st photo below shows. The platform is only 5mm each side larger than the Base of the 400 Ltr Aerobin & the cavity of the platform frame is back filled with stones – making it impossible for rodents to gain access by burrowing under the platform. The minimal edge of the platform effectively eliminates any ledge for rodents to stand and work away at gnawing their way thru the plastic. The other benefits in raising the Aerobin are – (1) it makes harvesting compost into a container easier & (2) it makes collecting the leachate easier as well.

First off, this unit is based on airflow from the bottom to the top. If you set the product on a flat surface there is no airflow. Secondly, if you leave part of the bottom open, or on non contiguous blocks (cement or otherwise) mice and rats can get in and chew their way into the bin. You also have to seal in the hole at the bottom where you get your liquid flow otherwise the mice get in there too. They chewed a hole in the plastic bottom of the bin, unless the hole is already there for some other reason. So the plastic bottom is suspect. The only way to remedy the mice and rat problem is to seal it 100% by placing it on a fully flat surface. There is no point in the airflow mechanism at that point, but the unit seems to work anyway. Seems to me that this thing is overpriced and over engineered. The bells and whistles are useless. Just make a big plastic box.

John Troup | 7/16/23

simply not working. We live in the northern US where winters are harsh. Perhaps this may be an issue.

Mark E Thompson | 5/18/23

View video of Aerobin compost temperature measuring 80 degrees fahrenheit inside a snow covered Aerobin 400 in sub zero Utah temperatures.

Bens.Gardens | 12/22/22

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This product does not work. Extremely disappointed. It's a large garbage disposal.

VooVoo Veets | 1/10/22

Hi there,

We recently received a review from you on our site for the Aerobin composter. It sounds as though you are frustrated with the results and so I wanted to reach out to you to be sure you had additional information on composting with the Aerobin that may assist you with your composting. There is a bit of front end steps that can be taken to ensure you are getting the best results from your Aerobin. A lot of this is background information, but it may help explain how and why it works. You may also view the documents section at the bottom of this page for more helpful resources.

If you would like to open the access door/s of your Aerobin and send me a few photos of your biomass, I may be able to offer some tips as well.

I hope this helps!

Unique design feature of Aerobin

Aerobin is designed based on how the nature decomposes the organic waste with oxygen in presence, forest bed is a perfect example, people always smell earthy and soil smell instead of the odorous smell which normally happens in our rubbish bin. The key difference between two situation is because of oxygen. So how Aerobin gets air from outside into Aerobin and also ensure the air can continuously circulate within the Aerobin?

We achieved this based on the chimney affect (hot air raises). In other words, when the biomass in the process of composting, the temperature inside of an Aerobin will be hotter than outside. So the cooler air will be naturally drawn into the bin through the base and the centre lung and naturally hot air rises to the top through the biomass. This is how Aerobin can claim composting does not require extra human intervention such as turning or mixing the compost with new material at a regular basis. Simply put balanced organic waste in and harvest from the bottom section of Aerobin’s two access doors.

Aerobic Composting process requires 4 elements by nature - nitrogen, carbon, moisture and air.

Compost without carbon (carbon can be brown leaves, ripped cardboard, scrunched newspaper, wood chips, shredded paper, saw dust, paper made of packaging materials) & you’ve got a one way ticket to a stinky slime festival. FYI- if you only add food scraps without carbon your compost will release methane.
Compost without nitrogen - (nitrogen should be diverse organic food scraps, garden prunings (small pieces), grass clippings, coffee grinds), you’ve got yourself a load of carbon that going to stay exactly as it is.
Compost without oxygen - you’re headed towards an anaerobic mess – generally accompany with stinky smell and wet mushy materials.
Compost without moisture - moisture should come from the nitrogen inputs, generally speaking user does not need to add additional water if the nitrogen content is sufficiently added.
Diversity of carbon and nitrogen will enhance compost process.

To set up before composting

You may want to elevate your bin on a solid and levelled platform, this can protect Aerobin from potential rodent attacks and easier to collect leachate. Please see attached photo.

