Porta Potty Rental for Solar Installers

Do I need a portable toilet for a residential solar install?

Usually not. A home rooftop system is often installed in a few days or less by a small crew. Cal/OSHA's toilet rule excludes "mobile crews having readily available transportation to nearby toilet facilities" (8 CCR §1526(e)), and a three-person install crew with a van in a suburban neighborhood is the kind of crew that exception was written around. The rule does not define "nearby," so the judgement is yours.

Residential cases where a unit does make sense:

• A large ground-mount array on a rural lot in an area with no public restroom for miles.
• A multi-day job combined with a re-roof, a main panel upgrade and battery install, where several crews overlap.
• A new-home tract where your crews move house to house for weeks. The builder's units normally cover you. Confirm with the superintendent.
• A homeowner who has asked that nobody use the house.

If none of those apply, save your money.

Which solar projects do need units?

These are fixed construction sites. The mobile-crew exception does not help you, and the full Cal/OSHA count applies.

How does crew size set the count?

On a utility or commercial solar job, the number of units follows the head count. California's construction sanitation orders require one toilet for each 20 employees or fraction of 20, and one washing station on the same ratio (8 CCR §1526, §1527).

Three points matter on solar sites:

• Count the peak, and count everyone. Solar crews ramp quickly. Grading and pile driving may be a dozen people; racking and module install can be several times that, with electricians, trenching crews and inspectors on top. Size for the busiest week, and add or remove units as the head count moves.
• Hand washing is not optional. With portable toilets, the washing station has to be outside the unit and not attached to it, with water, soap and single-use towels. Hand sanitizer does not satisfy §1527. On a site with no water service, our hand-wash stations carry their own fresh water and are refilled at each service visit.
• The minimum ignores distance. The construction rule gives a ratio but no maximum walking distance. For comparison, California's agricultural field sanitation rule puts toilets within a quarter-mile or five-minute walk (8 CCR §3457). That rule does not govern solar construction, but it is a sensible yardstick on a site measured in acres. Five units parked together at the gate meet the count and still leave the far crew a long walk.

For the reasoning behind the numbers, read our guide to Cal/OSHA portable toilet rules or the how many units guide.

What is different about remote ground-mount sites?

Truck access. Weekly service depends on our pump truck reaching every unit. Place units along the main access road or at the ends of array rows the truck can drive to, not in the middle of a block. Tell us about locked gates, soft ground after rain and any site check-in procedure.

Wind. Open land in the San Jacinto Valley and the Pass area can get strong wind. Stormwater guidance says units should be secured against overturning in high wind (CASQA WM-9). On windy or exposed sites, ask us about staking or tying down the units.

Stormwater. Large ground-mount projects commonly carry a SWPPP. The same guidance recommends keeping portable toilets at least 50 feet from drainage conveyances where conditions allow, and the unit locations should be shown on the plan.

Heat. Cal/OSHA's heat illness standard applies to all outdoor work, with extra high-heat procedures for construction at 95°F and above (8 CCR §3395). It covers drinking water, shade, rest and planning, not toilets. Still, a crew drinking the quart an hour the rule provides for will use the units more, so heavy summer sites often add a second weekly service.

Moving with the work. As crews finish one block and start the next, units should follow. We can move a unit when we are on site for your regular service. If you need it moved sooner and we have to make a special trip, a relocation fee applies, and the amount depends on the location.

How should rooftop and carport sites be set up?

• Units stay on the ground. We place units at grade, near the ladder, stair tower or lift the crew uses to reach the roof.
• Coordinate with the property. On a warehouse or retail roof, the owner or tenant decides where units and material can sit. Loading docks, fire lanes and truck courts are off limits. Get the spot approved before delivery.
• Stay inside your work zone. On carport jobs in an open parking lot, put units inside the fenced area so customers and the public are not using them. If the public will use a unit, accessibility rules apply. See ADA-accessible units.
• Mind the drains. Parking lots drain to inlets. Keep units away from them.

What about battery storage sites?

Battery energy storage projects are built like small substations: a graded, fenced pad with containers, inverters and a switchyard, and usually no occupied building. Crews include civil, electrical and commissioning teams, and commissioning can keep people on site after the heavy construction ends. Plan for units from first grading through energization, placed inside the security fence near the gate so the service truck has a short, escorted path. Keep the count matched to the head count as the phases change.

What else can go on the same order?

Temporary fence. Solar sites store modules, inverters and copper in the open. Temporary fence panels, arranged through our partners, secure laydown yards and carport work zones.

Dumpsters. Module installs generate a large volume of cardboard, pallets, banding and plastic wrap. Our sister company Victory Dumpsters delivers roll-off dumpsters across the same area. Ask them about keeping cardboard separate for recycling. Damaged panels and batteries are not ordinary debris, so check with them before loading either.

One quote can cover all three. See job site services.

Where do you deliver?

Our yard is at 26245 Monroe Ave in Murrieta. We deliver to commercial rooftop and open-land solar jobs across our area, including Perris, Moreno Valley, Menifee, Romoland, Winchester, Nuevo, Hemet and Beaumont. We do not serve the Coachella Valley or the desert solar zones east of it. Every community we cover is on the service areas page, and other trades are on the construction porta potty rental hub.

Solar installer FAQ

We are the solar sub on a larger project. Who supplies the toilets? Normally the general contractor or EPC, with every sub's workers counted in the total. Check your contract. If your crew pushes the site over a multiple of 20, the site needs another unit.

Can you service a site with no address? Yes. Send a map pin, gate location and access instructions.

Do units on a solar farm have to be ADA-accessible? Portable toilets used only by construction personnel are exempt from the federal accessibility standards (U.S. Access Board).

How much notice do you need for a multi-unit order? We offer same-day and next-day delivery. For large orders, call as early as you can.

How is a multi-unit project priced? Per unit, from $189 per 28 days with weekly service, plus a delivery and pickup fee. No fuel or environmental surcharges. Multi-unit orders are quoted by the job. See pricing.

Can you provide insurance certificates and service records for the project file? We provide certificates of insurance, including additional-insured certificates, on request.

What hours can we reach you? 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, and the same number is answered 24 hours a day for emergencies.

Get units on your solar site

Call (951) 517-3600 or send the form with the site location, start date, schedule and peak crew size by phase. We will come back with a unit and wash station count, a placement plan and the full price.