Portable baptistry is the part of a church used for baptism and is portable or moveable. By being portable you can hold a baptism service virtually anywhere. The baptistry can be filled with a garden hose connected to an outside or sink faucet and ran over the side of the tub much like you would fill a pool in your back yard. The average portable baptistry holds between 100 – 125 gallons of water and can be filled usually in about 20 to 30 minutes depending on water pressure. The empty weight of most portable baptistries is approximately 300 to 350 pounds. If you take the weight of the baptistry plus the weight of the water (which is approximately 1000 pounds), when filled the portable baptistry will weigh approximately 1300 pounds or so. If you plan to use the baptistry on a floor that is constructed of wood and has either a crawl space or basement under it, you will want to set the unit directly on the floor so that the weight of the baptistry is spread out over a larger area. If you are in a church that has a concrete floor and the portable baptistry is offered with a wheel kit you may want to leave it on the wheels so that it can be moved with water in the baptistry, providing the wheel kit is rated for the weight. Once the baptistry is filled you will want to heat the water, because no one likes to be baptized in cold water. The best way to heat and circulate the water is with a circulation heater made specifically for portable baptistries. The BES7000 series is the best baptistry heater on the market for this application. It offers a powerful pump that has no metal parts, so it will not freeze up and a 1.5kw heater that can heat the water in the baptistry typically in about 4 to 5 hours. The baptistry heater can be plugged into a standard wall outlet and does not require any special wiring. It even comes with its own built-in GFCI plug. We don’t recommend immersion heaters for portable baptistries due to the safety concerns of individuals possibly being burned if they accidentally touch the exposed heating element. Another thing to keep in mind if you are considering the purchase of a portable baptistry is if you plan to leave water in the tub or will you fill and drain it with each baptism service. If you plan to leave water in the baptistry you will want to make sure the baptistry has a special coating over the gel coat such as a PPO finish to prevent the water and chemicals from damaging the gel coat finish. Without the special coating the gel coat will begin to blister and discolor over time and in most cases will void any warranty. You will need to use chemicals to keep the water clean and sanitary just as you would with an outdoor pool. If you allow the water to sit without circulation and treatment it will become stagnant. When it comes time to drain the water from the portable baptistry you can either use the built-in drain (which is gravity fed) or purchase a submersible pump that can be set in the deepest part of the baptistry. The submersible pump is a much quicker method for draining the unit. Once the baptistry has been drained of all the water it is a good idea to wipe it down to dry the surfaces. Then the steps, handrail, hoses, etc. can be stored inside of the portable baptistry and put back in storage or used as the communion table or lectern. The 6P or 6PXL Portable Baptistry Deluxe Package is the perfect solution if your church is considering or looking for a baptistry that is portable.