What do you wish you had known before your first porta potty rental?

I wish I had known to ask about the service frequency and what drives the cost beyond the rental rate. For a dozen men on a three-week hunt, the weekly service norm may not be enough; heavy use requires more frequent pumping. The monthly rental rate is one part, but the number of service visits and the delivery distance to a remote site add to the total. You must also check for right-of-way placement if the unit is near a road, as some counties require a permit. The driver will confirm level ground and truck access, but they do not check local permit rules.

I wish I had known to ask about truck access and placement specifics before delivery. The rental company can tell you exactly what their vacuum truck needs for a standard service visit. For a remote site, your must-do checks are simple. The unit must be on level ground. The service truck needs a clear path to get within about 25 feet of it, with no gates or ditches blocking the way on service day. Always use staking and tie-downs, especially in open country. A unit that tips or is blocked gets logged as a missed service, and you usually get billed for the trip anyway. For a dozen guys on a three-week hunt, a weekly service is the norm, but a dozen men using one unit for that long will push it. More people or hot weather means you need more frequent pumping to control odor. Also, ask if the site needs an ADA-compliant unit; if you have any crew or guests who might need it, the ADA 5 percent cluster rule often requires at least one accessible unit in a cluster.