Mobile Decontamination Trailers – Top Entrepreneurs Podcast

Grant Stahla, Co-owner of Stahla Services, a nationwide provider of restroom, shower, and ADA trailer rentals again joins Enterprise Radio.

On this episode, the focus will be on the Mobile Decontamination Trailers, all the benefits and the specifics of renting this particular trailer for your needs.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Grant Stahla discuss the following:

(Host Eric Dye): Grant, set the scene—why do decon trailers matter in an emergency?”

(Guest Grant Stahla): Yeah, absolutely. Well, if you can visualize a rail yard and they have a chlorine spill, and when you’re talking about a chlorine spill at one of those facilities, you’re talking thousands of gallons before responders can even approach the leak. They cycle through a mobile decontamination corridor. There’s a dirty zone. And then they shower. And then there’s clean PPE in under 90 seconds. Those minutes save lungs, lawsuits and lives. So in these 15 minutes, we’re going to unpack the tech, the costs and the key models so that the listeners can know exactly which unit to roll out if they need a decontamination trailer.

(Host Eric Dye): Give us the basics, what qualifies as a decontamination (decon) trailer, and where did they come from?

(Guest Grant Stahla): Yeah, good question. So decontamination trailers are self-contained trailers with multi stage cleaning zones for hazardous material removal. That’s a mouthful, but they have roots in Cold War chemical warfare units. Now it’s codified under the OSHA or has WOPER for lead asbestos bio-hazardous material and chemical response. Some of the core deployments are for HAZMAT teams, pandemic screening, industrial shutdowns, asbestos or lead abatement, which means removal or mass casualty events. These are trailers that we don’t hear about often, but when you need them, you really need them.

(Host Eric Dye): What makes a decon trailer different from a regular shower trailer?

(Guest Grant Stahla): Yeah, good question. So with this trailer, there’s a three zone layout. You have a dirty, a shower and a clean. With a triple flap, OSHA airlock curtains for pressure control. You have negative air machines with HEPA or carbon filters. And they capture airborne lead or asbestos filters as well. Onboard hot water, so it’s electric tankless or propane/diesel boilers. So you have instant heat for cold deployments. There’s also gray water containment, so you have 80 plus gallon polymer tanks with cam lock dump valves, or an optional filtration skid. And then you have skid mounted pumps and quick connect plumbing for 30 minute field setup. That wraps up some of the core anatomy and the tech for these decon trailers.

(Host Eric Dye) : Who builds these trailers, and what sets each one apart?

(Guest Grant Stahla): So some of the key manufacturers are Eagle Industries. They make a 16 foot and a 24 foot decontamination unit. They’re either two or four bay shower layouts. They have LFS 10, lead filtration, triple flap curtains, 5.2000 and 6000 tan axles, exterior hand wash stations, HEPA negative air units. So these guys are definitely the leaders with decontamination trailers. There’s EnScaf Enclosures. They make a mobile Decon shower trailer with custom open Bay or two to four shower units with rugged PVC interiors integrated ducting to pair with onsite dust collection for abatement projects. And then you also have ACSI or Advanced Containment Systems. They build mass, casualty, technical Decon series, trailers. They also build just special Decon trailers so they have multi nozzle stainless showers, external boom sprayers for gross decon, insta hot water with solution injection, negative air isolation and then their sizes range from 16 feet to 28 feet on heavy steel chassis. So that’s who builds the trailers and what sets each one apart.

(Host Eric Dye) : How does an operations chief choose the right decon trailer?

(Guest Grant Stahla): Good question. There’s a lot of technicalities with these, so I’ll walk through some of the choices to figure out how to choose the right one. One of the first areas is throughput versus length. With Eagles 4 shower trailer it’s 24 feet. You can handle 40 to 50 people per hour. With a CSI’s 28 foot mash mask casualty trailer with boom sprayers, it’s about 90 people per hour. So that 24 foot Eagle unit is 40 to 50 ACSI’S 28 foot unit is about 90 people per hour. Filtration tiers is another category to look at. If you need lead/asbestos micron filters versus bio which is HEPA plus UVC versus chemical activated carbon filters, so understanding what you need for filtration tiers. Another one is heat source, so one of them is an electric tankless heater. It’s quiet and use a shore power usually versus propane or diesel boilers, which you can do off grid or cold climate. Another one is pressure and climate with negative pressure kits R11 insulation. And usually dual 13 1/2 BTU A/C units for hot zones. That’s good to understand which ones you need. And then the last one to consider is winterization. With that, you want to have heat traced lines and glycol flush packages for sub zero deployments. So those are some of the things to choose for the operations chief to choose the right Decon trailer for them.

