Worms, Mud and Water in Sump

If you are having problems with an existing wormery, or just need some advice - then ask it here
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MikeyW
Junior Member
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Joined:Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:23 pm
Worms, Mud and Water in Sump

Post by MikeyW » Tue Jun 22, 2021 10:38 am

I am new to operating a wormery and have just moved my wormery from a shed interior to outside but under the shelter of trees. After a large amount of rain I inspected the wormery this morning and found water, mud and worms in the sump. I'm assuming that the water, mud and worms should be cleared from the sump. I have already moved the worms up to the bottom tray (I have two trays in operation at the moment). Can anyone explain to me how the water and mud got into the sump and what I could do to prevent it happening again. Also the lower of the two trays seems to be quite damp so any advice on whether this is normal or what could be done about the situation would be gratefully received. Many thanks :)

WillyWorm
Senior Member
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Joined:Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:10 am

Re: Worms, Mud and Water in Sump

Post by WillyWorm » Wed Jun 23, 2021 12:01 am

Hi welcome. If you look at the individual trays of your worm bin, where they stack, you will see a gap all the way round. This gap is required for two main reasons. It allows air to circulate and helps prevents the bin going anaerobic (without oxygen) which would make your bin smelly and slimy and would quickly kill your worms. The other reason is to prevent the two bins becoming stuck together and impossible to separate without damage.
The way to prevent this problem is to keep your worms in some sort of building/shelter or cover the entire bin with a sheet of plastic.

Draining the sump, via the tap, regularly will help to keep the bottom tray a little dryer. During heavy rain you could leave the tap open.
Most moisture that gets into the bin, be it rain or moisture contained in the worms food will end up in the sump via the bottom tray which results in it being damper.

WillyWorm

MikeyW
Junior Member
Posts:2
Joined:Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:23 pm

Re: Worms, Mud and Water in Sump

Post by MikeyW » Mon Jun 28, 2021 9:17 am

Many thanks Willy. Really appreciate your help and advice.

WillyWorm
Senior Member
Posts:699
Joined:Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:10 am

Re: Worms, Mud and Water in Sump

Post by WillyWorm » Mon Jun 28, 2021 6:43 pm

Your welcome, glad you find it helpful. If there is anything else just ask 🙃🙃

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