Industry
October 18, 2019

How Do Portable Toilets Work?

It's not one of the world’s most common questions but it's one we get asked a lot. How do portable toilets actually work?

If you're a regular festival goer or construction worker you'll be very familiar with portable toilets.  Most of us will have used a portable toilet before at some point in our life, or at least know what they look like.But how do they work? 

Here is our quick and easy guide on how portable toilets work. Let’s start with the basics.

What Is A Portable Toilet?

Your standard chemical portable toilet essentially a movable, self-contained toilet solution. In its simplest form it's a 2.3 metre by 1.1 metre plastic box with a waste tank.

They will all have the standard features, such as a locking door, a toilet,and a forearm wash basin. Or at least a hand sanitizer unit.

There a various different type of portable toilets you can hire, some even have a mains connection. We will be focusing on the standard ones you see at festivals or on construction sites. 

Chemical portable toilets are completely, well, portable. You could literally put one anywhere and everywhere. 

Although it wouldn't be on your list to take to a desert island. They still need to be treated with chemicals on a weekly basis to eliminate odours and to be emptied.

The 4 Key Components 

There are 4 key components that allow portable toilets to do what they do.These are:

  1. The toilet seats
  2. The holding/waste tank
  3. Flushing mechanism
  4. Pressure system

All these components work together to ensure the portable toilet works as expected.

The Process

Once business has been taken care of the toilet will be flushed and carry waste away like a conventional toilet.  However, the waste does not go to a sewer, instead it is stored in a holding tank that sits below the toilet seat. 

Inside the holding tank are chemicals that break down solid waste, will kill germs and handle the smells. This also reduces the need for toilet paper.

When flushed water will be used from either a hidden water tank inside the toilet or the toilet chemicals from the holding tank. 

The tank will hold all waste and liquids that are deposited in the toilet for the duration of the hire.  There's no need for draining or a water supply or mains connection for standard portable toilet units.

The flushing system is either operated by using the hand or foot. The pump flush system creates pressure system that circulates the water and/or chemicals around the toilet.  This mix will be transported from the tank through a pipe and down into the toilet basin.

Just as a regular toilet would flush. if you have used one before you'll be used to seeing the blue liquid that comes out.

Don't forget servicing!

As you can see from above one of the key aspects of how a portable toilet works is the waste holding tank. This makes everything possible. 

However, its storage is not infinite. Therefore, having this emptied and serviced will be vital. This will ensure the portable toilet will work to its best.

Depending on how often the toilet is used will depend on how often this service is required. A weekly attendance is guaranteed with all our hires, which means we will come to service your toilet every week come rain or shine. Just make sure the toilet is accessible to us, no locked gates!

Conclusion 

And there you have it, all you could possibly want to know about how a portable toilet works.

It's a fairly simple design that but one that provides you with a portable sanitation to save the day.  Festivals and construction sites would be lost without them!

If there is something we have missed or you would like to know drop us an email and we will be happy to answer. 

Related Reading:

How many portable toilets do you need per person?

How much does portable toilet hire cost?

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Christian Heritage

After joining the business at the end of its first year of trading, Christian has been involved in all aspects of the business.
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