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Flower girl got stuck in a porta potty at our barn wedding last night. Is there a way to open the door from outside?

Megan H.asked 1 viewEvents & WeddingsWeddingsDoor latchKidsStandard unitSafety

We host weddings at our barn most weekends through fall, and last night a six year old flower girl slid the latch shut and then couldn't get it back open. She was in there maybe ten minutes crying while her dad and I worked on the door. We finally got a butter knife into the gap and pushed the slide over, but it was not pretty.

The units are regular standard units from our rental company, three of them on the parking side of the barn, plus one ADA unit for guests who need it.

Is there a normal way staff open these from the outside in an emergency? Do the latches have some kind of release, or is a flat tool through the gap just how it's done? And is it reasonable to ask for a different latch on at least one unit, since we get a lot of little kids out here?

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Brooke L.Charleston, SC

Yes, a flat tool through the gap is the standard way to open a standard portable toilet from the outside when the latch is stuck. Most standard units have a simple slide bolt latch that does not have an external release mechanism for security reasons. The rental company's staff uses a thin, flat tool like a putty knife or a specific latch tool to slide the bolt back from the outside.

For future events, you can ask the rental company if they can provide a unit with a different latch style on request. Some models have a push-button latch that is easier for children to operate, or you could request they leave one unit unlatched during the event (though this risks the door blowing open). Since you host weddings frequently, explaining the situation with young guests may lead them to accommodate this request, as it involves no extra equipment, just a different unit from their inventory.

In the moment, using a butter knife was the correct approach. The key is to insert it near the latch mechanism, not force the door, to avoid damaging the unit. You might also consider placing a small step stool inside the ADA-compliant unit to help smaller children reach the latch more easily, as that unit has more interior space.

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