What To Do If Your Portable Toilets Tip Over

Portable toilets in Petaluma, CA are convenient and necessary for construction sites, events, and many other outdoor occasions. They are self-contained and can be set up almost anywhere. It’s important that when they are set up, the professionals are the ones who place them. They need to be put in a stable, flat location so they won’t tip over. However, whether it’s a storm, an accident, or something else, portable restrooms can tip over. If that happens to one you have rented, what should you do about it?

How Can They Tip Over?

The most common cause of a portable toilet tipping over is high winds. If a storm blows through, the portable toilet could fall over easily enough. Especially if they are out in the open and aren’t blocked by any walls or other buildings that could protect them from the wind and break it from hitting them straight on. They can also tip over if they are placed on uneven ground in the first place. And, last but not least, pranks can be a cause. It’s actually illegal to tip over a portable toilet with someone inside because it’s dangerous and can really hurt someone severely.

What To Do:

If the portable toilets tip over, for any reason, there are a variety of things you might want to do. Here are a few to consider:

Contact The Rental Company

You are going to want to contact the rental company if tipping occurs. They can assess the circumstances and see if they can right the restroom and get it cleaned up or if they need to replace it with another product. The crew will take care of any mess that may have occurred on site from the tipping.

Secure The Area

Once you notice the tipped restroom, you will want to put up some cones or caution tape around the restroom and any mess that was made to allow people to get around it safely. You don’t want people coming into contact with the restroom or any waste that may have seeped out of it in the tipping process.

Possibly Call Authorities

If someone was in the restroom when it tipped, there could be injuries. Get them out of the restroom and assess injuries. Provide first aid, if possible, or call the authorities to get them medical help.

Tipping Prevention

You will want any portable toilets on your property to be placed on a level area. You may want boards beneath them so you don’t have to worry about the ground shirting there. You could also use stakes or weights to help secure them. The experts will have more tips to ensure that tipping won’t occur.

If you are using portable toilets in Petaluma, CA for any reason, you want them to be accessible and effective, but you don’t want them to tip over. While the occurrence is rare, you want to know what to do if something happens at your site.

Making The Most Of Your Portable Toilet Rentals

There are a lot of things you are going to want to consider if you are looking into renting portable toilets in Novato, CA for an event. You want any guests to have what they need and you can give people privacy at the same time. While you make the plans, here are some things you are going to want to think over. The professionals are also there to help you with these items, and many others, as they want to make sure you get just what you want and need.

How Many Guests Will Be Present

You may not know exactly how many people are going to be at your event, but you are going to want at least a ballpark figure. The amount of people you are expecting will help you to determine how many portable toilets you will need. In general, you are going to want one stall for every 20-30 guests. You want to have enough for the crowd you are expecting without going overboard and wasting money.

The Location Of The Stalls

You will want to place any portable toilets you get in an accessible area. It might be near the exit or entrance of your area, or perhaps along the sides. You may want room for them to be lined up in a group and also a space for people to line up. You don’t want them too close to the food area, but perhaps in sight of that area so people know where to go.

Consider The Features

There are plenty of standard portable toilets on the market for rental today. These stalls are what you would regularly thing of when you consider ‘portable toilets.’ However, there are also a lot of features that you an add to them. There are a variety of options, like handicap accessible toilets, which have a zero entry and enough room inside for wheelchairs to turn around. Not only are these great for mobility-challenged, but they work well for families that have young children who need help, or moms with kids they can’t leave alone outside the restroom. There are also fully flushing portable toilet options with sinks and running water, completely contained. Think about the crowd you will have and what their needs and expectations they might have.

Cleaning Schedules

If the event is only day, you may not need a cleaning schedule with the professionals, but you may want a staff member to check in on the units, make sure there is paper, check the hand sanitizer, soap, and paper towels and other such things. If the portable toilets will be on site for more than a day or two, check with the experts about having them come clean things out.

There are plenty of option on the market and these are just a few of the things you will want to consider with your rental of portable toilets in Novato, CA. The experts will ask other questions that will help you to line up the details in the right manner.

