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Cold mornings on our framing job: the inside of the porta potty drips and the toilet paper is soaked. Fixable?

Brad L.asked 0 viewsConstruction & Job SitesCondensationCold weatherToilet paperVent stackStandard unitPlacement

We're framing a two story house and the nights finally dropped near freezing this week. Every morning the first guy in finds the inside walls and the underside of the roof beaded up with water, and it drips onto the seat and right onto the toilet paper roll. By 9 the paper is mush and nobody wants to sit down. The unit sits on the north side of the garage slab, so it gets no sun until afternoon.

Is this normal condensation coming off the tank, or does it mean the vent isn't doing its job? Would asking the rental company to move it to the sunny side actually help, or is there a different unit or a covered paper holder they can swap in? I'd rather make a quick call now than wait for service day if it's an easy fix.

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Deb K.Akron, OH

That's condensation from the warm, moist air inside the unit hitting the cold plastic walls and roof. The holding tank warms up slightly during the day, but the unit itself chills overnight. When the first person enters, their warm breath and the outside air mix with the tank's moisture and condense. The vent stack is working, but it can't stop this basic physics.

Moving the unit to a sunnier spot would absolutely help. The sun warms the plastic, reducing the temperature difference and the condensation. A covered toilet paper holder is a good idea, but a sunny location is the real fix.

You can call the rental company to request a move. They will want to know the new placement is on level ground with good truck access. They might have a small fee for the extra trip. A different unit type, like a deluxe unit with more interior space, might have slightly less condensation, but relocation is the simpler solution.

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