If you have matured compost lay them on the bottom because of beneficial bacteria it carries
If no compost available, you can lay some wood chips or sticks ( no more 20cm length) for about 20-30cm high, this gives Aerobin good density to allow the air comes inside
And then lay some dry leaves or smaller pieces of cardboard or shredded office paper another 10-20cm high
After this you can start putting balanced carbon and nitrogen materials

How to achieve an easy and rewarding composting result

We believe composting is a managed process, Aerobin can certainly reduce consumer a lot of effort to manage their composting process compare to other composters (e.g. No regular turning and mixing of the biomass is required with Aerobin). To maximising Aerobin’s contribution, consumer is encouraged to put a little effort when placing the right size (as small as possible) and balanced nitrogen and carbon material into Aerobin and in turn consumer’s composting experience will be much easier, convenient and rewarding.

How to load material in:

When you have a bucket load of kitchen organic waste ready
put them in a large tub/container
Grab two full handful of shredded paper put them in 1st if shredded paper not available, any carbon materials (dry leaves, cardboard, egg tray cartons, toilet paper rolls, online shipping paper based packaging materials, wood chips and sawdust etc) will do but ensure they are torn down into smaller pieces
mix both carbon and nitrogen well with a handy tool such as a small shovel or small garden 3 prong fork
then load them into Aerobin without the material hitting the centre lung as they are dropping into Aerobin.
this way, you will not be creating a lay of wet and lay of dry material, it also creates a good and balanced food source and environment for microorganism to work on the biomass easily and conveniently (carbon materials provide the low density for air to flow better with biomass and also absorbs moisture well as the liquid travels down.)

Have a look these photos and videos, which will provides you a source of reference what organic waste added into Aerobin and successfully generates healthy compost.

Hot Composting

The illustration below will help you to understand thermal phases in composting process and you can view the full article for complete details.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Happy composting!

www.Aerobin400.com

Thanks,
Cludia
Customer Support
(512) 407-8500 Ext 701

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So far very disappointed with this unit considering its fairly steep cost. It did go together nicely, but as I started to fill it with material, one of the doors on the back came open, and due to amount and weight of material in the bin, am not able to close it. I imagine this is roughly what happens when you take off the door to harvest compost. Seems like a bad design to me. I have been putting material in for at least two months and have nothing to show for it yet. I think the rotating units are the way to go. Had one from an English company that lasted a good fifteen yrs, but the support brackets rusted out, and the company had stopped making this model yrs ago.

The aerobic also quite large, and probably bigger than I needed.

Two stars so far.

Jack Alexander | 5/31/21

Hi Jack,

We appreciate your feedback – I am sorry you are having difficulties with the door. The bottom access doors, when in the fully closed position drop down into the groove of the base, so if they are in that position, there should be no way for them to pop open. It sounds as the one that popped off was possibly not pulled down completely. I understand now, as you are trying to replace it that you are having difficulty getting it back in place. There is a flange on the inside of the door that will need some space - so you may need to remove some of the biomass to get it back in place. On a sidenote, this is not an issue when removing finished compost from the bottom as the top stays in place, then the doors are placed back on and then you would gently push down from the top of the biomass.

It is helpful to mix your browns and greens together in a bucket before adding and this may help speed things along. Additionally, the compost should have the moistness of a wet sponge for ideal composting. I am attaching a few additional documents (see last 3 documents in documents section below) that you may find helpful. The Aerobin website at www.Aerobin400.com also has a wealth of resources (including a compost simulator) under “Info & Resources” and “Composting with the Aerobin”.

I hope this helps!

Thanks,
Cludia
Customer Support
(512) 407-8500 Ext 701

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We purchased an Aerobin 400 from Costco some months ago, but only recently put it up. As I was browsing the assembly instructions online, I noticed that the updated model now featured a hose and tap to collect the tea. So I wrote to Exaco asking if I could purchase the hose and tap so that I could use it on my older model.

I was pleasantly surprised when Claudia from customer service reached out to let me know that Exaco would be more than happy to send me one for free.

So this is just a note to thank Claudia and Exaco for exceptional customer service. The Aerobin has just commenced operations and I am hoping for some excellent compost a few months from now.

But, thank you once again.

Anu W | 5/21/21

Generally good quality.

Unfortunately several of the tabs which are required to snap the sides in place were broken off on arrival. I had to use machine screws to secure the sides together. There should really be better quality control on such an important part of the unit prior to packaging. Looking forward to seeing how it performs.

Dan | 4/19/19

Hi Dan,

I am sorry your Aerobin arrived with damaged parts. We will gladly replace any parts for you that may be broken during shipping. Please let us know if you need anything at all.

