Does this heap need to be in the sun or shade?
I would say shade too, also some kind of bin stops nutrients to leach into underlying soil with every heavy downpour or even consistent light rain.
Some go to extent to keep it on waterproof base with all the fluid collected, similar setup to Worm Farm, which is slightly different way to compost kitchen, scraps.
Moisture content has to be kept fairly high 70% or more, to the point that when you squeeze handful of composted material it should produce few drops.
Heap has to have access to air too; there is fine line between aerobic process, which we desire and stinking anaerobic which can be achieved by accident if composting conditions don’t allow adequate access of oxygen.
Having said shadow, must add that this is for warmer areas, since we want composting process to be about 60 deg Celsius in the core of heap (to kill weeds seeds) and critical mass of the heap is too small then, extra heat provided by the Sun might be desired.
Ideal compost heap is slightly more than 1 m cubed. It has to be turned regularly, and for that reason I could not bear it.
Doing things by the letter might be daunting, I broke most rules, did not produce prize winning stuff, but didn't work too hard either, which suits me fine.
i think u said u add lime...does that also help break down the compost?
Indirectly I think it does, as process relies on bacteria and bacteria has to have appropriate acidity level to perform at its best.
Lime provides that by neutralising acidity content.
(Similar to yeast, which needs nutrient, appropriate temperature, and not too high alcohol level. Do not satisfy any of the components and process will slow down or stop altogether).