Septic Tank Pumping And Mainline Inspections

No homeowner really wants to have to deal with issues when it comes to their septic tank or mainline plumbing in their home, right? And that’s why it’s important to have inspections, regular maintenance, and septic tank pumping in Novato, CA done on a regular basis. When you have those professionals come to your home, what are they doing? What are they looking for? And how will it help your home?

What Goes Down The Drain

If you have any slow drains, or perhaps as part of the inspection, the professionals may use a snake or another item, which could allow them to see down the pipe to see if there’s anything blocking things up. They may be able to tell that someone in your house is putting something down the drain that they shouldn’t. If someone is flushing baby wipes, that might show up. If someone used paper towels instead of toilet paper, that could get clogged up, too. What goes down the drain is important and they will be able to tell you if there’s something in the pipes that shouldn’t be. While they are there, you can ask for tips as to what you shouldn’t put down there because it could cause clogs.

How Full The Tank Is

Another thing the professionals will likely do is check the septic tank and see how full it is. They will want to know where the levels are so they can predict when you need septic tank pumping. If they come out regularly, like annually, to check things over, they will know how fast things are filling up and when you need to have that service done. Keeping close track of the levels can help you predict how many years you can go between pumpings. Most professionals recommend never waiting more than 5 years for that service.

What The Properties Are Inside The Tank

Another thing the experts might do is take a sample from the tank so they can test the properties in it and make sure the ecosystem is doing well. If something has gotten into the tank, like bleach, for example, and has killed off the good bacteria that are eating away at the waste, that could be a problem for your system down the road.

Signs Of Leaks

You would want to know if there were any leaks in your septic system, either in the tank or along the mainline. That can cause issues with efficiency, the processing, and even mushiness in the yard. The professionals will take inventory of any leaks and make sure you know what you should do about them.

When you are trying to figure out what you want to do with your septic tank in terms of maintenance, or if you need a septic tank pumping in Novato, CA, the professionals are happy to come out for an inspection and maintenance check at any time. It’s better to keep on top of maintenance than to let things slide and have an emergency arise in the future.

4 Ways To Avoid Emergency Septic Tank Pumping

There’s nothing worse than unexpected issues in your home that cause sewage backup into the house. It’s messy, expensive to clean up, and can cause a multitude of issues. It’s never convenient. As a homeowner, you may not think about your septic tank very often, and that’s okay. However, you can prevent emergency septic tank pumping in Petaluma, CA to become a necessity by following a few basic rules. Here they are:

1-Take Care With What You Flush

Your toilet, especially when it is connected to a septic tank, is really only meant for toilet paper and waste. You should never flush makeup wipes, paper towels, facial tissues, napkins, or anything else. These items don’t break down properly in the septic system and they can even get stuck in the pipes, causing build up and back ups. If you are careful about what you flush, you can prevent emergency tank pumping.

2-Avoid Overuse Of The Garbage Disposal

Things are going to go down the sink drain, but you need to be careful when using that appliance if you are attached to a septic tank. You aren’t going to want to peel an orange or carrot into the sink, for example, and allow those bits to go down. Anything solid can clog the pipes and cause wastewater to back up. There are also liquids that are a bad idea to put down the drain, too. Any grease or cooking oils can harden inside the pipes, leaving less room for other items to go down.

3-Never Use Anti-Bacteria Items

Everything comes in an anti-bacteria format today, it seems, as people are very sensitive about germs. However, you aren’t going to want to use detergents and soaps with anti-bacteria properties. You also don’t want to use things like bleach that kill all germs. When these things get into your septic system, they kill off the good bacteria, which is what eats away at the waste in that system. If there’s nothing to break things down, the tank will fill up and cause you to need a pumping sooner rather than later.

4-Regular Maintenance/Scheduled Pumpings

Another way to prevent emergency situations with your septic system is to schedule regular maintenance with the septic tank professionals and pumpings every so often. The professionals can tell you when you are due for a p umping, but in general, you don’t want to go more than 5 years without having it done. For a larger family, or a house with a smaller tank, you might need it done more often.

