If you’re planning a weddings and the venue you’ve chosen is either in a location where there are no or insufficient toilets facilities, then you’ll be needing portable toilets that are of superior quality. The last thing you need on your memorable day is for the toilets to disappoint!

When considering mobile toilet companies for your special wedding occasion, make sure you do your homework and follow this simple guidelines:

1. expect to pay between £500 to £600 per day for a top of the range luxury mobile toilet. These days you can get toilets mounted on a trailer that look very much like the high end toilets found in city bars and night clubs. Depending on your taste, you’ll also find the more classically designed luxury toilet units that are very similar to these found in country houses.These types of portable toilets usually come with fresh flowers, background music, luxury interiors including carpet and real ceramic toilet bowls and urinals.

2. add something special to the mobile toilet trailers so they become a topic of conversation rather that a taboo topic. For example, add top of the range toiletries for guests to pamper themselves with and cigars in the gents. For something a little more controversial, add comical toilet paper printed with funny wedding slogans or toilet humour!

3. make sure you’ve discussed the location of the toilet trailer with the supplier as you don’t want the toilet in view of all the wedding photos but you do want it in easy reach of the main venue. Make sure also that the toilet unit is situated where it can be easily taken away after event and not in an area which will be hard to pull out i.e. water logged ground.

nits the type you see on building sites but usually in a better condition when hired for special events.
Above all, don’t forget to book portable toilets for your wedding as early as possible so that you have the best options to choose from for your special day. Good luck!

Portable toilets are temporary waste facilities which are typically used in athletic events, festivals, parades and on construction sites. These portable facilities are a necessary convenience for attendees and laborers.

Waste facilities come in various sizes. There are chemical toilets, mobile toilets and porta-potties. Chemical toilets are generally small, fitted inside water going vessels or motor homes. Mobile toilets are increasingly more popular. These facilities are generally situated on a large trailer and towed from one location to another. Mobile toilets are generally used in outdoor concerts and state fairs.

What materials are used to build portable toilets?

The most common material is fiberglass. Fiberglass is often used for several reasons. Chief among the reasons is being light weight. Other advantages of fiberglass is its durability and ease of cleaning. Fiberglass can be cleaned more easily than other materials. Plastics are generally used inside the facility for the seat and fixtures. Plastics are used for the same reasons fiberglass: light in weight and ease of cleaning.

The bottom of portable toilets are generally constructed of a wood frame. The frame slightly elevates the facility off the ground. The wood bottom provides enough weight to stabilize the facility, making it more comfortable for users.

How do portable toilets work?

Portable toilets most often work on gravity. While some do connect to an external water and/or drain source, the majority simply make use of gravity. As organic waste is deposited into the waste receptacle, the weight of the waste carries it down a soil pipe and into a containment bin. Inside the containment bin are various chemicals. These chemicals both break down the waste and neutralize odors. The waste is later drained from the containment bin and the facility sanitized for future use.

Who makes portable toilets?

Portable toilets are fabricated by a number of chemical toilet manufacturers. Often these chemical toilet manufacturers produce several different sizes and types of portable toilets.

How are portable toilets emptied?

On some models, the containment bin under the seat can removed. The waste is then discarded. The containment bin is sanitized and replaced. Other models are emptied via drain hose. The drain or siphon hose is connected to a drain located on the portable toilet. The waste is then forced or sucked out of the containment bin. Once empty, the containment bin is then replenished with chemicals.

How many times can a portable toilet be used before emptying?

This largely depends on the size of the facility itself. The typical sized portable toilet usually found at concerts, sporting events and construction sites hold between 50 and 60 gallon tanks. These portable toilets are good for 90 to 100 uses before having to be emptied. Depending on number of users and the amount of portable toilets available, the average time of use is approximately 6 hours until full.

