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Why does our construction site porta potty smell like ammonia on hot October afternoons?

Marcus B.asked 1 viewOdor, Cleaning & ChemicalsOdorDeodorizerVent stackHolding tankService frequency

We have a standard portable toilet for a crew of 15 working a six-week residential addition in Chicago. It's on gravel in the side yard, and the vacuum truck parks right next to it for weekly service. On cool mornings, it's fine, but by 3 PM on sunny 70-degree October days, the unit smells strongly of ammonia. The sun hits the side of the unit directly. The rental company uses a blue formaldehyde-free deodorizer. Why does the heat cause this ammonia smell specifically, and is there anything we can do between services to reduce it?

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Carl D.Oklahoma City, OK

The ammonia smell is urine breaking down faster in a warm tank, and the sun on that wall is basically cooking it. Urea turns into ammonia as it sits, heat speeds that up, and by midweek the blue charge in the holding tank is diluted by 15 guys' worth of use, so the deodorizer can't keep up by 3 PM.

What's worked on our jobs:

  1. Turn the unit so the door faces away from the afternoon sun, or move it a few feet into the shade of the addition. Ask the driver to do it on service day, don't drag a loaded unit yourself.
  2. Check the vent stack cap. If it's cracked or something is blocking it, the gas stays in the cabin instead of going up and out.
  3. Keep the lid down. Sounds dumb, but crews leave it up and the whole box fills.
  4. Ask about a midweek top up of chemical, or a second service visit while it's warm. Fifteen people on one unit with weekly pumping is right at the edge, and the smell is the first sign.

Once the nights get properly cold it mostly goes away on its own.

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