Operation Portable Toilets – How DO They Work?
You see them everywhere – at kids' baseball fields, construction sites, carnivals, music festivals, outdoor weddings, and more – portable toilets that address 'nature's call' conveniently and immediately!
They have, certainly, come a long way from their humble roots from the 1940's when they were, originally, installed on Long Beach Beach, California ship-yards. Anymore, any design of portable toilet is available, ranging from basic non-flushing porta-potties up to heated and air-conditioned portable-restroom beauties that rival many restrooms found in upscale hotels. Portable toilets are used for any venue ranging from dusty construction sites to posh, poolside cocktail parties, and any type of event, in-between.
Have you, ever, wondered how these amazing, self-contained units actually work, though? Here is some insight you might find interesting:
Flushing Portable Toilets
The main components of flushing portable toilets are the toilet seat, the holding tank, the flushing mechanism, and a pressure system. Portable toilets do not need any outside plumbing or sewage system; the units hold the waste and control the odors until the waste can be disposed of by a professional sanitation team. When flushed, portable toilets transport waste into a chemically-sanitized holding tank located directly under the toilet seat. Typically, the fresh water used to generate the flushing comes from a separate and hidden fresh-water system.
At Westway Site Services, formerly Moore Cans, our flushing portable toilets are a hands-free design that promotes a healthier bathroom experience. When a foot-flush takes place, pressure is generated which circulates the water and/or chemicals that are always ready to allow the flush to proceed. The flushed material travels through a pipe and is transported to the toilet pan.
The chemicals/biocides/enzymes inside the holding tank do an exceptional job of not, just, annihilating odors by breaking them down at a molecular level, but they break down the solid waste, too. They kill germs, and reduce the toilet paper, as well.
Non-flushing Portable Toilets
Non-flushing portable toilets, or porta-potties, are simpler structures than flushing models. Once a user has done his or her business, the waste is, immediately, deposited into a holding tank. Like the flushing models, chemicals in the tank break down the waste and eliminate or minimize odors. If you find a porta-potty that has distinct odors, it would be due to the unit not being adequately maintained. This is why portable toilets, often, get an undeserved bad rap. If these units are maintained as they should be, odors will be kept at bay.
All portable toilets should be maintained and sanitized at regularly-scheduled intervals. When it is time for waste to be removed, service technicians arrive to do the job, via, a powerful vacuum which is connected, directly, to the holding tank, or output hole, assuming the unit has one. The unseen waste is transferred into a large tanker truck. It is a clean, uneventful procedure that allows multi-day events, in particular, to continuously provide clean portable toilets for the masses, at all times.
Give Westway Site Services, formerly Moore Cans a Call, Today!
You can reach our Dallas office at: (214) 351-0909 if you have any questions about any of our portable toilet models and designs. When you call, be sure to ask about our free quote offer.