BNC Vs Staple

This report was done for a homeowner who want the same carpet as they had before. However, the carpet mill had switched from staple to continuos filament nylon and the new carpet did not feel as thick.

MANUFACTURER:    Catalina Carpet Mills
    12836 E. Alondra Blvd.
    Cerritos, CA 90701
    Karen Nelson 562-926-5811
ROLL & INVOICE NUMBERS:    Not Given
STYLE NAME & NUMBER:    Beverly Height
COLOR NAME & NUMBER:    Not Given
FIBER MAKER:    DuPont
FIBER NAME:     Grand Luxura™
FIBER PROTECTANT:    Stain Master
NUMBER on BACKING:    Not Applicable
FIBER:    Nylon
ID METHOD:    Chemical
FIBER COLOR:    Gray
CONSTRUCTION:    Conventional Tuft
YARN STYLE:    Saxony
SQUARE YARDAGE:    Not Given
BACK SYSTEM:    Conventional Tuft
PRIMARY BACKING:    Polypropylene
SECONDARY BACKING:    Polypropylene
INSTALLATION STATISTICS
TYPE LOCATION:    Residential
METHOD:    Stretch-In
CUSHION:    1/2 Inch Rebond 6.5 LB / Cubit foot
SUBFLOOR:    Concrete on the First Level, Plywood on the Second
AREA INSTALLED:     See Report
USE & MAINTENANCE STATISTICS AT THE TIME OF THE INSPECTION
LITERATURE RECEIVED WITH PURCHASE: No
ADULTS: 3 - CHILDREN: 0 - PET(S): 0
DO THEY SMOKE?    No
SPOTTING AGENTS:    None
TEMPERATURE: 83.1°F - 28.3° C RH 59%
VACUUM TYPE:    Built-In
VACUUM FREQUENCY:    Professional Service/Weekly
ENTRY-MATS:    Yes
SOIL:    See Report
HEATING TYPE:    Forced Air Gas
COOLING TYPE:    Central - Electric
CLEANING:        See Report
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS REPORT
Assess the problem reported and make a determination of the responsible parties.
SITE CONDITIONS & GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
This is a 7000 square foot, owner-occupied, two-story house, which was built in 1985 along with similar homes in a secluded neighborhood.
The house was undergoing fire-damage restoration at the time of inspection and some of its downstairs furnishing was in disarray.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION MADE TO THE INSPECTOR
In November of 1999, a kitchen fire caused damage throughout this home and necessitated the replacement of the carpet. The Restoration Company was the dealer mentioned above and the same carpet from the same manufacturer was selected. Upon the completion of the installation in the upstairs, the carpet did not seem to:
1. be as thick or lustrous as the previous carpet
2. be as resilient over the previous carpet
3. the same quality of seams as before
4. have smooth edges next to the baseboard as before
5. release spots as easily as before.
An inspection of the carpet was made by Ray Pettijohn, the sales representative of Catalina Carpet Mills, and a report was made. A letter was mailed back to the commissioner/claimant of this report saying:
1. "We found this carpet to meet all specifications for this quality."
2. "Since the original carpet was purchased we have had a fiber change."
3. "The Beverly Heights replacement carpet is manufactured using Dupont Stainmaster Grand Luxura premium nylon fiber and are certified by Dupont as having passed rigorous testing standards to qualify for the Dupont Stainmaster warrant."
The commissioner/claimant did not agree with the Catalina Carpet Mill's assessment of the carpet's condition and hence, this inspection was commissioned to investigate further into the problems reported.
Karen Nelson of Catalina Carpet Mill reports, (via phone, July 18, 2000), that the change in fiber was from a staple yarn to a continuous filament yarn. Application of DuPont's protectant is subcontracted to a local dye house.
The carpet installer reports that a cable company was due to come in after the installation to lay wires under the carpet. Any ease in lifting the carpet off the tackless strip could be due to the lying of this wire.
DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM AREA BY THIS INSPECTOR
The carpet in question was still un-installed and was in rolls, along with the cushion, in the downstairs; although, the stairs and upstairs carpets were installed. Edges of the carpet in the upstairs-hallway looked as though it had been shaved next to the baseboard and the cuts appeared to be rough. The seams where panels of carpet came together appeared to have been missing yarns. Dark spots that appeared to be from common household spills were noted in the computer-room. Trafficked areas were crushed; however, there was no apparent loss of twist to the yarn. The carpet was pulled back in the hallway and the tackless strip was measured at one-half inch from the wall. Yarns at the carpet's edge appeared to have been cut by beveling the knife. The carpet was easily lifted off the tackless strip in one of the bedrooms and the holes made by the tackless strip nails did not indicate that proper power stretching had been done. There was no cable wire noted in this area. The thickness of the carpet was measured at one-half inch as noted in picture number nine.
