Hurricane season is a portable restroom’s worst enemy. Due to the high winds that come along with hurricanes, unless the proper steps are taken to secure a unit there can be great damage to your rental. Read on for Anderson Rentals’ guide on why it’s important for you to secure your portable toilet rental, tips for keeping it safe, and when to expect your service to resume in the event of a major storm.
Why It’s Important
There are two primary reasons for this practice: Firstly, it shields the portable unit from potential physical damage, as well as prevents the unit from causing harm to other properties. Secondly, it ensures that the portable toilet remains intact and operational immediately after the storm has passed. Neglecting to properly secure a portable toilet before a hurricane can lead to significant consequences. In the event that strong winds enter the unit, it could unexpectedly launch the portable toilet up to a height of 50 feet. While this might seem amusing, it poses a serious threat to neighboring properties and individuals. Typically, when a contractor rents a unit, they bear the responsibility of ensuring its secure placement. This means that if any damages occur, the contractor is held accountable.
What You Can Do
Preparing for the upcoming storm is the most effective strategy to prevent potential damages to portable toilets. There are several steps you can take prior to the storm’s arrival to ensure the security of your rental and minimize the risk of it becoming airborne. Among the most impactful approaches to safeguard your rental and ensure its usability post-storm is to move the portable toilet into a garage and anchor it down or position it facing an interior wall. However, we understand that this might not always be feasible. In such cases, you can consider these suggestions:
1. Relocate the portable toilet to an external wall on the side protected from the wind.
2. Securely tie the rental’s door to minimize damage and prevent it from being carried away.
3. Fasten the toilet to a sturdy object such as a tree, telephone pole, or dumpster, with the door facing the anchoring point.
4. Place the portable toilet flat on the ground with its door facing downward to hinder wind from entering. Enhance its stability by using sandbags or other substantial materials.
5. If you’re at a construction site, create a barrier around the unit by parking construction equipment nearby.
Taking these precautions will significantly reduce the chances of any potential damage during the storm and ensure the safety of your portable toilet rental.
After the storm has made its way through the area, we advise putting some water in the rental until we can safely come out to service it. In securing your unit proactively, when the storm passes it will be easier for your unit to be serviced and running again!
When to Expect Resumed Service
After the storm passes, notify Anderson Rentals of any damages, and we will work to replace your rental as soon as we can!
The severity of damages created from the storm can affect how quickly our team can get back on the road to service units, but we are committed to serving your needs as soon as we can. It is also important to remember that when we resume our clean up routes, we may not be able to get to every unit right away, as cleanup and restoration crews can sometimes block the way.
Never forget the importance of securing your portable restroom rental before a hurricane hits your area. Keep these tips in mind the next time you are facing a storm to help you secure your portable restroom rental, while also keeping area property(ies) safe as well.
For information on rentals, contact Anderson Rentals today!