Thanks,
Cludia
Customer Support
(512) 407-8500 Ext 701

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Aerobin Composter Questions

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Where is the best location for Aerobin 400? Does it need full sun or does it work as well in shade? I have a nearly fully shaded area I’d like to put it, but also a spot with 2-3 hours of sun.

Jocelyn Kang | 5/10/23

Hi Jocelyn,

Your Aerobin can be placed where ever it’s convenient for you. Keep in mind, in a sunnier location, and in warmer climates the Aerobin will heat up faster. You may need to add water occasionally to keep it from drying out. You want to keep it as wet as a wrung-out sponge for the decomposition process to continue and turn into dark, rich compost..

If you place your Aerobin in a shadier area, the decomposition process will take longer and won’t dry out as fast so you may have to add more carbon material to keep the moisture level as wet as a wrung-out sponge.

So depending on the climate you live in, some shade on your composter in warmer climates and more sun in colder climates would be a good balance.

Thank You,
Diane
Customer Service

Is the aerobin 400 composter (111 gallons) supposed to have a base cover? (I noticed that there was a base cover in the 2022 aerobin 200 & 400 assembly video.) I was wondering if the base cover only comes with the 200 composter or if there should be a base cover for both 200 and 400 composter. Thanks.

Ginger King | 4/10/23

Hi Ginger,

I think by the “base cover” you are referring the “plate” that has holes in it that allows the leachate to strain through to the tank below. The base construction is different between the 200 and 400. The 400 has these “strainer slots” already built into the base itself so no base cover is needed.

Please let me know if you have additional questions.

Thank You,
Claudia
Customer Service

Can I buy replacement parts? I need the tube that goes through the center.Thanks

Richard Hanna | 8/26/22

Hi Richard,

Thank you for reaching out. We do have replacement parts for the Aerobin composters. Please reach out to us at 877-760-8500, ext 702 or 703 to order the pieces you are needing. We can take the order over the phone.

Thank You,
Claudia
Customer Service

Hello. I just bought the Aerobin 400 through Home Depot and have assembled it. How is the air supposed to circulate between the upper and lower pipes if the lower cone is a solid piece of plastic? There aren't any holes in it to allow air flow between the pipes making the upper pipe and cone and pipe seemingly pointless. I want to drill some holes in it but figured I should ask you first.

Paul Kokity | 8/26/22

Hi Paul,

I wondered this myself when I first saw the Aerobin.

Then design of the pipe/cone system allows air to move up the pipe, hit the inside of the bottom cone, flow down the interior of the cone and around the outside (the ribs will keep much of your compost from blocking this airflow and create pockets for the air to move) of that cone and some will go up the next pipe/some will go around and up and to the next cone and repeat.

This method circulates air through the center of your bin and forces the airflow using the warmth of the compost and natural cooling of the air to move it around.

If you drill holes, the air will just move up and not circulate properly.

I hope this helps!

Thank You,
Claudia
Customer Service

The bin is really doing well and very happy with it but I have now got to the stage where I want to open the doors at the bottom and it's proving impossible to do that. I can't lift up and pull, it doesn't move at all. I have tried levering it gently at the bottom with a spade but with no results.

Do you have any ideas before I am forced to remove the compost from top down.

Mike L. | 7/22/22

Hi Mike,

Thank you for reaching out – I’m glad the Aerobin is working well for you.

Often when the compost is good and rich- it is often moist and may be compacted down. This can also happen if a lot of time passes between opening the bottom doors, as the interior of the door has a small “ledge” on the inside that compacted compost can settle on or the moisture can sometime dry and make it harder to pull the access door up to clear the bottom base lip before pulling outward.

You do have the right idea though. The best way to get it open is using a spade or similar tool that you can wedge between the green access door and black base. Place a couple 2x4s or bricks underneath to create a lever. It does sound as though you were doing this – you may need to apply more force on your lever to loosen compacted compost and lift the weight of what could be moist, heavy compost.

Once you do get it open, it is best to remove the finished compost with a hand rake so as to not disturb or knock the lung system in the middle.

I hope this helps!

