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Driver says our unit is too close to a fence. How much space is needed?

Sam O.asked 3 viewsDelivery, Placement & ServicingTruck accessPlacementService visitStandard unitVacuum truck

The porta potty is on my driveway for a bathroom renovation. It's been there for two weeks with weekly service. The delivery driver dropped it off about three feet from my wooden fence. This morning the service driver said he can't pump it because the unit is too close to the fence for his vacuum truck hose to reach from the truck. He said he needs more space to open the service door and swing the hose. The fence is solid wood and the ground is level asphalt. The truck can park right on the driveway, no problem. I thought three feet was plenty of room. How much space does a driver actually need between the unit and an obstacle like a fence? Does it matter if the unit is a standard model or a bigger one like an ADA-compliant portable toilet?

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Brad L.Kansas City, MO

Three feet is usually fine on the sides, but what matters is which side faces the fence. The service door has to open fully and the driver has to stand in front of it with the hose, so that front side needs the most open room.

On my residential jobs the fix is almost always the same: turn the unit so the door faces the driveway and the back sits toward the fence. Then the driver parks, walks the hose straight in, and nothing gets dragged along your fence boards. Ask the company to rotate it on the next visit, or if it's empty enough and you have a second person, you can usually walk it around yourself on flat asphalt.

An ADA-compliant portable toilet has a bigger footprint and a wider door that swings out, plus it needs clear level space in front for a wheelchair, so it needs more room than a standard unit, not less. Before the next service, text the office a photo of the new spot so the vacuum truck driver isn't surprised again.

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