gnats

[misschell78]

When i was at the "we cant find a cleaning crew" fmc walnut hill, there was a terrible gnat problem because the drains in the wall would back up.  the floor was always gray when it was supposed to be white. when the did have the floor mopped and waxed, the nurse manager would get all excited and say to me.."look we had the floor cleaned"...isn't that supoosed to happen everyday.......glad i ran up put of there!!!!

[qwerty]

We have the same problem with "sink flies" as they call them here. My unit is clean (at least to the eyes lol). But they looked at me like I was nuts when I complained about seeing a german cockroach climb out of a machine!!!! I have also seen them in our break area and screamed when a big rat met me in the clean storage area last week which is also where our RO water system is located. It's a real pain with the gnats as I'll be putting a client on or taking one off and the little buggers will be all up in my face shield. Worse yet was an elderly lady getting treatment who was napping with her mouth wide open. I put a mask on her as the gnats were going in and out of her mouth/nose.  Wish Thiry would put some of that 27 million compensation package he recieved for this year in to exterminators!!!

[kruep]

We always had a gnat problem in my unit.  We contin. had an exterminator in their, called the plumber in, oured bleach down all drains daily nothing worked!!!
One of the units in Atlanta had a big rat that they named "Ben" because he was there for so long.  At first they thought that he was a cat.
kruep

[Hawkeye]

The gnats/drain flies are a problem at just about any clinic you go to.  The problem is dialysis itself.  The waste that is produced from the machine doing their job dumps down the drain and you get a build-up of gunk that the flies lay their eggs in and feed upon.  There is a special thing you can buy to spray in the drains that help reduce the amount of build-up, but I have never seen it go completely away.  Here are a few things that can be done to reduce the problem...

1. Run bleach down the drainboards (funnels on the side of the machine) if you have them between each shift of patients.  If not pour bleach down the walbox drain between shifts of patients.

2. Purchase a pump sprayer and Drain Gel (OE-30 if purchased from Orkin) and spray this down every drain in the clinic at the end of each day.  This means the wall boxes (not the drainboards), floor drains on treatment floor and in bathrooms, and all the sinks.  All the drains lead to the same sump-pump pit so by spraying all the drains not just the ones on the floor you are getting to areas of the buildup faster than spraying just at the treatment floor.  Bleach counteracts the Drain Gel/OE-30 so it should be sprayed in the wall boxes after the machines are bleached on bleach night.

If you do this it will greatly reduce the amount of flies you will notice.  I have never been to a clinic that didn't have a small issue with drain flies and I don't believe there is a way to completely get rid of them since the dialysis process is the cause for them in the first place.

[qwerty]

We always had a gnat problem in my unit.  We contin. had an exterminator in their, called the plumber in, oured bleach down all drains daily nothing worked!!!
One of the units in Atlanta had a big rat that they named "Ben" because he was there for so long.  At first they thought that he was a cat.
kruep

LOL, hmm guess I'll have to name him or her as today he didnt even take off when I came in and continued on his business rummaging through a box.  He's a big one too!!!

[Bajanne]

This seems unbelievable to me.  Our unit is squeaky clean ALL THE TIME.  Before the last ones get off, the cleaning ladies are already descending on the unit.  Have never seen a fly or any kind of bug there.

[Black]

I remember LifeOnHold talking about the center in Inverness, FL having the back door propped open for ventilation.  The garbage cans were by the back door, and the flies were buzzing all over inside and out.  She said she would never visit her parents again if that was the only center available.

[2_DallasCowboys]

I remember LifeOnHold talking about the center in Inverness, FL having the back door propped open for ventilation. The garbage cans were by the back door, and the flies were buzzing all over inside and out. She said she would never visit her parents again if that was the only center available.

   

I also remember reading this quite a while ago- and when I saw
this post about the flies, I was besides myself!  I go absolutely
crazy if there is a fly in the house, never mind at dialysis, where it
is supposed to be so squeaky clean.  I asked Les rite away about
flies, etc- he said no, never saw any.  His unit is immaculate- I
would feel all  the others should be, too. If not, someone should
do something to get them to clean up their act pronto.

Anne

[ODAT]

Something my sister did when she had a problem with her garbage disposal.

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 drops of dishwashing liquid

Leave in a bowl and gnats will fly in and drown! good luck!

[kitkatz]

What is worse than gnats...rats.  Yes, one of the techs that used to work at my old center says she saw a rat about the size of a house cat.  At which point she said NO way!