Thank You,
Claudia
Customer Service

Hi! I'm interested in purchasing but have 2 questions. I live in Stephentown, New York, USA. We have a black bear in our neighborhood who will rifle through trash if not secured. Can the lid be secured? Could the bear pick up the whole unit? 2. I have a metal carport that has an enclosed storage area. It\'s not airtight, but it is enclosed with a door that locks. Could I install the unit in there? Would there be a problem with air circulation and/or lack of sunlight? Thank you!!

Jennifer Peabody | 8/16/21

Hi Jennifer,

Thank you for reaching out. The lid can be secured – please see downloadable/printable document.

I am not so familiar with bear behavior…although this composter is about 70 pounds – much more when full, it seems most likely that a bear could knock it over and with weight on the side could get into it if he really wanted to.

The composter does not need sunlight – however you may get some odor from the composter in your carport. There should be a good flow of oxygen for proper composting.

Thank You,
Claudia
Customer Service

I have the Aeorobin 400composter for a little over a year now and like it very much - except that I can't open the 2 doors to harvest and utilize the mature compost. I had approached a number of people to help me out, no one was able to do it. I will appreciate if you can help me out. Also, were can I buy the "hose and tap" in order to use the compost tea. I will appreciate all the help you can extend. Thank you in advance!

Selah LaBarbera | 7/5/21

Hi Selah,

I am glad you are liking your Aerobin composter! When the compost is left to mature for an extended time, it can get compactd down. This, paired with the leachate liquid drying at the edges can cause the bottom access doors to get “stuck”. Here is what we recommend to get at all that great compost:

Keep in mind that that bottom access doors are in a locked position. To open them, you need to pull directly up on the handle and then out once the bottom lip clears the edge of the base.
If heavy, mature compost has compacted behind the door, the best way to loosen it up so you can move the door upwards is to create a lever. You can do this by placing a block of wood or a brick next to the Aerobin and then insert the tip of a shovel into the crevice at the bottom of the access door – then push down the shovel handle using the brick as the block for your lever. Once the bottom has cleared the lip of the base, pull it outward.
Once the access doors are removed, use a hand rake to carefully remove the finished compost, working around the interior lung system.
Replace the doors
Gently add pressure to the biomass at the top of the bin and it should fall into the bottom.

Please let me know if you need anything else.

Thank You,
Claudia
Customer Service

Is it manufactured in North America?

Christina Vander Meer | 6/8/21

Hi Christina,

Thank you for reaching out. The Aerobin is made in India.

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance!

Thank You,
Claudia
Customer Service

Is the bin BPA free (or free of similar unhealthy compounds)?

RJ Long | 6/2/21

Hi RJ,

Aerobin is a BPA free product.

The polymers used in the manufacture of the Aerobin are a compounded blend of virgin PP(Polypropylene) & HDPE (High-density polyethylene) - it’s a 80/20 blend.

Thank You,
Claudia
Customer Service

Where is the best location around the home to place the Aerobin 400? And how far away from house entrances or foundation? Should it be placed on concrete, on blocks, or on the ground itself? Thank you for your reply.

Ron Roa | 3/22/21

Hi Ron,

Thank you for your interest in our Aerobin composter! It is best to place the Aerobin on a firm, level surface, so pavement or pavers/bricks is a good option.

It does not need to be placed in the sun as the heat is generated from the inside. It is best to place it in a convenient location for you to make composting easy and convenient.

However, if rodents are prevalent around your area, preventative measures should be considered

Locate the Aerobin in an area where there is as much people traffic as possible – Rats/Mice do not like being disturbed – so the more sheltered the location the more aggressive rodents can/will be.
Don’t position the Aerobin close to a fence line – it provides a sheltered cavity between the fence and the Aerobin

Thank You,
Claudia, Customer Service

Hi, I was wondering where your Aerobin composter 400 product is made. Thank you!

Jennifer Duggan | 2/27/21

Hi Jennifer,

The Aerobin is made in India. Please let me know if you need further assistance!

Thanks,

Claudia, Customer Service

Hi, I need to move home and can I ask what’s the best way to take apart the aerobin400 and put it back together again? And would u recommend that I leave the residue in or empty it out if I move the compost without taking it apart? Thx Ada

Ada Loi | 1/25/21

Hi Ada,

You can take apart the Aerobin by following the steps in this YouTube video.

Depending on how much space you have to move it – you could keep it together, but I’d highly recommend removing any compost and liquid leachate that might be in the bin to avoid a terrible mess while you are moving it.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks,

Claudia, Customer Service

Will the Aerobin work in freezing temperatures?

