6 I PSAI Association Insight, November 10, 2021
Winterization: How to Prepare Restrooms and Equipment
for Extremely Cold Weather (Part 1)
(continued from page 5)
Portable heaters can also be used to maintain the temperature inside
restroom cabins. Restroom cabins have a relatively small volume—
typically two cubic yards—and when the door is shut, that space is fully
enclosed. A portable electric heater set on low can often provide enough
heat to keep the frost at bay. Just bear in mind that several safety factors
need to be considered if a heater is used. The power supply should be
fitted with a circuit breaker, the heater and flex should be positioned
to prevent a trip hazard, and the electricity should be turned off before
the cabins are washed and tanks replenished with water. Plastic can also
scorch when exposed to heat and it certainly burns fiercely, so proper
precautions are essential if a portable heater is used.
While many preventative measures can be taken, dosing is also
necessary. In the next issue of PSAI Association Insight, Pete discusses his
tried-and-true use of additives to lower the temperature at which water
and waste freeze. To catch his podcast episode discussing the methods
above, click here.
About The Author
Pete is the voice of Get Flushed, a
weekly podcast dedicated to the
portable sanitation industry. He
completed an MBA at the University
of Reading (UK) in 2004 and moved
to New Zealand in 2006. Pete
taught university-level leadership
and management before joining
New Zealand's largest restroom
operator as a senior manager at the
start of 2016. In that role, he was
responsible for regional operations,
managed a range of events and
large-scale deployments, and led
the restroom response following
the Kaikoura Earthquakes in
October 2016. Pete left that role at
the end of 2019 and has spent the
past year travelling around New
Zealand with his wife and daughter
in a caravan. He now works with
restroom providers all over the
world in a consultancy and advisory
role, and launched the Get Flushed
podcast in April 2020. Get Flushed
is available on all major podcast
platforms and new episodes are
released every week.
E: pete@getflushed.online
T. +64 211 280 028
W. www.getflushed.online
