Issues with Mobile Toilets in Fangcang Shelter Hospitals

Common issues with mobile toilets in Fangcang shelter hospitals mainly fall into two categories: inadequate preliminary planning and difficulties in use and maintenance.

Inadequate Preliminary Planning

• Incomplete Site Condition Surveys: Site conditions vary greatly, yet some purchasers only provide dimensions such as length and width, neglecting factors like foundation bearing capacity, road transportation height and width restrictions, wind direction and snow accumulation, ultraviolet intensity, and winter low-temperature freeze damage. For instance, in police stations located at high altitudes, the lack of anti-ultraviolet coatings and water pipe freeze protection designs resulted in paint fading and pipe ruptures after two to three years of use. In narrow rural roads, the oversized finished Fangcang units could not enter the site, necessitating plan modifications and causing delays and budget overruns.
• Disconnection Between Water, Electricity, and Sewage Systems and Container Design: Purchasers often assume that the container comes with all necessary functions, failing to confirm on-site water supply and drainage points and power supply capacity in advance. For example, selecting microbial degradation toilets without reserving space for ventilation and heat dissipation; installing a full set of smart devices when the on-site power supply capacity is insufficient; choosing water-flush models when there is no nearby sewage network, resulting in the container being produced without matching support systems and the facilities being unable to operate.
• Failure to Include Post-Maintenance in the Overall Plan: During procurement, attention is only given to factory warranties, with no consideration for subsequent maintenance. In smart stations, easily worn-out components such as displays, sensors, and deodorization devices may face long replacement cycles in remote projects if the supplier lacks nearby service response capabilities, leading to facility downtime. Moreover, many projects only account for initial procurement budgets, failing to reserve funds for maintenance inspections and consumable replacements, resulting in a continuous decline in usage rates over time.

Use and Maintenance Difficulties

In special scenarios such as Fangcang shelter hospitals, mobile toilets present use and maintenance challenges. Taking the 40 mobile toilets in the Minhang Gymnasium Fangcang as an example, these toilets were designated for use by isolated patients in the red zone, with drainage handled by a separate pipeline system. However, these mobile single-person toilets could not automatically refill with water and required manual water input, resulting in a significant workload. Initially, this became a source of frustration for the patients in the Fangcang, who complained frequently about toilet cleanliness issues.