Help! Should I add water to my portapotty?
July 18, 2015 4:55 AM Subscribe
Dear friends are having a wedding reception, today, on a beautiful property, far from everything - which is delightful except for one problem. The portapotty water level is VERY low - it barely covers the bottom. With 100+ guests using it over a day, will we have a problem? If I cannot get in touch with the vendor, anyone know if it makes things better or worse to add a few gallons of water?
You also don't want to dilute the chemicals that are in there.
posted by amro at 5:05 AM on July 18, 2015
posted by amro at 5:05 AM on July 18, 2015
Can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. A portapotty will be (and will perform, act, and smell like) a portapotty. Trust the vendor to have done it right and enjoy the wedding...
posted by HuronBob at 5:14 AM on July 18, 2015
posted by HuronBob at 5:14 AM on July 18, 2015
Is it sitting on a slope? Even a slight angle can cause the water to slosh to one side of the tank. If so, it would probably be a simple matter to shim up one corner and get the water level more even.
posted by penguinicity at 5:21 AM on July 18, 2015
posted by penguinicity at 5:21 AM on July 18, 2015
Your guests will add plenty of water, don't worry. With 100 people and one porta potty, my biggest concern would be running out of room.
posted by rockindata at 6:32 AM on July 18, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by rockindata at 6:32 AM on July 18, 2015 [5 favorites]
What HuronBob said. We rent portajohns every year for an annual party we have (MeMail if you want an invite), and the water level is always low. And then people urinate and the liquid level rises. Believe it or not, people in the rent-a-loo business know exactly what they are doing.
My only suggestion (and it may be too late) is to always rent the deluxe model with the hand washing station.
posted by terrapin at 6:35 AM on July 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
My only suggestion (and it may be too late) is to always rent the deluxe model with the hand washing station.
posted by terrapin at 6:35 AM on July 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
Generally portapotty are supposed to have those blue chemicals at the bottom. It should be low. Don't worry about it.
posted by kschang at 10:18 AM on July 18, 2015
posted by kschang at 10:18 AM on July 18, 2015
Response by poster: Update for all who presumably worried all weekend - we were fine.
I do think the water level was too low, since it just filled up with a mound of TP, poop, and tampons, and didn't appear close to capacity - but, all was well.
posted by teragram at 6:58 PM on July 19, 2015
I do think the water level was too low, since it just filled up with a mound of TP, poop, and tampons, and didn't appear close to capacity - but, all was well.
posted by teragram at 6:58 PM on July 19, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by amro at 5:03 AM on July 18, 2015