Imo 3 pile not heating up
Hi there, I am currently a few days after setting up my IMO 3 pile but it is not heating up! Details:
- 10kg of oats
- 10kg of wood chips/sawdust
- 1 foot high pile
- Indoors on wood
- Covered with cardboard
- Followed recipe including
- OHN
- BRV
- SW
- FPJ
- LAB
- Fulvic acid
- 3x IMO 2 collections
Top answer
I'm having the same issue in Colorado in mid-April. It's been 36hours and it's not heating up. For the record, I used 50lbs of rolled oats and wood shavings with the IMO3 liquids per the manual (2x different IMO2's). The pile is outside on dirt and covered with feed bags. It's been mid 60's during the day and mid 40's at night; there's a cold spell coming with some rain. I'll cover the pile with a tarp if it rains. I'll give it a few more day snd then give it more water to see if i can get it to heat up.
From the KNF library
From the KNF library
Drafted by Claude from Office Hours and the books
·
Sep 2026
·
3 sources
Cho's IMO3 recipe moistens the pile to 60% moisture content with the liquid inputs (Cho's Solutions, p. 18). Drake says to hit 65% moisture at the start and add no more water after that (Office Hours Ep. 29, 57:16). The two figures differ by five points. Aim between them (Cho's Solutions, p. 18) (Office Hours Ep. 29, 57:16).
- Cho's substrate is 1 part wheat mill run to 1 part wood chips by volume (Cho's Solutions, p. 18).
- Cho's liquid rates are IMO2 1:500, OHN 1:1000 and BRV 1:500 (Cho's Solutions, p. 18).
- Cho gives a pile height of 13.7~15.7 in for the IMO4 step, which it calls similar to IMO3. Yours is 12 in (Cho, Theory, p. 57).
- Once it heats, keep it below 120F and check morning and evening (Cho's Solutions, p. 18). Expect 7-14 days to cool (Cho's Solutions, p. 18).
The library does not cover oats in place of wheat mill run, dog food, or a cold 8°C room. Those need Drake to look at your setup.
Sources
- 57:16 Office Hours Ep. 29 (May 2022) — Red Dirt for IMO4, Storing IMO3/IMO4, Spotting Bad KNF Ferments · “hit 65% moisture at the start and add no more water”
- p. 18 Cho's Solutions · “Moisten to 60% moisture content with 1:500 IMO2 Maintenance Solution”
- p. 57 Cho, Theory · “35x40em(13.7~15.7in) high”
1 more answer
The pile finally heated up. I think low moisture was the issue. I didn't soak the wood chips, which I'll do next time. I'm making a batch of IMO4 with this batch of IMO3; I soaked the materials better and I'm having better results.
