A tiny heart-shaped fly sits on your bathroom wall and barely moves. You wipe it off, and the next day there is another one. That is a drain fly (hamoush in Egyptian Arabic), and it lives inside your drain, so drain fly treatment starts there.
Drain flies lay their eggs in the slimy layer inside drains and pipes, so that layer has to come out. Spraying the flies will not do it. We find the source drain, treat it along with the damp areas around it, and explain how to clean it and keep an eye on it. If there is a leak or a broken sewer pipe, it has to be repaired.
They have a hairy body and papery wings. They sit on the bathroom wall and leave a powdery smudge when you wipe them.
Small numbers come out at the shower, sink or washing machine drain, especially in the morning and at night.
The drain in a guest bathroom that sits idle can suit them very well.
A dark, sticky layer inside the pipe, and you may notice a sewer smell coming from it.
The whole drain fly life cycle happens inside that sticky layer, which is a buildup of hair, soap and grease in the pipe. Shower water and bleach run over it quickly, so the larvae stay put. That is why you see new flies after every spray.
The problem may not even be in the drain you can see. It could be a broken sewer pipe under the tiles, an exposed grate in the air shaft, or a nearby manhole. If all the drains are clean and the flies are still there, we will look for that source.
Drain flies do not bite. Still, seeing them always means somewhere needs a better clean, and hospitals and restaurants cannot let them stay.
Which bathroom or kitchen do you see them in most? Is the building old? Then we give you the price and the time.
The technician checks the drains one by one and finds which ones have slime or have flies coming out.
We show you how to clean out the sticky layer, treat the drains with a suitable product, and treat the damp areas around them.
If a pipe is broken or a cover does not seal, we write it on the receipt so it gets fixed, because otherwise the drain flies will come back.
The larvae already there are gone within a short time, and we stay in touch with you to find out whether there is another source.
Put clear tape over the drain opening at night and leave a small part uncovered. If you find flies stuck to it in the morning, that drain is the source. Repeat this with every drain in your home.
Clean inside the drain with a long brush, and on plastic pipes use hot water, not boiling. Bleach on its own runs past quickly and does not remove the layer. Do not mix bleach with other cleaners, because the gas it makes is dangerous.
We treat the drains while you are out of the bathroom, and the room gets aired out afterward. The technician tells you how long to wait, and it is written on the receipt.
If you have a small child or a sick person in a nearby room, tell us so we can choose a suitable time and way to air the place out.
With drain fly treatment, the worry is promises nobody wrote down. This is the sheet the technician hands you.
An illustration of what gets written down at the visit.
No, they do not bite. But having them means there is a sticky layer or a leak that needs sorting out.
Because bleach runs quickly over the sticky layer and the larvae stay where they are. You need to clean with a brush and use a suitable drain treatment.
They could be, if you share a sewer line or they come through the air shaft. We check your own drains first, though, because that is where they usually come from.
Probably not. If the tests show a broken pipe under the floor, we will tell you to call a plumber.
The warranty is 5 years, written on the receipt with its terms, as long as any plumbing problem we wrote down for you gets fixed.
It depends on the number of bathrooms and drains, and you get the price by phone. It is written down before we start, and it does not go up after you agree.
One phone call, and we set a time with you.
