It’s a nightmare scenario for everyone. You’ve ducked into a portaloo for a call of nature, but flushing the toilet seems to make the water level rise.
That’s not normal in a portaloo. Portaloos work differently to the toilets in your home, so there shouldn’t be any visible water in the bowl. That’s a sign that the unit is overflowing.
But what do you do if your portaloo overflows? Even worse, what do you do if it’s overflowing and making a mess?
In this article, we’ll see what you should do if your portaloo overflows, and some of the common causes of these messy situations.
What to do if Your Portaloo Overflows
1. Contain the Spill
An overflowing portaloo smells pretty shocking, but it’s not the smell you have to worry about.
Septic waste can be extremely harmful. Being exposed to waste increases the risk of contracting seriously nasty viruses and bugs, like E Coli, Hepatitis A and parasites that cause diarrhoea.
This means that your first step is to contain the leak.
We can’t stress this enough – wear PPE if you are attempting to contain or clean up a leak. We strongly recommend that you don’t touch the waste at all. Call the portaloo hire company and they’ll fix the problem as soon as possible.
But, in the unlikely event of a major leak, spills can be contained with absorbent materials (like sand, soil and paper).
2. Call for Professional Help
Portaloos aren’t supposed to leak or overflow. If you’re having a major problem, it’s time to call for help.
Contact the portaloo hire company. Our trucks can pump out waste to prevent further issues, and we carry spill kits that can be used to tidy up any mess that’s been made.
Remember that waste can be extremely harmful to humans, animals and the environment, so you don’t want to mess around. It’s better to call us and get the problem dealt with properly.
3. Find the Source of the Problem
Once we’ve arrived and contained the leak, our first job is to locate the source of the problem. Overflows and leaks are usually caused by people flushing things that shouldn’t be in the portaloo. Otherwise, there may be a genuine fault with the unit that’s causing the problem.
4. Drain Waste and Tank Water
If we can’t find the problem, or if your portaloo is overflowing because it should have been pumped out days ago, we’ll drain the waste and any freshwater tanks. This gives us a chance to check the flush mechanism and make sure everything is working like it should.
You can avoid overflowing portaloos by hiring more units than you think you’ll need. Having a small amount of redundancy will go a long way to keeping guests happy and clean, and it will mean that you never find yourself dealing with unpleasant leaks.
5. Repair Any Issues and Refill the Tank
Finally, we’ll repair any issues (or replace the portaloo and take the faulty unit away for repairs) and refill the holding and freshwater tanks. The unit will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitised, and you’ll be ready to get back to regularly scheduled programming!
Common Causes of Overflowing Portaloos
Portaloos definitely aren’t supposed to overflow. It’s rare, but it can happen if your thrones haven’t been properly cared for. Some of the most common causes of overflowing portaloos include:
- People throwing non-flushable toiletries into the portaloo – this includes feminine hygiene products, paper towels, nappies and wet wipes
- Flushing foreign objects (you wouldn't believe how many smartphones and car keys we’ve found!)
- Not pumping out the holding tank on time
- Not providing enough portaloos for the number of guests and type of event
- Old or poorly maintained portaloos with broken components
- Leaks between a freshwater tank and the holding tank
The best thing you can do to prevent an overflowing portaloo is to ensure you work with a reputable hire company.
The Poles & Holes team maintains a fleet of the latest portaloos. Our units are always clean and well-maintained, and we’ll set a cleaning schedule that ensures accidents don’t happen.
Make Sure There’s No Accidents at Your Event with Poles & Holes!
Portaloos are simple devices. They don’t have any real plumbing – just a basic flushing mechanism. This means you’re unlikely to have a problem with portaloos that are used properly and well-maintained.
If you want to make sure you’re hiring portaloos that won’t cause any nasty issues, the team at Poles & Holes can help!
Poles & Holes provides portaloo hire throughout Brisbane for events, construction sites, parties and much more. We operate a fleet of state-of-the-art portaloos that are cleaned and maintained on a regular basis. That means you’re unlikely to run into issues like overflowing.
Our team will also work with you to supply the right number of portaloos for your site. That’s the simplest way to prevent unpleasant spills, and it ensures your guests are safe and healthy at all times!
Contact us today for a quote, or give us a call if you need help selecting the right portaloo hire option for your needs.
