What should you consider when buying a second hand or used portable toilet:

• Are the portable toilets still being made?
• Is the portaloo model for sale still current?
• Is the company that manufactured the portable toilet still in business?
• Are spare parts easily accessible? Where can you get spare parts?
• What condition is the portable toilet for sale?
• Does it need work/repair in the short term?
• Are the portable toilets easy to service?
• Do they comply with Australian standards and state and national legislation?
• How old is the toilet? How much ‘life’ does it have left?

Sometimes there are second-hand portable toilets (porta potties, portapotty, portaloo, portaloo toilet, temporary toilets, chemical toilets) advertised for sale and these are often very old stock from ex rental companies or cheap old model/discontinued toilets from overseas.

Many customers are attracted to secondhand portable toilets because of the price without understanding the total cost of the toilet. The main difference is you are buying a second-hand toilet without a warranty and any expenses to get the toilet working will be yours.

All toilets will need maintenance at some point in their life and some maintenance is more expensive than others. If you need a new pump or to replace a roof you are maybe looking at hundreds of dollars or possibly more if the parts need to be imported from overseas. Often spare parts need to be ordered in minimum/bulk quantities if they have to be produced eg new roofs or walls if none are in stock – this takes time and increases the cost.

We recently had a customer approach us after purchasing an old imported toilet looking for spare parts – he believed all portable toilet parts were interchangeable – unfortunately most parts are unique to their brand. He later returned to buy a new toilet as he could not find any spare parts in the world as the company went out of business many years ago. So the ‘cheap’ $700 toilet ended up at the tip.

Merlin portable toilets offer a two year warranty and support all their models over their 25 year history. Merlin Portable toilets are Australian made and are not affected by the change in exchange rate as many overseas brands.

Many Merlin toilets are still in service after 25 years and when you calculate the cost per year it equates to approx. $65-$90 pa. If you buy a second hand toilet with approx. 6-7 years life and it costs you $1000 then it is costing you $140-$160 per year. That is excluding the cost of any work/parts you may need to complete to keep the toilet in service.

Of course if you buy a second-hand Merlin Portable toilet give us a call and we can assist with any parts or treatments to keep your toilet running smoothly.