Starting Your First Business

4 Questions Everyone Has About Portable Toilets

25 November 2019 by Dora Lowe

Portable toilets are great conveniences for anyone who is doing construction work, holding events, or dealing with large gatherings where toilet facilities aren't readily available. Everyone always has a few questions, though, so let's address some of the most common ones.

Capacity

This is the biggest question from a lot of folks about portable toilets. The standard capacity for a portable system is 60 gallons. You can, however, have auxiliary waste tanks installed for most setups, and these will add about 250 gallons of capacity. That should be enough to accommodate a work crew of about 10 people for a 40-hour workweek. Divide the number of people who'll be at a site by 10 to arrive at a final number.

Organizations holding events may want to consider adding units to accommodate everyone. Remember that most people at events will go to the bathroom at the same time because of things like intermissions and conclusions. Unless you want long lines and upset event-goers, it's best to expand unit capacity.

The math for events is a little different because most people will use the units once. Roughly speaking, 65 people can be accommodated by a single unit at an event.

Maintenance

Portable toilets do need to be serviced on a weekly or semiweekly basis. Your provider will send a technician to collect waste from the tanks, and most companies also handle basic tasks like cleaning and sterilizing the stalls. If you're dealing with a high-traffic event, such as a music festival, you should seriously consider having the systems serviced on a daily basis instead.

Conveniences

Baby changing stations are becoming more common features in portable toilets. This is especially the case for ones provided for events. Other features can be included, too, such as hand sanitizer dispensers. You should always ask about conveniences upfront when getting units, however, especially if you're dealing with a company that mostly supplies systems to work sites.

Pricing

A one-month rental pf a portable toilet unit will cost around $260 per month. This should include maintenance twice a week. Bear in mind that add-ons like hand soap dispensers and changing stations may cost extra. Likewise, services like daily maintenance may cost more. A deluxe setup may go as high as $435 per month.

Daily rental tends to be more expensive. A base package with no conveniences starts at about $80 per month. Some companies do offer weekend rates, though.

To learn more about portable toilets, consult a resource in your area.

Share  

Search