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Today I received a phone call from a long-time customer at a local job site. He was inquiring about the service on the Johnny Blue because “it has white stains all over it”. He sounded frustrated and said they thought it was dirty.  After doing some research with our dispatch and GPS, it was determined that the unit had just been cleaned using our winter brine.

But what is Winter Brine?

There is a logical explanation for the white marks he was seeing. You see, freezing point of fresh water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Once Winter comes and the temperature drops to 32 or below, we can no longer use just good ole’ H2O. If the water we use freezes, it could cause immense damage not only to the porta potties, but also to our trucks. That’s where brine comes in. Brine is a water, salt mixture. By adding salt to the water, it lowers the freezing point.  Currently we are using about 25 – 30 lbs. of salt to 100 gallons of water.  This allows the freezing point to drop to approximately 26 degrees Fahrenheit and it would have to stay at 26 or below for about 12 hours or more for a hard freeze to occur. Unfortunately, the downfall of using salt is the white spots. Just as you see white spots on the roads and sidewalks after being treated for snow and ice, with salt, you also see them on our porta potties.  Our drivers do carry 5 gallons of fresh water inside the cab of the truck to help with clean up and reduce visibility as much as possible however there is only so much, we can carry on us without the risk of freezing.

Porta potties are necessary year-round.

Even in harsh weather, porta potties are a necessity, especially in the construction industry.  Harsh, frigid temperatures call for substantial measures to keep jobsites up and running.  We at Johnny Blue pride ourselves on providing excellent service regardless of what conditions are thrown our way.  From adding brine to our units in the cold, staking down units in locations prone to heavy winds, or adding scented rings in the warm months, we are constantly adjusting our service to match the changing environmental elements.  We are always there to meet the needs of our customers!