If you are looking for a portable toilet for traveling or camping then check out the Thetford Porta Potti 345 portable toilet. This portable toilet is quite popular amongst campers and explorers alike. In this review, we’re going to take a look at the updated version of the original Thetford porta potti toilet.
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- Versatility: award-winning, top-of-the-line portable toilet, suited for RVs, boats, trucks, vans, healthcare, camping and even off-the-grid lifestyle
- Design: ergonomic handle makes it easy to maneuver. The compact toilet comes with an easy-to-use piston flush
- Sanitary: sealed valve prevents odors escaping the holding tank
- Convenience: the removable seat and cover makes cleaning easier and faster. Emptying the toilet is easy with the help of the rotating pour-out spout
Last update on 2023-09-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Table of Contents
Overview of the Thetford Porta Potti 345 Portable Toilet
When you first look at the Thetford 345 portable toilet it looks very small. In actuality, it’s not that small in my opinion. The toilet measures around 15.4” x 17.1” x13.3″. If you open the lid of this toilet, you’ll see a toilet seat that is narrow in the front and wide in the back. The toilet measure 10 inches wide in the front and 13 inches wide in the back. You will also notice the bowl is quite deep.
On the front-left bottom of the toilet is the indicator light for the waste tank. There is also a button on the left-hand side of the top of the toilet. This button is to flush the toilet when it is filled with water. The flusher for this toilet is a piston with a billow pump. On the right-hand side, is the cap where you fill the fresh-water tank. The fresh-water tank holds 4 gallons of water. The waste tank holds 3.2 gallons of waste. And finally, when the toilet is completely empty of water the toilet, it weighs about 10-pounds.
How the Thetford 345 Porta Potti Works
Before you use the Thetford 345 porta potti there’s a couple of things you need to know. You need to unscrew the cap on the right side on top of the toilet right. This is located behind the toilet seat. Once this is done, you need to fill the tank with clean water. Once done, it’s time to replace the cap. After you finish using the toilet, push the button on the left-hand side located on the top. You’re going to have to press it several times add water to the bowl.
There is a large gray handle at the bottom front of the toilet. Pull the handle out to allow the water to flow through into the waste tank. Once this is finished, push the handle back in. Repeat the process each time you use the portable toilet until it is time to empty the waste tank. Once you complete the steps mentioned, you’ll be familiar with how to use this portable toilet.
How to Empty and Clean the Waste Tank
On the back of the toilet is a slide lever that releases the top of the toilet from the waste tank. Once it’s time to empty the toilet, lift off the top part of the toilet. Using the carry handle take the dump tank to where you plan to empty the toilet.
On the left of the waste tank is a spout that you need to turn away from the waste tank. Turn the waste tank so that the spout is pointing down at the waste receptacle. Hold down the button at the back when emptying the tank. Once the tank is emptied add some clean water into the waste tank through the spout. Close the spout and swish the water around and then empty the waste tank again. Repeat this process until the water comes out of the waste tank clear.
If you’re looking for cleaning chemicals to use, Thetford has a couple of options to look at. The chemicals they offer are for both the waste and the fresh-water tank. You can use other competitors’ cleaning products as well for this process.
- Versatility: award-winning, top-of-the-line portable toilet, suited for RVs, boats, trucks, vans, healthcare, camping and even off-the-grid lifestyle
- Design: ergonomic handle makes it easy to maneuver. The compact toilet comes with an easy-to-use piston flush
- Sanitary: sealed valve prevents odors escaping the holding tank
- Convenience: the removable seat and cover makes cleaning easier and faster. Emptying the toilet is easy with the help of the rotating pour-out spout
Last update on 2023-09-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Thetford 345 Reviews
The reviews for the Thetford Porta Potti 345 portable toilet are extremely good. The vast majority of users feel that this toilet meets their needs. Several users have had the older versions of this model for many years and later, replacing them with the newer version.
Pros
- Good size waste storage tank
- Easy to clean
- Deep bowl
- Well-built
- Doesn’t take up a lot of space
- Don’t have to empty the waste every day
- No waste bags to have to buy
Cons
- Some of these toilets leak
- Sits very low to the ground (4 inches lower than your home toilet)
- Can be messy to dump
- People with knee joint problems may find this toilet sits too low to be comfortable or useful
Addition Tips
Instead of purchasing expensive chemicals for the waste tank try baking soda. Some people find the smell of the chemicals very unpleasant. Baking soda can help eliminate odors without a chemical smell. Also, keep a gallon of water next to the potty to rinse the bowl of the toilet. Since the flusher only fills the pipe where the waste goes. Also, Rinse out the bowl after you open the handle to the waste tank.
