How can I tell if I sent a carrier to the right station?
A: Prior to sending a carrier, be sure to confirm that the station address that you have entered is correct. If after you press send you suspect an error, you may press the Special key on the V-Panel or the User Options key on the Smart Panel to access an option to view the last 48 dispatches. In addition, your facility engineering department can confirm the address of each transaction. If your facility has Pevco Tracker™, users have access to a detailed audit trail via their PDA or networked PC.
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How can I send more than one carrier to the same station?
A: The system is designed to send one carrier per station at a time. To send additional carriers to the same address, wait for the LCD on the station to read "Station Ready" before sending a second carrier.
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Can I send two carriers at the same time?
A: No. Wait for the "Station Ready" message to appear on the LCD before starting the second transaction. If you do attempt to piggyback carriers, the second carrier will not reach its destination.
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What do I do if something leaks inside a carrier and remains inside the carrier?
A: Contact your engineering department for specific instructions because every facility has its own procedures. In general, when a medical product or biohazard spills and remains contained within the carrier, carefully bag all contaminated contents including any foam inserts and dispose of them following OSHA/CDC regulations. The plastic pneumatic tube system carrier can be cleaned using disinfectants that do not contain formalin, formaldehyde or forms thereof.
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What do I do if something spills inside a carrier and leaks outside the carrier and into the tube system?
A: Immediately stop using your station, use a biohazard bag to contain the contaminated carrier and contact your engineering department. They will have specific cleaning procedures for liquid and airborne contaminants. Be prepared to tell them exactly what was spilled and when the carrier was received.
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What do I do with a carrier that arrives at the wrong destination station?
A: To determine which station a carrier was sent from using the V-Panel, press the Special key to access an option to view the last 18 carriers received or, on the Smart Panel, access User Options and choose option #62 to view the last 18 carriers received. Transactions are listed in chronological order, most recent first. You facility engineering department also has access to the central computer and can confirm delivery information. If your facility has Pevco Tracker™, users have access to a detailed audit trail via their PDA or networked PC.
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Why do carriers wait before leaving the station after I select the send button?
A: The system accepts send requests on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the send button is pressed, the system computer puts your send request in line for delivery and will dispatch it as soon as possible. During the busiest times of the day, wait times may be longer. As a safety precaution, the system only allows a carrier to leave a station once a complete and clear path to its destination is available. Unlike other pneumatic tube manufacturers, Pevco never holds live carriers within the system.
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What can I send through the pneumatic tube system?
A: Your facility will have specific recommendations that you should follow. In general, lab specimens, blood products, pharmaceuticals and other small healthcare related materials may be safely transported within the system. Sending personal items, especially food, is not recommended.
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How much can I put in the carrier?
A: Different size carriers have different weight capacities so it depends on the size of the carriers used in your facility. In general, a 4" diameter carrier can safely hold 3 lbs. and a 6" diameter carrier can safely hold 5 lbs. of material. The system can move heavier payloads, but Pevco recommends following our guidelines to ensure the optimal performance of your system. Regardless of the contents, be sure the carrier is closed securely and that nothing protrudes outside the carrier.
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Can we turn off the audible alarm that comes on when a carrier is delivered?
A: Yes. Your engineering department has instructions on how to disable the alarm.
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Can we get different color carriers?
A: Yes. Pevco carriers are available in yellow, green, blue, red and black. Contact your engineering department for purchasing information.
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Why is my station restricted to sending to only a few stations?
A: Some stations within facilities have been configured as restricted to reduce the possibility of misdirected carriers. These configurations can be updated by your engineering department.
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Can a carrier sent from one station have higher priority over other stations?
A: Yes. Stations can be assigned priority over others within your facility by your engineering department. Once a priority level is set for a station all carriers sent from that station have the same priority.
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Will the pre-programmed address keys send a carrier faster?
A: Preprogrammed or "stat keys" requires fewer key strokes to send a carrier but they do not place your send request any higher in the system's queue. Deliveries are carried out in the order received by the computer.
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Can I confirm that a carrier I sent was received at the correct destination?
If your facility has Pevco Tracker™, then you have real-time access to transaction data including where a carrier was delivered, what time it arrived and who accepted the delivery. If you do not use Pevco Tracker™, you can either call the destination for confirmation or contact your engineering department who has access to basic time-stamp data from each system transaction.
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Where do carriers go when sent to empty carrier return?
A: Empty carriers are either held in storage tubes built into the system, sent directly to another station that has requested an empty or sent to a station that the system has determined is below its assigned carrier count.
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