Common questions to ask when renting portable toilets

Whether you’re organising this year’s community flower show, the most anticipated music festival, or you have some construction work about to begin; we’re probably guessing that portable toilets will be on your list of things to organise? 

Whether you’re looking to hire single portable toilets, toilet blocks, luxury cabins, urinals, etc. there are some considerations to think about. 

In this blog, we look at the questions you need to be asking when thinking about portable toilet hire. 

Portable Toilets for Hire 

1. How many toilets will I need?

The answer to this depends on many factors.  For example, length of event/project, size of the space, the volume of expected people, etc. 

It is also dependent on whether you will be serving food and drink. 

Do you need baby changing or disable access, urinals, hot water supply, power supply, and more! 

General portable toilet rules and regulations follow: 

For an event under six hours with no food or drink, it is recommended to have one toilet per 100 female guests and one toilet for every 500 male guests (additional urinals for every 150 male guests). 

For events longer than six hours, but still, no food or drink is served, it is recommended one toilet per 85 female guests and 1 per 425 males. 

If you are serving food and drinks, these numbers should increase by between 15-25%. 

At Addplant, our team is happy to advise on toilet hire numbers to suit all of your specifications. 

2. Where will the toilets be placed?

Outside, of course, we hear you say, however, where the outside is the inevitable question.  Ideally, portable toilets should be placed on flat ground, avoiding any slopes.  They should NOT be placed next to any dangerous or hazardous materials or areas. 

If you’re managing quite a large site, you will also have to consider separating facilities to help keep productivity high and queuing low! 

3. How will they be delivered?

Typically, on the back of a large 7.5-tonne flatbed HGV.  Or, depending on the company, they may have larger vehicles or tow trailers available to transport additional loos. 

4. When will the tank need to be emptied?

Most portable toilets hire companies will empty and service your loos for you, and on average, this is carried out weekly. 

Stocks and supplies can also be replenished at this stage too.  However, if you feel the tanks need to be emptied more often, just ask! 

5. How is the waste disposed of?

Your portable toilet supplier will be able to do this for you, and this will usually form part of your quote.  The typical process involves coming onto your site, emptying and removing all waste, and transporting this to an appropriate wastewater treatment plant.  Always check on your numbers when it comes to waste disposal and check with your professional supplier. 

6. How often can the loo be used before the tanks need to be emptied?

Toilet tanks do have a limited capacity, so it’s good to know what you’re working with and to also work with your supplier to determine if a larger tank for your event might be better. 

7. Do I need to buy additional suppliers?  I.e., toilet paper, paper towels, etc.?

A professional portable toilet hire company will always make sure that these items are supplied with the units and replenished as necessary as part of your hire agreement. 

8. Are there lights inside the units?

This will depend on the type of portable toilet you choose, as ultimately, some do, and some don’t. 

It will also depend on when the facilities are being used, as well as considering health and safety and more. 

9. What is the cost?

Once you have chosen your ideal portable toilet unit, and you know how many you need, you then need to determine the overall rental cost.  Does this fit with your budget expectations, have you had more than one quote so you can compare averages, etc.? 

10. How long is hire available?

It’s important to know this to ensure that you will be covered for the entirety of your event/project. 

As well as how flexible these dates can be if your project is to overrun. 

At Addplant, we supply a range of portable toilet units suitable for a variety of construction projects and outside events.  We’re flexible on hire terms, and we have the means to deliver large volumes onto big sites when required. 

The Addplant team is on hand to answer your questions, call us today on 01482 867 227 or check this page to find out more. 

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