When renting porta potties for your event, it’s important to know not just how many you’ll need, but also where you’ll place them. You may assume that you can simply put them all next to each other on the side of your event space. However, it’s common for people to make mistakes with porta potty placement. 

To avoid lines blocking traffic flow, discontented guests, and potential trouble with the law, knowing proper porta potty placement is a must. Here are some of our top tips to help you determine how to place your porta potties around your event.

#1. Ensure They Are On Level, Stable Ground

The last thing that you want is for there to be a risk of the porta potties tipping over. They must always be placed on dry, level ground – that will stay level. Ideally, they would be placed on a paved surface. However, if this is not possible, you want to place them somewhere that won’t become unstable with mud or junk or what have you. 

Depending on where your event is located, there may be the possibility of placing them on sidewalks. To do this, you will need to get a permit, as sidewalks are usually public property. You don’t want to get into trouble for placing a porta potty somewhere you needed a permit for.

#2. They Must Be Easily Accessible

You may be tempted to put your porta potties somewhere out of the way, in order to avoid people having to see them. However, when considering porta potty placement, you must ensure that they are somewhere people can easily access. 

This is why the temptation to place all the porta potties in the same spot isn’t the greatest. It is better to spread your porta potties out throughout the event so that there is always one close by when people need to see to their needs. No one wants to have to trek all the way across the event space when nature calls.

#3. Maintenance And Delivery Trucks Must Be Able To Access Them

Part 2 of accessibility includes the trucks that deliver, clean, and remove the porta potties. They must be able to easily access where you want to place your porta potties. If you want your porta potties placed somewhere the truck can’t access, you’ll be forced to pick somewhere they can. 

Something that can make determining porta potty placement easier is finding somewhere within 25 feet of where the delivery and maintenance trucks can park. 

#4. People Must Be Able To See Them

No one wants to be in a pickle and have no idea where the nearest restroom or portable toilet is. It’s understandable to not want your porta potties front and center, but people still need to be able to spot them when they need them.

On this note, it’s generally best to for porta potty placement to be around food and beverage and seating areas. However, you don’t want them to be too obvious, as this can ruin people’s appetites. Have them near people, but not in the middle of the area. Being able to see a porta potty off to the side shouldn’t ruin the experience and is easy to see.

#5. Don’t Forget About The Weather

You may have an eye on the weather for what it means for your event, but have you thought about what it means for porta potty placement too?

This ties into the first point about dry, level ground. If you place porta potties on grass or dirt, these areas can become unstable in the rain. Mud also makes it more challenging for guests to get to the porta potties. Plus, rain can come through the vents, making the inside of the porta potty slippery and wet and altogether not a good experience.

Wind is another crucial elemental factor to keep in mind. Strong winds could tip porta potties over. As such, you want to ensure that the porta potties are secured, either to the ground or against a wall or something similar.

If there is rain or snow in the forecast, consider whether or not the event space has overhead coverage. This isn’t always possible, but if it is, this would be a good spot for porta potty placement.

#6. They Shouldn’t Block Emergency Equipment

Never place porta potties in the way of fire hydrants or other emergency equipment. You never want porta potties blocking traffic in general, but you want to be especially sure that they wouldn’t prevent emergency vehicles from having enough space to enter and navigate the location. This is usually something that the law requires. 

Do You Have Further Questions About Porta Potty Placement?

These are but 6 tips for how to place porta potties around your event. If you have any questions about porta potty placement or you would like to rent portable toilets for your event, Canyon View Dumpsters & Toilets is here to help! Contact us today to learn more about our porta potty and dumpster rentals. 

There are outdoor events all year round, but as the weather warms up, they grow in number. While portable restrooms may not be the most glamorous part of planning springtime events, they are a crucial component of a successful event. Without easy access to portable restrooms, your guests can end up leaving early to find somewhere to see to their needs or spend more time waiting in lines than actually enjoying the event.

It’s helpful to know what springtime events call for portable restrooms, how to know how many porta potties you’ll need, and proper etiquette for using porta potties to ensure that your event goes as smoothly as possible. Let’s get into it!

How Do You Know If Your Event Needs Porta Potties?

Don’t forget about the necessity for people to be able to easily attend to their needs when planning your event! Not all events will call for porta potties. When planning your event, take account of the restrooms available to your guests, if there are any at all. 

For instance, there may be indoor facilities nearby. However, the venue you are using may or may not allow you to use them. You will need to check to be sure. 

Even if there are indoor facilities that your guests can use, you’ll want to ensure that there are enough of them to satisfy their needs. There can be cases where you need to rent porta potties in order to ensure that there are enough restrooms available to keep your guests comfortable. 

We’ll get more into how to know how many porta potties you should plan on getting below.

Events That Call For Porta Potties

Springtime is a beautiful time to be outdoors, and the increased number of outdoor events reflect that. Depending on the size of your event, its location, and whether or not indoor facilities are available, your porta potties needs can vary.

For instance, if you’re having a mountain top wedding and there aren’t buildings nearby that will let you use their restrooms, you should definitely plan for portable restrooms. You can rent restroom trailers, which offer a more luxurious experience than typical porta potties, since they have running water, mirrors, and individual stalls. 