Regardless of the size of the portable toilets and crowd, rental of any units should only be done through a company with extensive experience. The company should not only be able to provide for your needs, but able to observe all associated health regulations.

luxury portable toilet

So, you’re looking for luxury portable toilets for sale? There’s a few things to keep in mind when considering to buy:

1. Do you require a portable luxury toilet trailer or a fixed cabin that sits on jack legs? If you wish to move the portable luxury toilet to various sites then a portable toilet trailer is a must. These mobile toilet trailers are constrained by width as they will need to fit within road safety specification, which typically require the portable toilet trailer to be no more than 6.6 feet wide.

• What kind of luxury fittings do you require. Think about whether a more traditional luxury feel with gold taps and ornate fitting will suit your customers. Or a more modern feel with glass, chrome, wood and pastel or modern colours are more suited to your audience.

• Luxury toilet cabins for sale can come in the form of a cedar clad toilet blocks, which fit in nicely with their surroundings. These are very popular with caravan and campsite or country park.

• Have a look around at portable toilet manufacturer companies near to your location and arrange to view their facilities so you can gauge the level of quality. Luxury portable toilets can cost upwards of £8000/$16000 so make sure you’ve done your homework before buying.

This is the 5th installement of a series of posts about ‘All you need to know about hiring & buying portable toilets‘.

• ARMAL srl. Manufacturers in Italy, China and the U.S.A of the popular TOP LINE toilets and ARMAL Vacuum Tanks. Distributed throughout the U.K. by Convenience Services Limited www.toiletsforsale.co.uk
• Satellite Industries.  Portable Toilet and Restroom manufacturer, vacuum service trucks/tanks, deodorizers, handwash units and other accessories for portable toilets www.satelliteindustries.co.uk
• Shorelink International specialise in the Manufacture of Portable Toilets and Portable Chemical Toilets including Portable Toilets, Portable Showers and associated accessories and products www.shorelink-int.co.uk
• Polyjohn U.K.  Manufacturers of portable toilets, restrooms and washroom facilities. www.polyjohn.co.uk
• Polyportables Ltd. Portable toilets & outdoor toilets and Loos for the Toilet Hire Industry. www.polyportables.co.uk

Read our previous posts about ‘What to consider when buying portable toilets‘ and ‘The various types of portable toilets that are available for hire‘ .

This is the 4th installement of a series of posts about ‘All you need to know about hiring & buying portable toilets‘.

• Check to see how long they have been in the portable toilet business. Typically an operator dedicated to their business improves with time spent in serving his or her clientele.
• Check on the diversity of products and services available. An portable toilet operator will be more in demand if he or she offers a wide range of products and services which are all relevant to the core business they are involved in, but less so if portable toilet hire is just a small part of a much wider range of services.
• How does the portable toilet operator remove waste after the event? You will want confirmation of the day and time the toilet will be removed following use and assurance that vacuum suction equipment will be used for emptying single portable toilets hygienically.
• Is the portable toilet operator part of a nationally branded business? In the Toilet Hire business some operator names are well known nationally and are considered very highly.
• Is the portable toilet operator associated with or a member of Portable Sanitation Europe (PSE), a Trade Organisation committed to maintaining high standards within the Portable Sanitation Industry?

This is the 3rd installement of a series of posts about ‘All you need to know about hiring & buying portable toilets‘.

Most consignments of portable toilets are transported by sea freight in Containers, and cost factors dictate the component parts are packed unassembled in order to economise on space occupied in relation to the number of units shipped. Typically, between 80 and100 unassembled single toilet units with tanks can be shipped in a 40ft High Cube Container and a Shipper will supply these with full assembly instructions. Smaller quantities of four or more units can be shipped in the same way on pallets, but very few manufacturers are able or prepared to ship small quantities in this manner – so ask the question of your prospective supplier.

Portable Toilets can also be transported internationally using air freight services for the benefits of rapid service, but the cost is often in excess of 10 times the cost of transportation by sea freight.

