Ever since she was a young girl, Lori Leggett has disliked having to use a flashlight in unlit restrooms at places like campsites. More recently — as the co-owner of Crockett Septic in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, with George Van Stedum — she discovered she doesn’t much like cleaning dark restrooms either.

Leggett and Van Stedum wore headlamps during late night and early morning servicing at their first event in August of 2015. That’s when they decided that lights they had seen at the 2015 Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport (WWETT) Show would be a good investment — both for them and the public.

That fall, they ordered 40 J&J Portable Sanitation Products J-Lights to install in portable restrooms used for events and camping. The 30-lumen, motion-sensor LED lights turn on when the door is opened and switch off after 40 seconds of activity. They are solar powered, and a sensor keeps them turned off during daylight.

“After our first year, we found people liked to damage or steal them frequently, which was very disappointing,” Leggett says. “However, we felt the benefit still outweighed the vandalism.”

For additional restrooms, they purchased Satellite | PolyPortables motion lights that mount on brackets and are riveted to the wall. Those lights require AA batteries and typically last through a summer season.

Though Crockett Septic doesn’t charge customers extra for units with lights, they do charge for lights that are removed or destroyed, Van Stedum says. So they don’t lose money, just time, replacing or fixing them.

More than 150 of their 500 restrooms have motion lights. They are included with all the older T.S.F. restrooms used for camping, and on some Satellite | PolyPortables units used for events. The lights are especially welcome during winter events, such as a brewery event in January and Special Olympics winter games.

After using them for three years, restrooms with lights are expected by customers who contract with Crockett Septic.

“Our guideline is that we have restrooms that our mom, sister or daughter would use,” Leggett says. “We really wanted to please our customers, and the lights are a big hit.”