No one wants to have any kind of emergency backup when it comes to their septic system. If you have more questions as to how you can avoid that, or you want to have a professional come out for an inspection and maintenance, you can give them a call at any time. You can also check into septic tank pumping in Petaluma, CA when you feel your home might be due for that service in the future.

Is A Portable Toilet A Good Idea For A Large Family Reunion?

It’s not every day that you are about to plan a whole family reunion. While some extended family tries to get together every year, for other families, it’s a much more rare occasion and happens once every great while. When the event is coming up, there are things you might want to think about—like whether or not you need to rent portable toilets in Sonoma, CA to make the event as enjoyable as possible for everyone in attendance. Here are some things to consider as you think about the rental options.

How Many People Are Coming?

The first thing you need to think about is how many people you think will reasonably attend. If you have a huge family and you’re inviting everyone, even distant cousins, it could be quite a group. If you are only having immediate family and you have one sibling who has one child, that’s not so bad. You might still need portable toilet rental for a small group, but you won’t need more than one. With a larger group, you might need further options.

How Many Other Restrooms Are Available, If Any?

Think about where you are going to have the reunion. It’s possible you’re meeting in a park shelter and there’s a building nearby with one restroom. IT’s also possible there’s nothing available. Even if you are having the reunion in a family home, is the one restroom available going to be enough? There may not be other restrooms available and even if there are, is that enough?

Will There Be Food?

If there is going to be food and drinks at the reunion, which is likely, then restrooms are a given as something you absolutely have to have. Even if there isn’t going to be anything, there will likely be kids and even adults who would enjoy the time more if they have the change to stay longer without leaving due to those needs.

What Portable Toilet Options Do You Like?

When you think about portable toilets, you might turn up your nose at the idea of the standard options, but there are actually a lot of choices involved. You can get something fully flushing that feels like a real bathroom, complete with running water in a sink. You can also get something with more space, like a handicap accessible restroom, that works well for those with mobility issues and for families that might need an adult to help a child. There are certainly plenty of options and you can mix and match what you need for your family reunion.

If you are having a gathering that is going to need more restrooms than are available to you in your location, consider renting one or more portable toilets in Sonoma, CA. The professionals can advise you as to how many you need based on how many people will be present, for how long, and what food and drinks you will have at the event.

Septic Tank Pumping And Drainage Field Issues

If you have a septic tank, that means you are going to need septic tank pumping in Sonoma, CA from time to time. This process is something that has to be done every few years. The frequency of the pumping depends on how much water you use, how many people you have in your home, and how well you treat the septic system as a whole. You might have drainage field issues over the years and that can indicate that there’s a problem with the tank or that you have septic tank pumping needs. Here are a few things to watch for over your hears of operating the septic tank.

Water In The Sinks

If you have water in your sinks, whether it comes up on its own, or drains too slowly when you use it, that can be an issue of a tank getting too filled up or something going on with the drainage field. Water is supposed to drain away and it shouldn’t be sitting around in the sink. That will help you to know when to contact the professionals.

Unpleasant Smells Outside

The drain field is a part of your home’s life, but you shouldn’t be bothered by it. However, if you notice foul smells coming from the area around the septic tank, that means there’s an issue that you might want to address. It could mean that the tank is filled too much and things aren’t being broken down before they are released. There could be a leak in the tank itself, too. Get things checked out because no one wants to live with those scents.

Wet Patches On The Lawn

Your lawn is going to have wet patches after a hard rain as it likely isn’t completely level. Some places will stay wet longer than others. But if it hasn’t rained for a while and you walk across the yard and feel a few mushy spots around the septic tank, that could mean something is amiss and you should have it looked into.

Have The Tank Pumped Regularly

If you want to avoid drain field issues, it’s a good idea to have your septic tank pumped out on a regular basis. Follow septic tank rules, like not flushing anything, not using anti-bacterial products, and not putting grease down the drains, among others, and that can help you to avoid issues with the drain field, and the septic tank as a whole. Even if you are good to the system and follow professional advice, you are going to want to pump things out every few years. On average, most homeowners can get away with pumping the tank out every three years or so.

