8 Porta Potty Rental Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
Most porta potty problems at events and on job sites come from the same short list of mistakes. None of them are hard to avoid once you know about them.
1. Counting guests, not hours
Two units might be fine for 100 people for two hours and nowhere near enough for eight. Always count how long people will be there as well as how many.
A useful habit is to write down your start and end times before you call for a quote. It changes the answer more than most people expect.
2. Forgetting about the bar
Alcohol means more trips to the restroom. If there's a bar, add units beyond what the headcount alone suggests.
The effect builds through the evening, so the last few hours of a wedding reception or a festival are when you'll find out whether you planned enough.
3. Putting all the units in one corner
One big bank of units at the edge of a large site means long walks and one long line. At bigger events, split units into smaller groups near where people gather.
Good spots are near the entrance, near food and drink, and within a short walk of the main stage or activity.
4. Picking a spot the truck can't reach
Units are cleaned with a hose from the truck. A spot behind a tent, across a soft lawn or behind a locked gate might work on delivery day and fail on every service visit after.
Before you settle on a spot, ask yourself whether a truck could still get there on the last day of the rental, after the tents, trailers and parked cars have arrived.
5. Choosing uneven or soft ground
A unit on a slope or soft ground can rock, and the door may not latch. People avoid units that feel unstable. Pick firm, fairly level ground.
After heavy rain, a spot that looked fine can turn soft. Avoid low areas where water collects.
6. Skipping handwashing
If food is served, you'll very likely need handwashing stations, and guests notice when there's nowhere to wash. Hand sanitizer inside the unit doesn't meet food-handling rules.
7. No accessible unit
Public events generally need at least one ADA accessible unit, and the path to it needs to be firm and level. Even at private events, older guests appreciate the extra room.
8. Booking too late
Spring and fall weekends, holiday weekends and graduation season fill up first, and accessible and deluxe units tend to go early. Call as soon as your date and location are set.
You can usually adjust numbers closer to the date. It's much harder to find units at the last minute.
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