(Host Eric Dye) : What’s the price tag, and who foots the bill?

(Guest Grant Stahla): Yeah, good question. To purchase these trailers, it’s anywhere from $90,000 to $250,000 depending on size, filtration and boiler package. Obviously that’s a big range, but with a more specialized you get and the bigger filtration tiers you get the higher the price is gonna be. The emergency rental rates are anywhere from $1,200 to $10,000 a day on a 72 hour Hazmat contract. So it kinda depends on what you have set up beforehand and what your tiers are that you need. And then if you wanna buy one of these to be able to rent it out, you’re looking at industrial incidents or insurance bill back line items, FEMA reimbursable under public assistance category B or long term asbestos abatement with monthly rates ranging from $15,000 to $20,000 per month. That’s some of the price tags and who foots the bill?

(Host Eric Dye) : What keeps a decon trailer mission ready?

(Guest Grant Stahla): With daily, you’re gonna be swapping pre filters, descaling shower heads and logging gray water percentage. You want to dump that at 75%. Weekly, inspect the triple flap curtains for tears. Verify negative airflow at greater than -.02 nwc. Quarterly, you want to certify negative air units or replace HEPA and Carbon Banks. Annually, you want to rebuild the pumps, flush the boilers pressure wash interiors with an anti micro bacterial solution. That’s what keeps a Decon trailer mission ready.

(Host Eric Dye) : Where is the technology headed next?

(Guest Grant Stahla): Yeah, some of the things for IoT telemetry flow through counters and tank level SMS alerts to incident command. You have solar assist Preheat shaving 20% fuel on boilers, HEPA + UVC hybrid air sanitizers for bio threats and rapid deploy, inflatable vestibules, doubling clean space room in 5 minutes. Those are some of the technologies that Decon trailers are going.

(Host Eric Dye) : Grant, wrap it up, what’s the one thing listeners should remember?

(Guest Grant Stahla): Yeah, absolutely. Well, one key take away is that a well spec decontamination trailer turns chaos into a controlled entry. Protects crews, communities and bottom lines. You can check more about the decontamination trailers out at Stahla.com & search decontamination trailer. And that’s a quick overview of the decontamination trailer. I hope that’s helpful and I hope that’ll give you some of the next steps if you’re looking into these trailers.

Tune into our ALL ABOUT Stahla Services Podcast Series – right here.

About Grant & Erin Stahla

Grant and Erin Stahla are entrepreneurs passionate about redefining portable sanitation and creating a business that reflects their values—care for people, excellence in service, and faith-driven leadership.

Their journey began with a shared passion for business, which became the foundation of their relationship. While most couples start with small talk, Grant and Erin’s first date was spent discussing sales, marketing, and operations. Grant launched Stahla Services right out of college, and Erin joined him in the business after they got married. Together, they’ve built a company that not only delivers exceptional service but also prioritizes strong relationships—with customers, employees, and the community.

Beyond their work, Grant and Erin are committed to personal growth, mentoring young entrepreneurs, and giving back through their support of Love Justice International, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing human trafficking. Their business is an extension of their mission to serve others while fostering a life centered on faith, family, and integrity.

About Stahla Services

At Stahla Services, we believe restrooms should be more than just a necessity. That’s why we provide restroom and shower trailer rentals that offer a clean, comfortable, and premium experience for event guests, construction crews, and businesses alike.

Unlike standard porta-potties, our facilities feel more like high-end hotel restrooms, featuring:

✅ Climate control for comfort in any season
✅ Fresh running water and modern fixtures
✅ Spacious, spotless interiors with fully stocked supplies

Whether you are hosting a wedding, managing a construction site, or organizing a corporate event, we deliver reliable service with a commitment to excellence. Our team ensures that your restroom experience is seamless, from setup to pickup, so you can focus on what matters most.

Beyond business, we’re driven by a purpose—to do things the right way, give back to those in need, and create opportunities for growth. With every rental, a portion of our profits supports Love Justice International in their fight against human trafficking.

At Stahla Services, we’re more than just a restroom rental company—we’re a team dedicated to providing comfort, reliability, and care in every interaction.