If you want to get more details on septic tank pumping in Sonoma, CA, or if you are ready for advice on how you want to treat your septic tank, the professionals are here for you. They can help you with any septic tank need and they can take care of pumping and maintenance, too.

How Often Do You Need Septic Tank Pumping?

If there’s one thing that’s a given when you have a septic system, it’s that you will have to have septic tank pumping in Novato, CA done at some point or another. The frequency of that pumping is going to vary based on a variety of things. Most professionals will warn you against waiting longer than 5 years to have the tank pumped out. Even if you are good to the tank and you don’t use that much water, make 5 years your limit. Here are a few things that can help you to judge how often the tank needs to be pumped out.

How Large Is Your Tank?

If your septic tank is quite small, it might fill up faster than a tank that is on the large side. You can talk to the professionals, find out how large your tank is, if you don’t already know, and judge from there. Smaller tanks can still last for a long time without pumping if it’s just you living in the home. But with households that have several family members living there, the pumping may have to be more frequent.

How Many People Live With You?

The number of people that live in the house can help you to determine how often you need the tank pumped out as well. If it’s just you and your spouse, you are going to use less water. If you have four kids that live there, too, that’s a whole different story as there will be more laundry, baths, dishes, and so on.

How Much Do You Use The Water?

Some people are very good at taking short showers and doing laundry only once a week while others are home all day for work and flush often as well as using water in other ways. You might even know how much water you use on a monthly basis based on your water bill reports. That can help you to judge how fast the tank will fill up and how often it needs pumping.

What Do The Professionals Recommend?

If you really have no idea what to think, that’s okay. Not everyone is an expert on septic tanks. Talk to the professionals and answer some of the above questions for them. They can then give you an idea as to how often septic tank pumping is necessary for your home. They can also give you checkups on your septic system to ensure that things are running well. And, they can let you know what the signs are that show you that septic pumping is necessary so you can watch for those.

When you are ready for septic tank pumping in Novato, CA, or think it might be imminent, contact the professionals for a consultation and more details. They can help you with tips to elongate times between pumping and they will help you with the septic tank health along the way. Call them with questions on septic tanks at any time.

Dealing With Portable Toilets In Bad Weather

When you have portable toilets in Novato, CA available for guests at an event, you can give them the attention they need whenever they need it. But when bad weather hits, there are certain things you are going to want to do, and not do, to deal with those portable toilets. Here are some hints and, as always, you can call the professionals for more advice at any time.

Don’t Use Them As Shelter

The first thing you need to understand is that portable toilets are not good shelters from any storm. While they might shield you from the rain, they are a dangerous location in any kind of wind. They can blow over and they aren’t going to provide all that much protection from flying debris. If you are caught in a storm, portable toilets are not going to suffice as shelter.

Place Them Well In The First Place

When you place the portable toilets, if they are going to be around for a good while, you aren’t going to know what the weather might do. It’s best to place them well in the first place so, with any luck, if the weather turns sour while they are there, they will be safe and any structures around them will be protected as well.

Provide Protection From Wind

Wind is going to be the biggest danger to portable toilets and high winds can happen even on nice days when there aren’t storms in sight. You might want to place the portable toilets in locations that will have protection from the wind. They could go up against a building, near a wall, or alongside tall trees. Anything that can block the wind from hitting them full force can help to keep them upright.

Add Mats Outside

Once storms have cleared, there might be a lot of mud around the premises and you may want to have some mats outside the portable toilet doors so not as much mud is dragged through the unit. These mats, which can ideally have holes in it for drainage, can help people from slipping on the way in or out of the toilets as well.

Clean In And Around Them After

If a storm rolls through, you might want to check the portable toilets and clean things up. There might be debris around them or, if the door wasn’t latched, there could be rain or debris inside as well. Check to make sure everything is line up well and ready for use again before you release them to guests.

When you have rented portable toilets in Novato, CA for a certain event, if they are going to be around for a while, you never know what kinds of storms might roll through. If a storm occurs, talk to the professionals about what you need to do afterwards. They might even be able to come out and help you with clean up or assess any damage that occurred. They can also offer advice tips to help.

