Bands Make Pile Distortions Correctable
This report was done for a carpet mill.
THE CARPET
FIBER/ ID METHOD: Nylon-Chemical
FIBER HUE: Green
CONSTRUCTION: Tufted Cut Pile
YARN STYLE: Saxony
SQUARE YARDAGE: 203.3
BACK SYSTEM: Conventional Tuft
PRIMARY BACKING: Polypropylene
SECONDARY BACKING: Polypropylene
THE INSTALLATION
LOCATION TYPE: Residential
METHOD: Stretch-In
CUSHION: 1/2 Inch Rebond
SUBFLOOR: Concrete on the First Level, Plywood on the Second Level.
AREA INSTALLED: Living-Room, Den, Stairs, Upstairs Hallway, 4 Bedrooms
USE & MAINTENANCE INFORMATION AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION
LITERATURE RECEIVED WITH PURCHASE: None Reported
TEMPERATURE: 68.2°F - 20.1° C RH 51%
ADULTS: 2 - CHILDREN: 3 - PET(S): 4 - Dogs
DO THEY SMOKE? No
SPOTTING AGENTS: None Yet
VACUUM/FREQUENCY: Upright Weekly & More
ENTRY-MATS? Yes
SOIL: See Report
HEATING TYPE: Central Force Air Gas
COOLING TYPE: Central - Electric
CLEANING: Never Been Cleaned
REASON FOR COMMISSION
The carpet has reportedly streaked.
THE REPORT
Site Conditions and Geographical Information
The carpet was in the claimant’s free standing two story house located in a residential neighborhood. The house was well maintained and was owner occupied at the time of the inspection.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION MADE TO THE INSPECTOR
According to the consumer, a problem with lines was noticed immediately after installation. They have been more or less visible depending upon lighting conditions. Reportedly, the installer ran out of carpet and the final installation was made up of two or more rolls. No corrections had been attempted at the time of the inspection.
DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM AREA BY THIS INSPECTOR
Lines running the width of the carpet were noted in the living-room, upstairs hallway and two bedrooms. In the living-room they appear to run every four feet; in one of the bedrooms, they were approximately every two feet. Looking toward the directions of manufacturing the lines were darker and from the other direction, they were lighter.
The carpet was pulled back in the living-room and the holes made by the tackless-strip-nails were not oblong, indicating a lack of power stretching.
ON-LOCATION FIELD TESTING
A Pile Direction Test was done using a piece of paper and a pencil. The pile direction was not the same as the rest of the carpet in the lines.
A portable steam generator was used to correct the pile directions. Improvements were made to the claimant’s satisfaction...
THE ISSUE
The question that I have been asked to address is: what has caused the carpet to develop lines?
GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING THE ISSUE
Widthwise Lines Can Be Caused From
1. storage from Roll Crushing
2. installation errors
· lack of stretching
· improper bending or fold marks
· when cushion seams separate, such as when there is no duct tape covering the seam
3. manufacturer’s defects from
· stop marks
· tension variations on the seam
INDUSTRY STANDARDS & DEFINITIONS
According to the FLOORCOVERING DICTIONARY is says this about FOLD MARKS:
FOLD MARKS - Exposing carpet to contaminants that leave a yellow color band or stain on the carpet is the probable cause of a fold mark. Narrow lines cased by creases in the carpet during storage.
According to the FLOORCOVERING DICTIONARY is says this about BAND:
BAND - Abnormal color variation extending across the width of a carpet, usually grater than one yard in width. Bands may be caused by stops (fairly well defined bands) or uneven application during continuos dyeing (less defined at starting and ending edges).
THE INSPECTOR'S ANALYSIS
Storage and roll crushing often leave a pile direction similar to the ones found in this carpet. These are correctable, however roll crushing generally happens at increasing increments and not at a consistent distances. Also, fold marks generally do not repeat themselves, and cushion problems do not create pile direction problems. Finally, not power stretching does not create uniform pile distortions.
Based upon the uniformity of the distortions, a manufacturing related problem makes the most sense, however, mill related problems are seldom fixable and this one was.
CONCLUSION
Bands in the carpet in question were created by pile distortions inherent in manufacturing based upon of their uniformity. They were corrected during the inspection.