Toilet Trailers can very often be shipped using a “roll-on/roll-off” service where the trailer is towed to the outgoing port for the shipper to tow into the cargo space and then tow off the vessel at the port of disembarkation. Again, your prospective supplier will be able to assist you with making these arrangements.

Read our previous posts about ‘What to consider when buying portable toilets‘ and ‘The various types of portable toilets that are available for hire‘.

This is the 2nd installement of a series of posts about ‘All you need to know about hiring & buying portable toilets‘.

• How to get rid of the portable toilet waste? If you can arrange access to mains water and drainage services you will have very much more choice and economy to take advantage of. If it is not possible to connect to a septic tank or mains drain it will be necessary to select a “re-circulating chemical toilet” where the waste is stored in an integral tank which will be equipped with a “ventilating chimney” and the odour can usually be well controlled by the use of sanitizing chemical concentrate. This kind of toilet will require regular servicing – the frequently asked question is “how frequently” to which the obvious answer has to be “it depends upon usage”. Unless a toilet is to be used frequently by 10 or more people a “rule of thumb” is to allow for it to be pumped out and cleaned/serviced on a monthly basis. If use of the toilet is minimal look out for a “self servicing toilet” which will be a plastic cabin fitted with a cassette style toilet with a detachable waste tank which can be carried to a domestic style toilet and emptied.

• What space is available for your portable toilet? Remember that the conventional plastic portable toilet is usually a metre or more wide and around 2.3m tall so will not go through a normal doorway. If this presents a problem ask the supplier if they will assemble your toilet on site, which can be done relatively easily with the aid of a hand riveting gun and a few small tools. You should also consider whether there is sufficient facility for access by a service vehicle to pump out and service the toilet. Most “gully sucker” or vacuum pumping contractors will carry up to 100m of suction hose with their vehicles.

• If you are considering a larger portable toilet cabin you will need to arrange for level concrete footings to be laid for the jacklegs to sit on. Ask the supplier to give you a Floor Plan and Pad Drawings so you can arrange for the footings to be installed in the correct position. For toilet cabins you should also consider whether there is sufficient access for anything up to an articulated lorry with mobile crane to approach in order to lift the cabin to its designated position? Your supplier will be able to assist you with all these preparation tasks.

• Should I purchase a new or second hand portable toilet? There will always be a lively market for both the purchase and sale of second hand toilets, and more so after the 2012 Olympics are over and thousands of temporary toilets are released for sale as second hand units. But be careful, because the difference in price between new and used may not be worth taking the risk unless you have seen what you are considering purchasing or know the vendor by reputation. Remember that, historically, one major source of second hand toilets has been the construction industry where toilets have had a lot of use in an exposed environment. This may be an excellent source for your second hand toilet if heavy use is anticipated, but perhaps less so if you are seeking to impress your customers.

• Should I be looking for a standard or luxury portable toilet? In most cases a good quality standard toilet unit or cabin will be perfectly adequate, but increasingly in many U.K. service industries there is a need to capture the attention and interest of the customer or client for an extended period of time. Typical examples are Fun Parks and Farm Parks for Children and Garden Centres, all of which will frequently provide restaurant facilities together with supporting toilets to keep their customers on site for as long as possible. As with the majority of public toilets in the U.K. the trend over the past 30 years has been to improve the quality of sanitary facilities to the point that a luxury toilet facility is often now used to entice customers to spend their time at one location rather than another.

• Should I purchase or rent my portable toilet? If a single portable toilet or Toilet Block is required for an extended period of time it is invariably cheaper to purchase, because you are cutting out the “cost of money” aspect which will be built into the hire price to reward an investor. However, there are Finance institutions that specialise in providing “lease purchase” finance allowing payment for your toilet or Toilet Block over a deferred term, so ask your supplier to put you in contact with any source of Finance they can recommend.

This is the 1st installement of a series of posts about ‘All you need to know about hiring & buying portable toilets‘.

