Enough pottys?

prongs505 · Post by **prongs505** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 1:49 pm

I've heard that waiting in line to use the pottys can be a while. Yet some people say there are huge row of pottys.
I've seen a map, and see there are quite a few potty locations, but just how many potty-cubicals in-a-row are there at each potty site?

waltsnipe · Post by **waltsnipe** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 2:18 pm

Several years ago (through 2000, say), the lines would be pretty consistently long (not to mention the "pyramiding" phenomenon). Since then, though, I haven't found it to be the case. The Org has done a great job, I think, of addressing that problem. Of course, PortaPotties by popular camps will be temporarily crowded when things are hopping, but just go a few blocks and everything should be ok.

All this could change, though, if Burners aren't religious about the mantra: "If it didn't come from your body, don't put it in the potty." The contractors that bring the PortaPotties and service them during the event have threatened to pull out before because of how hard their job becomes when shoes, beer cans, tampons, etc. are put in the johns. And (drum roll please), there isn't another provider who will come out there.....SO, this one's in our hand, folks.

waltsnipe

Simply Joel · Post by **Simply Joel** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 2:21 pm

In the event Porta Potties become full and/or unserviceable... corks and clamps will be issued as required.

Post by **AntiM** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:08 pm

I've never had to wait long at all, maybe one or two people in front of me, rarely more, usually on Friday and Saturday morning. There is a morning rush, but get up early or late and you'll miss it. One annoying thing in the morning: the person who goes into the potty and shaves and cleans up! The one guy I was behind even changed clothes! Maybe he crapped his pants was all I could think of as a serious reason to do that. Seriously weird, why would you lock yourself up in one of those cubicles to CLEAN UP?! Learned behaviour from a plane ride? It isn't like there's running water in there.

Nastiest thing I saw last year: woman across the street peeing on the ground next to her truck in camp. The potties were less than a block away, no lines. EUWWW, GROSS. Couldn't she find a bottle at least?!

AntiM
my shit don't stink, hmm?

atossab · Post by **atossab** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:14 pm

The nastiest thing I saw: the guy next to our camp WITH AN RV who stumbled out butt naked and wasted and peed right on the ground behind his RV. Eeeach! I've never had a portapottie wait problem. There are plenty to go around. Please don't hover. Thanks!

JRoyale · Post by **JRoyale** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:31 pm

AntiM wrote: Nastiest thing I saw last year: woman across the street peeing on the ground next to her truck in camp. The potties were less than a block away, no lines. EUWWW, GROSS. Couldn't she find a bottle at least?!

Man, when did you start coming to BM? The whole guys use a pee bottle is a pretty recent thing. We used to have a pee trench in camp. I think a lot of camps still do.

JR

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:36 pm

Anyone camp down wind?

bdongray · Post by **bdongray** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:39 pm

prongs505 wrote:... but just how many potty-cubicals in-a-row are there at each potty site?

I don't know the exact number (and I didn't take any photos either - but I bet someone did and can tell us), but my memory says it's about 20 at each "potty camp".

There are (again if my memory is working properly) potty camps at 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, each a few blocks in from Esplanade. I don't seem to remember finding any near to centercamp though - which seemed to be seriously bad planning! I maybe wrong, maybe I could just never find them, as I could never get the hang of the road system around centercamp, unless people were simply camping across the streets!

There were also a group of pottys about halfway between 3:00/Esplanade and The Man, and another group between 9:00/Esplanade and The Man. But they were slightly less in number, maybe 10 each grouping.

atossab · Post by **atossab** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:57 pm

Man, when did you start coming to BM? The whole guys use a pee bottle is a pretty recent thing. We used to have a pee trench in camp. I think a lot of camps still do.

When did you start going, early 1900s?

_tears_ · Post by **_tears_** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 4:21 pm

I have no had to wait very long in line. Maybe two or three people infront of me, but that is about it, the lines move fairly fast as well.

If you go at night, take a light with you inside, if someone who is a bit out of it goes in before you, sometimes they can be a bit messy, I once steped into one that someone had left a very large matter of feces on the toilet seat, it was so gross and NEVER go in them bare footed!

Icepack · Post by **Icepack** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 4:55 pm

where is Robbi Dobbs to post a reply? I'm sure the folks on the portapotty group know all the statistics. But maybe they've already started arriving on playa.

