If you're not running a filter for fish, I see no reason why you can't turn it on or off whenever you want. I don't know about wear and tear on the pump by doing this, though. Hopefully someone with more knowledge about pumps will step in and offer their opinions. Some pumps, like Pondmaster, are very energy efficient, so if and when your pump "bites the dust", look for pumps that use low wattage. Some pumps gobble electricity like candy and can indeed run up your electric bill, so I can see why you would want to use it sparingly. Turning off the waterfall will not affect your plants. I have some plants in my stream which is constantly running, and other plants in tubs of water that are perfectly still. All of them do just fine.

Hi Jill How often do you want to turn the pile? I have a tendency to not turn the piles very often. On a couple of occasions I let a few piles go way too long. It depends on my work schedule and what else is happening on the farm at the time. That is not to say I don't dig around in them for I do. I am quite frequently playing in them or the curing bins so there is some mixing going on all the time. This is usually done while the multi-tumblers are being rotated. Heck I've even stood there with a pair of pruners cutting up the twigs, it allows me to turn off my brain for a time, very refreshing. If the objective is to obtain compost ASAP, then there are guidelines to optimize the turning schedule. If the objective is to take it easy, then as Paul suggests, leave them lie. I suspect that a lot of people realize that playing with the compost is almost like therapy, it isn't necessarily like work per say. Composting is fun, just go and re-read all the compost whacko threads, we like to compost! We feel good when we have a newly re-piled bin with nice moisture levels and thoroughly mixed. It makes the beer taste oh so good! And when we get a nice high temperature and steam, look out, it's party time! Paul, I had to laugh at the "contradictory to the spirit of composting" and "using machinery" comment for I immediately thought of golfing for the exercise but using a cart. Lloyd

One major factor in deciding how large a compost pile one needs to retain the core heat -- particle size. I agree that IN GENERAL, a 4'by4'by4' high compost pile will retain heat better than a 4'by4'by2' high pile. But I can certainly see a 4by4by2' with shredded leaves retaining heat better than a 4by4by4 pile with medium or large wood chips. Who wants to turn over a three or four foot high pile? Not me. I find turning a large pile only 18" or 24" high to be easier on my back than cranking a tumbler. One time in 14 years a heavy snow melted and lowered the core temp. On that occasion the tarp should have been loosely covering the pile. Keep in mind that 4'by4'by4' is fine if you wanted to have your pile on stilts. But if your pile is resting on the ground like most are; the ground acts to store heat. So you can reduce the four foot height without losing core heat. How much? I'm not sure, but I have not had a compost pile more than two feet high for the last five years. Bear in mind that my piles are fairly tight, medium-fine shredded leaves are my 'brown'. Summer core temps run around 150F with a decent mix

I disagree about the life span of the plastic tumblers, I've had one for about 8 years that I bought at a yard sale so it already had some use and it shows no wear. The other, the one I posted above, is fairly new, couple of years. I don't know if the properties of the plastic will cause leakage. I just never thought about that. You could call Gardener's Supply and ask them. But they *do* have a galvanized tumbler - here: extra-large-compost-tumbler it's smaller than what you are looking for though. Another idea: (but I'm guessing if you don't like plastic you won't like aluminum either.) Good luck!!