Do Porta Potties Work in Winter?
Yes, we rent porta potties all winter, and yes, they work. Winter is our slow season, but we have had winters with 25 or 30 units out working. Construction does not stop for snow, and we keep running the routes.
In winter, the chemistry and the schedule change. The liquid in the tank is treated for freezing temperatures, and we run the weekly cleaning route the same as summer. Everything we put in our units is plant based rather than formaldehyde, and that does not change with the season either. That habit started years ago when we land applied what we pumped onto our own farmland, and it stuck.
Placement matters more when it freezes. In winter, put the unit on a flat, plowed spot the truck can reach, because we cannot service a unit we cannot get to. Tell us where the unit is going and we will tell you if it will work.
Winter is a good time to set up a long-term rental. The fleet is not stretched the way it is in July, so a construction unit for a winter build, or a unit for a crew doing interior work with no plumbing on, is an easy call. Monthly winter rentals are available with the weekly cleaning included, and the rates are published. Call for availability.
Call (269) 434-6385 and tell us what the site looks like, or reserve a unit from the site.
Do they freeze?
The unit itself is fine. Standing water can freeze, so sinks are the first thing affected in winter, and that is worth planning around if your crew needs hand washing on site through January.
The tank has enough in it that it does not simply turn solid, and we service through the winter the same as any other season. Cold makes the route slower, it does not stop it.
Who rents in winter
Construction, mostly, and whatever farm work runs late. Rentals slow down in winter. Some winters we have had five units out. Other winters we have had 25 or 30 out every week, depending on what is being built.
If you have a job running through the cold, we would rather know in the fall so the unit is placed somewhere the truck can still reach it in February.
What changes about placement
Access. A spot that was easy in October can be a problem once there is snow banked along it and the ground under it is soft during a thaw. Put the unit somewhere with a firm approach the truck can get to, on ground that drains, and out of the path of whatever gets plowed.
The rate does not change for winter. A weekend unit is still $150, monthly rentals are still available with the weekly cleaning, and January costs the same as July. Call and we will work out where it goes.
What about hand washing in the cold?
Plan for this up front. Standing water freezes, so a standalone sink is the part of the setup that freezes first in a hard stretch.
If your crew needs hand washing on site through January, tell us at the start of the job and we will talk through what makes sense for your setup. Hand sanitizer in the unit works in any temperature.
Getting the truck to you in February
The route runs all winter, and the truck needs a way in. A spot that was easy in October can be blocked by a snow bank, or soft during a thaw, or on the wrong side of whatever gets plowed.
Put winter units where a truck has a firm approach and where the plow is not going to bury them. If you are placing a unit for a job that runs into the cold, walk the spot with winter in mind rather than the day you are standing there.
Does the price change?
No. A weekend unit is $150 in January the same as in July, and monthly winter rentals are available with the weekly cleaning. Winter is our slow season, and the price does not change.