To keep the porta potti sanitary, wipe it down with disinfectant wipes every few uses. Also, consider keeping your toilet paper separate and placing it in a garbage bag. This will allow you to use regular toilet paper instead of the more expensive quick degrading paper. It will also prevent the waste tank from filling up so fast. You may want to build a platform to raise this toilet to a more comfortable height.
- Versatility: award-winning, top-of-the-line portable toilet, suited for RVs, boats, trucks, vans, healthcare, camping and even off-the-grid lifestyle
- Design: ergonomic handle makes it easy to maneuver. The compact toilet comes with an easy-to-use piston flush
- Sanitary: sealed valve prevents odors escaping the holding tank
- Convenience: the removable seat and cover makes cleaning easier and faster. Emptying the toilet is easy with the help of the rotating pour-out spout
Last update on 2023-09-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Verdict
The Thetford 345 porta potti appears to be a well-designed and well-made portable toilet. This toilet is quite durable and is small enough to transport easily. It also appears to be large enough to accommodate most adults. However, there are no posted user weight limits for this product. This can obviously be a safety concern if you’re larger. However, some users who used this toilet weighed over 200 pounds.
Finally, this portable toilet currently gets 5-star reviews from more than ¾ of the users. The complaints on this toilet are few and far between. Although this portable toilet is quite expensive, it may be well worth the money. So, my final verdict on this is a yay. If you’re looking for a compact durable toilet, get the Thetford portable toilet.
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About the Thetford Corporation
The Thetford Corporation is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Thetford is a company that manufactures, sells, and distributes outdoor products around the world. Among these products, this company makes a long line of portable toilets. They make portable toilets for people who enjoy the outdoors and but also want the convenience of a modern portable toilet.
This is why Thetford 345 is so popular amongst campers and people alike. Funny enough, this is just one portable toilet from a long line of popular portable toilets from Thetford.
Are Portable Toilets Worth the Money?
Depending on the type and manufacturer you choose from, it depends. Portable toilets, in general, can vary a great deal. These factors on quality, service, and price. The prices for these types of toilets can run anywhere from around $20.00 to over $100.00. The Thetford 345 Porta Potti is one of the higher-priced portable toilets. And, saying that, it’s for a good reason.
Many people who don’t own a portable toilet often find themselves asking if a portable toilet is worth the money. The answer to that question is it depends on the individual and the reason for the toilet. While some people don’t mind walking to the bathroom on campgrounds or leaving their trucks to find a washroom, there’s a lot to consider. If you answer yes to the following questions, you may want to consider getting a portable toilet.
- Do you not feel safe walking around in the dead of the night to use the bathroom?
- Are you not okay with an unsanitized public washroom?
- Do you like having your own privacy when you go to the washroom?
By the way, campers are not the only people who use portable toilets. As mentioned before, long-distance truck drivers use them and many others. Families going out on off-grid trips use portable toilets as well. For all these types of people, a portable toilet is definitely worth the price and investment.
- Versatility: award-winning, top-of-the-line portable toilet, suited for RVs, boats, trucks, vans, healthcare, camping and even off-the-grid lifestyle
- Design: ergonomic handle makes it easy to maneuver. The compact toilet comes with an easy-to-use piston flush
- Sanitary: sealed valve prevents odors escaping the holding tank
- Convenience: the removable seat and cover makes cleaning easier and faster. Emptying the toilet is easy with the help of the rotating pour-out spout
Last update on 2023-09-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
What Look In A Portable Toilet?
If you are considering buying a portable toilet here are some things to consider.
- Size – You want the portable toilet to be small enough to easily transport and large enough for you to use.
- Durability – Is the build quality of the toilet good enough to hold up to several years of use?
- Weight Capacity- Will the toilet bear the weight of the individuals who plan to use it?
- Size of the Waste Holding Tank- How many gallons of waste does the toilet actually hold? Ideally, you want a waste tank that holds a few days. You do want to have a toilet is a small waste tank you have to empty frequently. Plus, you want it to be too heavy to carry around.
- Ease of Emptying- Is the waste tank on the toilet easy to empty? Will it be a messy job? No waste tank is pleasant to empty, but you don’t want a waste tank that causes a great deal of backsplash when you empty it.
- Ease of Cleaning- Is the portable toilet easy to clean and disinfect? Let’s be honest, you won’t clean a portable toilet frequently if cleaning is difficult. You want the process to be easy.
- Height – Some toilets sit very low to the ground and this can be a problem. This will be difficult to deal with for people with knee joint problems or very tall.