C.H. | 8/24/20

Please note Aerobin will keep composting at sub zero temperatures – but it will reach a point when the biomass will freeze over. When the Winter passes and ambient temperatures increase, the biomass will thaw out and the process will start again. However the more ingredients that you offer up to the Aerobin the more chance of the biomass remaining hot and fighting off the ambient cold weather.

Aerobin has insulation in the Lid & Walls that works both ways – it helps to keep heat in – as well as keeping heat & cold out.

My Mothers Aerobin is over 2 years old and has not yet produced compost. What are we not doing? It is in the sun with a Southerly exposure for most of the day. Thanks!

Rose Raggio | 8/12/20

Hi Rose,

Four key factors affect composting: Airflow, temperature, moisture, and the organic material added to the bin. Aerobin takes care of airflow and temperature. Adding organic waste and moisture level is usually where things might go awry.

Getting a good mix of organic materials – browns and greens may be the issue. Aerobin has a compost simulator on their site here that may help you determine if you have the correct mix. This document might also give you a good idea of what and how to add materials.

Another common issue I’ve seen is that the material in the bin is not moist enough – it should be as moist as a damp sponge. Sometime too many dry brown items are added and there is not enough moisture for the microorganisms to do their job. This is something I would recommend checking.

I have also spoken with customers that have compost and did not realize it as they were expecting soil – but compost won’t look like soil coming out of the Aerobin.

If you want, you can open the bottom access door of the Aerobin and send me some photos of what’s inside. I might be able to help diagnose based on the photos.

Additionally, the manufacturer’s site at www.aerobin400.com has a lot of resources – look for the tab that says “info & resources” and “composting with aerobin”.

Thanks! Claudia/Customer Service

Hello. How much sun does the Aerobin need to effectively compost? I have a mostly shady area where I was originally planning to locate it. Would this not be effective? Thanks!

Cathy Gennaro | 7/20/20

Hi Cathy,

The Aerobin does not need to be in the sun. The heat for composting is generated from the microorganisms INSIDE the composter as they are breaking down the matter. So your spot sounds perfect!

Please let us know if you need anything else.

Hello, we have recently purchased and set up our Aerobin 400 in our yard. We replaced our older composter with this new one. I noticed the instructions say to not put the composter on bare ground, but instead to place it on cement or some other hard surface. Is this to prevent the composter from sinking into the ground when it gets full and heavy? Or is there another reason? We had a prior composter in this same spot for years without issue on bare ground, so we were just wondering. Thank you.

Todd Kruse | 6/30/20

Hi Todd,

Thank you for your purchase of an Aerobin. Yes, the reason it is suggested to be on firm ground is exactly that. If you purchase some tubing to place on the leachate nozzle and leave it in the open position, it will be much more workable.

Please let us know if you need anything else.

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How do you remove the solid material from the bin?

John Hamilton | 6/29/20

Hi John,

Thank you for reaching out. There are 2 bottom access doors from which to remove the finished compost with a hand rake. To remove the doors, first – pull them up by the handle and then out. Once you have removed the finished compost, replace the doors and gently push down on the unfinished compost from the top until it settles into the bottom level.

Please let us know if you need anything else.

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Is the 13 mm tube the interior dimension or the outer dimension? I have a 5/8 in OD with 1/2 in ID.

Misti French | 5/27/20

Hi Misti,

Thank you for reaching out. I think you are referring to the optional tube that you can add to the leachate tank. A 1/2" inner diameter tubing will work great. You should be able to buy this by the foot at any home improvement store.

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I just purchased the Exaco Aerobin 400 - it will arrive in a couple of weeks. It says you can compost “noxious weeds.” Can you compost things like poison ivy and lily of the valley in it? Lily of the valley is poisonous if ingested, and poison ivy is not something I’d want to spread around.

In theory, most of plants’ leave and stem are good source of nitrogen, so they can be composted. Perhaps not putting the root/seeds of these plant due to they are noxious.

For weeds & seeds to be killed during the composting process, the operating temperature needs to be high +40Deg C – which will only be achieved if the composting effort is optimized.