Different Types Of Portable Toilets

Granted, you don’t spend your days sitting around thinking about portable toilets in Petaluma, CA. But when you are out at an outdoor event and you need a restroom, the thought might cross your mind. You might think about them even more closely if you are organizing an outdoor event and need to rent some. While the standard options come to mind whenever portable toilets come up, there are actually many different choices today. Here are a few to consider.

Accessible Portable Toilets

If the event is going to have anyone who has mobility issues, handicap-accessible toilets are always a good thing to have on site. These toilets are larger on the inside so a wheelchair can actually turn around. They also don’t have a lip, but rather are zero entry so no one has anything to step over that might trip them up. Not only are they nice for those with mobility issues, but since they are larger, they are ideal for families as well. Think about the young child that needs the parent’s help, for example. Fitting two (or more!) people in a standard portable toilet can be a nightmare. But going into a handicap accessible option is easy and much more manageable.

Fully Functional Portable Toilets

There are portable toilets today that are more of an all-inclusive option that actually feel like real restrooms. They have two tanks on them, one tank of fresh water and one tank for waste. When you use the facilities, you can flush the toilet and even wash your hands in the fresh water in the sink nearby. They look and act like real bathrooms. They are great for events of any kind, but especially for classy affairs, like an outdoor wedding or another occasion that calls for upscale options.

Standard Portable Toilets

This option is the one you think of most often when you consider portable toilets. They have one holding tank available for waste. They often come with a hand sanitizer on the inside or outside and many people also add the hand washing station that can be placed just outside so everyone has the opportunity to wash their hands after use.

There are other options to consider and if you have an outdoor event coming up, the professionals can go over them with you. They can also help you decide how many restrooms you need and of which kind. You might mix standard portable toilets and handicap options, for example, or fully flushing toilets with handicap choices. The pros can also help you to place them conveniently and in good locations for your guests and the event you are looking to have.

If you are needing portable toilets in Petaluma, CA for an event of any kind, think through the options, the needs you have, and what you want the results to be and you can get everything lined up perfectly. Consult with the experts and they will have a delivery schedule for you along with maintenance and everything else you need.

Advice From Septic Tank Pumping Professionals

When you get a home with a septic system, you are going to want to get advice from the professionals so you can treat it well. Septic tank pumping in Petaluma, CA is something that is going to have to be done from time to time, but there are other things you will want to know about the system in order to treat it well. Here’s some advice from the professionals.

Spread Out Water Use

You might be used to using water however you want in your old home, but with a septic system in place, you are going to need to spread your water use out. Instead of taking a shower while the dishwasher and washing machine are running, you will need to shower in the morning, and perhaps run the washer at night to spread things out. The septic tank can only process so much water at a time so you are going to want to spread things out.

Skip The Anti-Bacterials

There are lots of things that have anti-bacteria elements in them. You aren’t going to want to use anti-bacterial soap, for example, bleach, and other things that kills off bacteria. You might like the idea of not having bacteria on your hands, but at the same time, when that stuff goes down the drain, it will kill off the good bacteria in the septic tank and that means the tank won’t work as it should. You need that bacteria there to eat away at the waste so you don’t have to have the tank pumped out as often.

Flush Only Waste And Toilet Paper

There’s no such thing as a good flushable wipe for a septic system. There are plenty of other things you shouldn’t flush, either—like everything. You should only put waste and toilet paper down the toilet or you might clog the pipes or fill up the tank too fast, causing you to have to have things pumped out too quickly.

Have Regular Pumpings Done

The professionals also recommend that you have things pumped out of the tank on a regular basis. How often? That will depend on how many people you have in your home and how much water all of you together use. They advise that you perhaps have a check up done on your septic tank every couple of years to see if you are ready for the process. You will want to get it done, for sure, every 5 years, at the longest. You will likely need it done more often than that. The experts can help you to get things set up for the right time frames.

When you are looking into a home with a septic tank, you will want advice from the professionals so you can get the right things in the right places so you can be successful in the future. You will still need septic tank pumping in Petaluma, CA, but you want things to be as spread out as possible for efficiency.