How to Choose the Right Portable Toilet Rental
The usual way people approach this is to look at the unit types available and pick one. That works, eventually, but it is backwards — it means evaluating options that your site may not physically accommodate.
Working from constraints inward is faster. Four questions, in order, will get most people to the right specification.
Question one: what can your site physically take?
This eliminates more options than anything else, so ask it first.
Can a delivery truck reach the placement spot? Is the ground firm and level? For a restroom trailer specifically: is there a level pad, room to tow and position, and a power supply?
If the answer to the trailer questions is no, the trailer is off the list regardless of how well it would otherwise suit — and you have saved yourself the comparison.
Question two: who is using it?
This sets the unit type. A work crew, guests at a party, wedding guests, and the general public at a permitted event are four different answers.
Crews are generally well served by standard units. Guests at a private event usually justify deluxe units. Weddings push toward deluxe or a trailer. Public events add mandatory accessible provision on top of whatever else you choose.
Question three: how many, and for how long?
This sets count and service frequency together, which is why it is one question rather than two.
For events, start from one unit per 50 guests for four hours, then adjust up for length and alcohol. For sites, start from crew size and check it against OSHA 1926.51, then set service frequency from daily usage.
Question four: what else does the situation require?
Three add-ons account for most of what gets forgotten.
- Accessible units — required at public events, and worth including at private ones.
- Handwashing stations — needed wherever food is served, handled or prepared.
- Additional service visits — for heavy use, hot weather or multi-day events.
Common mistakes
Three errors account for most unhappy rentals, and all three are avoidable at booking.
Sizing on total attendance rather than peak usage. Forgetting that event length multiplies the count as surely as headcount does. And choosing a placement spot that works on delivery day but cannot be reached by a service truck two weeks later.
When in doubt, describe the job
You do not need to arrive at a specification before calling. Describing the job accurately — dates, site, headcount, what is being served, what the access is like — gets you a better answer than picking a unit type from a list and asking for a price on it.
Call (855) 204-2262 and describe the situation. Sizing it is our job.
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