The Aerobin trials were run and observed at Swinburne University in Melbourne. The inputs were largely “greens” from the greengrocer, lawn cuttings and some newspaper/balled and office paper – shredded. The temperature readings that were obtained over Summer only got to 35Deg C. The trick is getting a sufficient loading of moisture in the mix, with a target ration of 70:30 – wet:dry material or nitrogen:carbon. It should also be a mix rather than large masses of very moist material in isolation to the dry material.

We had feedback from Japan during January (which was still winter there) and one Aerobin being operated by something of an expert in the field of composting and had reached temperatures as high as +60Deg C – the biomass was largely organic food waste from his home and “greens” waste from his fairly large vegetable garden – but it was the combination of wet & dry materials that yielded the results that he was getting.

So to conclude, the temperature is the key factor to determine if mentioned noxious plant can be fully composted or not. To achieve the ideal temperature, consumer should follow mentioned above.

Thanks, Claudia - Customer Support (512) 407-8500 Ext 701

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Hello, i live in Ohio, Us and saw the product for sale. Curious about temperatures in winter time. Here can get -15-20 celsius in winter time. Can the item be left outside during winter. Would still work during winter period?

Cris Donoso | 4/27/20

Hi Cris,

Thank you for reaching out. The AErobin 400 will hold up to the cold temperatures and the built in insulation does help keep in the heat generated so it will process further into the colder weather. However, during this cold weather, the microorganisms will slow down their decomposing. When it gets extremely cold it is likely to stop. However, you can continue to add scraps of greens/browns and it will begin again when the weather warms up.

Thanks, Claudia - Customer Support (512) 407-8500 Ext 701

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Bin is full. What is the best way to open at the bottom. Bin is full and having difficulty opening access door at bottom. Thanks.

Joan Hogan | 4/6/20

Hi Joan,

Thank you for reaching out. The doors at the bottom push directly up first and then pull out. Sometimes the compost compacts down and makes it difficult to open the access door. The easiest way to release it is to use a shovel like a lever - insert the tip of the shovel between the door and the base. Place a brick or rock under the shovel head so you can push down on the handle. This will push the tip of the shovel up (along with the door). While it is up, pull it out by the handle.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks, Claudia - Customer Support (512) 407-8500 Ext 701

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I live in western NY where the winters can be cold and long. Can the aerobin 400 or 200 continue to work outside under those conditions? What if I put it in a detachedI insulated garage?

Mary E. Lanzafame | 8/13/2019

Hi Mary,

Thank you for your inquiry. The Aerobin is a great composter to be looking at for your climate, although we do only carry the Aerobin 400 at this time. The composting process does produce its own heat due to the activity and digestion by the microorganisms, so it does not rely on outside temperature. However, during colder months the microorganisms do slow down and decomposition and heat in the pile will also slow down. The insulated sides will help to retain some of the heat to keep the activity going for a while during freezes though. During this time you may continue to add your kitchen scraps to your pile – when it warms up the pile will begin to be active again.

Aerobin uses an aerobic process which means plenty of airflow is required, and if kept indoors a composting odor may be evident, so it should be kept outdoors. If kept in your insulated garage there is the possibility of attracting some pests an you may see some of the leachate along the floor occasionally.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks, Claudia - Customer Support (512) 407-8500 Ext 701

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I wanted to see how high off the ground this needs to be? I currently have this on 2x4’s on the grass, but not sure if that lets enough air underneath. Thanks

Erik Keenan | 5/1//2019

Hi Erik,

There are vents at the bottom which will allow enough air in, even when it is placed on the ground.. It can be helpful to raise the bin up slightly however to be able to adjust the leachate tap.

Thanks, Customer Support.

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Can the Aerobin 400 be left in the sun without damaging the bin or is shade required?

Michael Amato | 7/9/2018

Hi Michael,

Due to the unique high design with the double insulated walls the Aerobin composter does not need to stand in the sun (to get warm) – it will work very well in the shade. As such it is recommended to place the Aerobin not in direct sunlight – the less direct sunlight one has on a plastic container the longer the container lasts. In direct sunlight I expect the Aerobing to last at least 10 years but in the shade it will be double that.

Thanks, Customer Support.

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I love my aerobin and it's served me well through my first season. You mention on the site that the leachate can be diluted and used as fertilizer. What ratio of water should I use to dilute it?

Jessica | 12/16/2016

Hi Jessica,

The standard ratio is 10 to 1 (10 x more water).

Thanks, Customer Support.

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