If you have an outdoor event at a park, like a food festival, you’ll likely also need to plan for portable restrooms. The park may have facilities for your guests to use, but there may not be enough for the size of the event.

Some common springtime events that call for portable restrooms include:

• Weddings
• Food and wine festivals
• Music festivals
• Running events
• Sporting events
• And more

How Do You Know How Many Porta Potties You Need?

Depending on the size of your event, the type of event it is, how long it will last, and whether or not there are also indoor facilities your guests can use, porta potty needs can vary.

Guidelines for estimating how many porta potties you need vary a great deal. If you’re unsure, the experts here at Canyon View Dumpsters & Toilets can help you figure out how many porta potties you should rent. 

It can be helpful to look to OHSA guidelines for workplaces as a reference point for springtime events. OHSA states that if you have 20 workers or less, you should plan on 1 toilet. If you have 20 or more, you should plan on 1 toilet and 1 urinal per 40 workers. If you have 200 or more, you should plan on 1 toilet and 1 urinal per 50 workers.

When it comes to events, you also want to consider whether you need ADA-compliant handicap toilets and the ratio of women to men. If you have more women, you should plan on more porta potties. 

The longer your event is, the more toilets you should get. If your event is for children or if it is one where food and drinks will be served, you should also plan on more. This is especially true for events that involve alcohol, as alcohol causes people to need to use the restroom more frequently. 

Porta Potty Etiquette For Springtime Events

Porta potty etiquette should be common sense, however, porta potties have a reputation for being gross because many people do not care for the fact that other people will be using the facility or that people will need to clean them.

Helpful porta potty etiquette to keep using them a clean, pleasant experience for everyone includes:

• No cutting in line
• Not camping out in the restrooms
• Cleaning up after yourself
• No horsing around near the porta potties
• No throwing trash in the toilets
• Only seeing to your needs in the appropriate areas
• Wiping down the seat after use
• Cleaning your hands after use

When everyone is mindful of others, your event can be more successful.

Do You Need Portable Restrooms?

Canyon View Dumpsters & Toilets is here to help! We offer a variety of porta potties you can rent for your event. Contact us to learn more about our porta potty rentals. 

Just because the weather gets cold doesn’t mean that work can come to a halt or that people don’t want to spend time outdoors. However, many people worry that you cannot use a porta potty in winter because it may freeze. Everyone needs somewhere to see to their needs. OHSA requires employers to provide all workers with immediately available, sanitary restrooms. For many worksites, this means porta potties are a must.

Fortunately, you can indeed use a porta potty in winter. There are a few considerations with this. Here is what you need to know about why public park restrooms tend to shut down in the winter, how you can keep a porta potty from freezing, and other factors involved in using porta potties in the winter months.

Why Do Public Outdoor Restrooms Close During The Winter?

Parks see less use during winter months, but this doesn’t mean that no one ever goes out. Parks can be especially popular if they have prime sledding hills. However, many parks close their outdoor restrooms during the winter months. Without a porta potty, people can have nowhere to see to their needs and have to cut their time outdoors short as they flee in search of an open restroom.

Not all parks and outdoor places close their restrooms during the winter months. However, many do. This is because of the increased maintenance winter months require. Many public outdoor restrooms are not heated and would end up freezing if left open. 

Fortunately, when public outdoor restrooms close, oftentimes, porta potties will be placed nearby. This is because you can indeed use a porta potty in winter, so that even if the public outdoor restroom is closed, anyone who is out and about can still see to their needs without the stress and pressure of having to leave and find somewhere else.

Can You Use A Porta Potty In Winter?

Since public outdoor restrooms close, it’s only natural to wonder if you can use a porta potty in the winter or if you’re stuck trying to find somewhere indoors. There are special considerations taken during the winter months in order to keep porta potties fully functional so that everyone can be sanitary. 

This is important in public spaces, like parks, during outdoor winter events, and especially at worksites. As mentioned above, OHSA requires that employers ensure their employees have easy access to a restroom. Without porta potties, you, your employees, and your work would be in quite the predicament.  

Fortunately, you can use a porta potty in the winter. We’ll go more into detail about how you can prevent a porta potty from freezing so that it can be used in the winter in the next section.

How Do You Keep A Porta Potty From Freezing?

There are multiple proven processes to keep a porta potty from freezing. We covered them in more detail in our previous blog: How To Winterize A Portable Restroom? 5 Best Winter Porta Potty Tips. However, for your convenience, we’ll touch on them here, too.  

You can keep a porta potty from freezing by:

• Placing the unit in direct sunlight.
• Guarding the unit from the wind.
• Adding a portable heater to the unit.
• Removing snow.
• Opting for a restroom trailer.

Read our previous blog for more information on how these work to keep a porta potty from freezing. 

You also want to ensure that the mixture in the unit will not freeze. Salt, methanol, and other de-icing solutions prevent the portable toilet from freezing. 

Do You Need A Porta Potty In Winter?

Canyon View Dumpsters is here to help! We carry a variety of portable restroom options, such as your standard porta potties to ADA-compliant handicap toilets to restroom trailers and more. Our portable restrooms are sanitary, clean, easy to use, and stress-free to rent. Contact us today to learn more about our portable toilet services.