Troubleshooting

Tom Richard
Cornell Cooperative Extension
Operator's Fact Sheet #10 of 10

Problem	Cause	Solution
Anaerobic odor	Excess moisture Window too large Temperature greater than 140° F Leaf compaction Surface ponding	Turn windrow Make windrow smaller Turn windrow Turn or reduce windrow size Eliminate ponding Apply odor masking agent (cures symptom, not problem)
Low windrow Temperature	Windrow too small Insufficient moisture Poor aeration	Combine windrows Add water while turning windrow Turn Windrow
High windrow temperature	Winddrow too large Leaf compaction	Reduce windrow size Turn windrow
Surface ponding	Depressions or ruts Inadequate slope	Fill depression and/or re-grade Grade site to recommended slope design
Vectors Rats Mosquitoes	Presence of garbage (food, etc.) Presence of stagnant water	Remove garbage, or use rat bait Eliminate ponding
Pollution of surface waters	Leachate discharge	Treat leachate before it leaves site by passing it through soil, sand, or grass filter area Avoid surface runoff
Fires/spontaneous combustion	Excessive temperature Inadequate moisture Stray sparks, cigarettes, etc.	Make windrow smaller Add water Keep potential fire sources away from windrows If fires do start, break windrows apart and extinguish completely

"Operator's Fact Sheets, Table of Contents"

Cornell Composting	Science & Engineering	Composting in Schools	Resources

For specific comments related to this page, please contact the Cornell Waste Management Institute (format and style), or Tom Richard (technical content).

This page was created on August 30, 1995
This page was last updated October 2000