Renting a porta potty in a St. Louis winter
Porta potties work all winter in St. Louis. A few things change from about November to March. Here is what we do, and what your crew should know.
Do porta potties freeze in winter?
A porta potty tank can freeze when temperatures stay below 32°F, which happens often in St. Louis from December through February; the January average low at Lambert is about 24°F. We add antifreeze or brine to winter tanks so waste stays liquid and the unit can still be pumped on its weekly service.
The average first fall frost near St. Louis comes around October 22 and the last spring frost around April 12, so winter treatment usually starts in November and ends in March. The city’s urban heat island delays freezes in North County by a week or two compared with rural areas.
What else changes on winter jobsites?
On winter jobsites, handwashing stations with water are swapped for sanitizer stands during hard freezes, units are placed on cleared, level ground away from roof runoff, and doors face away from the north wind. Crews should keep the path salted, because service trucks skip units they cannot reach safely.
- Clear snow from the path and the truck’s parking spot before service day.
- Do not put salt or heaters inside the unit.
- Tell us if a unit tips on ice; we come out and reset it.
Is it harder to get a porta potty delivered in winter?
Winter delivery is usually easier to book in the St. Louis area because event demand drops, but snow and ice can delay a route by a few hours. Keep the driveway or jobsite entrance plowed and salted, mark the spot clearly in snow, and give the driver a phone number that will answer on delivery day.
After a big snow, service trucks follow plowed roads first. Rural sites in Lincoln, Warren and Franklin counties may see service shift by a day. We call ahead when weather moves a visit.
Next steps: read about jobsite rentals, compare handwashing stations, use the porta potty calculator, or request an itemized quote.
Related: jobsite rentals, handwashing stations and more from the blog.
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