How Do Porta Potties Work?

Chances are you’ve used a porta potty in your life, whether at a fair, music festival or other large outdoor event in Reading, PA. Even if you’ve rented them for your own events, you may not know exactly how porta potties work. Here is everything you should know about how porta potties work to be informed for your next major event that requires portable toilets.

Porta potty design

Portable toilets are made up of a translucent roof, vents and a high-density frame consisting of aluminum and polyethylene parts. Inside, most portable toilets have a non-splash urinal, a toilet seat, a tank that usually holds around 60 gallons and a non-slip floor. Some portable toilet units have a flushing mechanism and pressure system to circulate water and chemicals in the tank, but most simply have a tank filled with a combination of chemicals that doesn’t circulate, and is instead evacuated and replaced between each rental.

What is in a porta potty tank?

Not every portable toilet contains the same chemical formula, but most tanks are filled with a combination of water, blue dye, fragrance, surfactants (which help fragrances dissolve better into the water), biocides and enzymes to reduce bacteria and odor (biocides and enzymes feed on odor-causing bacteria and speed the decomposition of organic matter).

The blue dye is mixed with the water to help hide the appearance of waste. Blue is the color most often used to dye the liquid in porta potty tanks because when combined with enough waste, it will turn to a shade of green. The color change is a cue to porta potty rental companies that a unit needs to be emptied and have its chemicals replaced.

How are porta potties emptied?

If you’ve ever wondered how to empty porta potties, don’t worry—if you’re renting porta potties for an outdoor event, your rental company will handle all of your removal and sanitization needs. Porta potties that are rented on more of a long-term basis should be emptied and cleaned on a weekly basis or about every 100 uses. To empty a porta potty, sanitation workers pump out the tank using a vacuum-like hose that suctions the waste out of the porta potty and into a large tanker truck for removal.

After a porta potty tank is emptied, it is refilled with fresh chemical solution. The unit is then thoroughly cleaned, including the walls, floors, toilet seat and even urinals, and finally restocked with toilet paper and any other supplies used in that specific porta potty, like hand sanitizer or paper towels.

Renting porta potties in Reading, PA

Now that you know how to empty portable toilets and how porta potties work, you can feel comfortable renting portable toilets for your next event in Reading, PA. Porta potties are a safe and affordable way to take care of your business and the guests at your events. Contact the experts at Scotties Potties with any questions about porta potties and to get all the information you need for your next rental.

Categorised in: Porta Potty Rental

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