The standard of portable toilets and port a john available for hire has varied amazingly over the last 20 years, just as the standard of public toilets has improved to the point that public toilets are now very often of a standard comparable to domestic toilets in the home. Following are the principle types of port a johns available to hire from specialist portable toilet hire companies which are to be found in every community throughout the country:

• Single Portable Toilets / Port a Johns
There are a very large number of suppliers of single portable toilets servicing the events and hospitality industries to select from. An increasing number of suppliers are small and local giving an excellent service to local communities, but there is also a wide range of national branded companies who supply toilets for big events and have the equipment to properly service them during a busy event. A single portable toilet is familiarly referred to as a “tardis” because of its uncanny resemblance to the familiar Dr Who Time Machine bearing the same name. During its evolution the “tardis” or plastic mobile toilet has also been transformed from its less than aromatic origins to today’s smart facility with sweet smelling polyethylene plastic construction and sanitary facilities which are almost a pleasure to use!

But single port a john portable toilets are also required as temporary facilities for a number of other applications where access can be arranged to mains drainage, water and electric services. Many toilet hire operators have recognized this increasing need and have expanded the range of single toilets in their fleets to include mains connected toilets with either hot or cold water hand washing facilities.

• Trailer Mounted Mobile Toilets
Trailer toilets have become very popular to hire because they provide an instant “fix” for the need for sanitary facilities when a number of people are congregated for a period of time for any reason. The keywords “Luxury Mobile Toilets” has almost become a popular phrase worthy of The Oxford English Dictionary, and at any outdoor wedding event it is not uncommon to find the green skirted trailer with aluminium steps and flash interior with oak finishes, gold or chrome taps and soothing background music. Large Event Mobile Toilets are also available for hire, and these are usually more functional with separate trailers for men and women and designed with larger doors and circulation space to allow a maximum throughput of users.
Trailer port a john Toilets can either be re-circulating with the use of chemical concentrate or mains connected with the use of fresh water for flushing.

• Vacuum Toilets
Although slightly more expensive to hire today there is a fast developing variety of Vacuum Toilets available for hire. These are generally modular and can therefore be set up at ground level to provide a hotel-style sanitary facility to match the needs of a particular event. Unlike the majority of trailer toilets the fluid used to flush the toilet is fresh water as opposed to chemical mix and when the toilet is flushed the contents are sucked away to a holding tank hidden out of sight.

• Accessible Toilets
It is, of course, a legal requirement to provide specialist accessible facilities at public events and most organisers will make suitable arrangements for disabled guests at private events. The majority of Toilet Hire Operators will be able to supply either plastic facilities or trailer mounted facilities allowing wheelchair access and the facility to turn the wheelchair a full 360 degrees within the interior of the toilet unit.

• Toilet “Cabins” or “Blocks”
In cases where the requirement for public facilities is seasonal or temporary it is invariably more economical to arrange the purchase or hire of Toilet Blocks or Cabins. Historically such facilities have been available for use at construction sites, but increasingly much greater demand has developed to service Campsites, Holiday Parks, Theme Parks and even Garden Centres where the public is encouraged to enjoy their surroundings in a comfortable setting with both restaurant and sanitary facilities available for them to use. The advantage of using such facilities is that they can be disconnected and removed out of season when not required, and because they are not “permanent” are often viewed more leniently by the planning authorities.

In a series of blog posts, we’ll cover :

• the various types of portable toilets that are available to hire
• what to consider when buying portable toilets
• how to ship portable toilets across the world
• how to spot a qaulity portable toilet hire company
• a review of major chemical toilet manufacturers

If there’s more you’d like to know, just add your comments to this post.

This blog is focused on providing useful advice and tips to those interested in buying or hiring portable chemical toilets used in special events and domestic or industrial uses. The knowledge shared on this site is based on many years working in the portable toilet industry.

Any feedback or requests to post an article that might be useful to the visitors to this website, please get in touch.