My mistake last year was thinking there would be a flushing toilet/rest room in Empire. Forget it! You are already in BRC portapotty land. So use the bathroom at your hotel before you go because it will be the last one that flushes for a week.

Grossest thing I saw last year- woman carrying her chamberpot with no lid and smelling gross through my "living room" every morning just as I was trying to get breakfast ready. Granted I didn't have much of a living room, but come on folks, give a person some breathing room, go around the other side where there aren' t any people making coffee etc. She was bringing it to the portapotties to dump it out I guess.

Post by **AntiM** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 5:22 pm

Man, when did you start coming to BM? The whole guys use a pee bottle is a pretty recent thing. We used to have a pee trench in camp. I think a lot of camps still do.

A lot of camps still DON"T. Nasty, unsanitary and completely unnecessary, unless you are a lazy slob. I certainly hope you camp far, far away from me. Besides if greywater is bad, isn't RAW sewage worse? And fuck your "when did you become a burner" crap.
It doesn't matter who did what when. You don't pee in camp, anywhere anytime, burning man or not.

pissily yours,
anti M

Stormy · Post by **Stormy** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 6:41 pm

If you bring a bike, you can ride out to farest ones. They're usually the cleanest with the shortest lines.

prongs505 · Post by **prongs505** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 2:17 pm

bdongray wrote: There are (again if my memory is working properly) potty camps at 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, each a few blocks in from Esplanade.

But how many in each block? 2, 10, 50?
I'd prefer an exact number, so I know you're not BS, and you DO know what you're talking about.

Post by **AntiM** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 2:27 pm

Ten or twenty maybe? Hell I never counted the damn things ... and I was seeing double a couple times. More than 2 and less than 50, yer correct! Stop being so, um, er, anal about it ...... we'll all have a perch to poo and pee happily ever after.

anti m

Tancorix · Post by **Tancorix** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 3:00 pm

10 and sometimes a wheelchair accessible unit on the end in the city, out on the playa it varies, I've seen 4, 6 and 10 depending on location.

Now quit being so anal retentive about exact numbers. Playa dust has a way of influencing time and perception. If you haven't been to BM before you'll find out soon enough.

And if you use potties that are close to Center Camp like Kidsville was last year, I ran into a few times where the lines were 7 people deep. At other times there was no line. I also bring my own 1 ply biodegradable TP with me as I always grumble about how difficult it is to get the TP off the rolls or it's completely out.

buckethead alien · Post by **buckethead alien** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 4:56 am

prongs505 wrote:
bdongray wrote: There are (again if my memory is working properly) potty camps at 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, each a few blocks in from Esplanade.
But how many in each block? 2, 10, 50?
I'd prefer an exact number, so I know you're not BS, and you DO know what you're talking about.

I have pictures, if you really need to see the evidence.

robbidobbs · Post by **robbidobbs** » Sat Jun 10, 2006 11:38 pm

Post by **Eric** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 1:31 pm

But Robbidobbs, you didn't say how many potties are in each location! This poor guy has been waiting 2 years for an answer of life-shattering importance!

*ducking and running*

ThePikey · Post by **ThePikey** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 2:50 pm

And he's been holding it the whole time, too! Take some pity on the poor bastard willya?

robbidobbs · Post by **robbidobbs** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:27 am

Ok, 500.
Geez Louise, that was a fun night surfing old threads with RockDad.
My apologies all around for wallpapering ePlaya with my bullshit.

robbidobbs · Post by **robbidobbs** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 3:20 pm

There are x25 on each spoke.
see:
http://burningman.com/images/05potties.jpeg
for placement of the main banks last year. This year we're making some minor improvements. Stay tuned.

This pic depicts about 425 units, the rest are all over the city. Mind that the below numbers are coming from memory, so the numbers may be off.
Here's a rough breakdown: there are x4 at the BRC International Airport, x12 at the Gate, x4 at Greeters, x2 out at the Temple, x2 at each medical outposts, x4 at the the farthest raver hell outpost, and assorted other places (Cafe, Commissary, Ranger HQ, etc) which are for volunteer use only.

So there ya go. I'm really not full of shit, I just talk like I am.

Enough pottys?

Enough pottys?

Re: Enough pottys?

Re: Enough pottys?

Re: Enough pottys?

Just because I can