I have been composting for years, but my pile or bin never gets hot. Eventually it breaks down but it takes a year or more.
What am I missing?
You can speed up the process by spraying it down with a solution of potassium nitrate, about 10% solution, through a lawn sprayer bottle at the end of a hose. You’ll have to calibrate the solution mixture according to the dilution ratio on the sprayer but it’s quick and cheap. Just store the unused potassium nitrate sealed and somewhere very dry.
It’s got to be at least 3cubic feet, 50/50 brown and green material, moist like a damp sponge, and turned regularly to allow air in the mix. That’s what I got out of the article.