ON-LOCATION FIELD TESTING
A test using Scotchgard, (3M), Carpet Protector, SPS-3001, Carpet Test Kit was used to determine if fluorochemical soil protectant was present. This test consists of placing oil that comes with the test kit on the yarns using an eyedropper to see if they will soak-in or bead. The results of this test reveal that the oil soaked into the yarn immediately indicating no protection.
A DuPont® Stain Resist Test was performed to determine the amount of stain resistance on the face yarn. This kit was part of the Master Series Program by DuPont started in 1988 and consists of soaking treated and not treated yarns in DuPont's a dye solution, rinsing them both with tap water, and then comparing the differences. The results of this test revealed that there was little protection on the yarns.
An ultra-violet light was shone to find evidence that seaming adhesive was used on cut edges. Some but not all seaming adhesives have a dye that shines under ultraviolet light. There was no shine found.
THE ISSUE
The question that I have been asked to address is what responsibility does the dealer and/or manufacturer have towards the problems reported and found in this report.
GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING THE ISSUE
The standards for installing residential carpet can be found in the CRI105 from the Carpet & Rug Institute and the current edition is called CRI105-1996.
Guidelines for the soil and stain resistance of this carpet can be found in DuPont's Warranty for Stainmaster® Grand Luxura™ Carpet.
INDUSTRY STANDARDS & DEFINITIONS
The fiber producer's warrant was found at http://www.dupont.com/Stainmaster/choosing/smgrand_old.html on the World Wide Web and should be considered as an addendum to this report.
Text concerning cushion requirements is as follows from this warranty:
Carpet must be installed over padding, which meets the HUD UM 72a, Class 1 standards. This certification sets minimum standards for carpet cushion for density (lbs./cu.ft), thickness (in.), weight (oz./sq. yd.), and other physical characteristics, which determine its performance.
The DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE SECRETARY FOR HOUSING FEDERAL HOUSING COMMISSIONER sets the standards for minimum cushion thickness and density. For Bonded the standard is:
· For CLASS 1 carpet which is defined as 'Light and Moderate Traffic (such as living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, recreational rooms and corridors" the standard is 0.375 or 3/8 inches thickness and five pounds per cubic foot density.
· For CLASS 2 carpet which is defined as "Heavy Duty Traffic (for heavy traffic use at all levels, but specifically for public areas such as lobbies and corridors in multi-family facilities recreational rooms and corridors" the standard is 0.375 i.e. 3/8 inches thickness and 6.5 pounds per cubic foot.
· The Carpet Cushion Council also recommends Class 2 for stairs and hallways."
From the CRI105 it says this:
9. STRETCH-IN UTILIZING TACKLESS STRIP
This method requires fastening the carpet under tension on tackless strip around the perimeter of the area to be carpeted. A separate cushion shall be used.
9.1 Selection of Separate Cushion - Contact the carpet manufacturer to obtain cushion requirements in order to prevent problems resulting from improper cushion selection and the possible voiding of applicable warranties. Inappropriate choice of cushion may result in accelerated loss of appearance retention, wrinkling, buckling, and the separation of the carpet backing or seams. Cushion thickness should not exceed 7/16 inch (11 mm).
~
9.4 Installation of Tackless Strip -
· Full length pieces of tackless strip should be spread around the wall perimeter with pins pointing toward the wall.
· The proper gully shall be slightly less than thickness of the carpet, but not to exceed 3/8 inch (10 mm).
~
9.8 Edge Securing - Once the edges are trimmed, seam adhesive must be applied to both trimmed edges. Allow the seam adhesive to dry thoroughly before seaming. Improperly sealed edges can lead to seam delamination or loss of face yarns, with unsightly results.
~
9.14 Power Stretching - Following seaming, carpet must be power stretched and firmly hooked onto the tackless strip at the starting walls in the surrounding area. The use of a power stretcher is mandatory.
THE INSPECTOR'S ANALYSIS
The manufacturer's switching from staple yarn on the previous carpet to a continuous yarn on the new is likely the reason there is a difference in the bulk between the two carpets. Staple filaments are made by cutting strands of fibers into six or seven inch lengths; whereas, continuous filaments are not cut. After staple filaments are made into yarns; it has considerable more bulk when compared to continuous yarns of the same weight. Therefore, if the weight of the old and new carpet is the same, then thickness differences are due solely to inherent differences in its filaments. However, staple yarns shed and/or release relatively short strands of filament after their installation. This problem may be slight in some cases and may cause no concern, or in other cases it can cause maintenance problems. Therefore, there has been a marketing trend in higher end carpet to stay away from staple yarns and to use continuous.
The appearance of the traffic pattern is and/or was due to crushing and some momentary change in the posture of the yarn. To some degree all carpets will experience both of these incidence. Factors that control the amount of posture retention and/or resiliency are
· · the yarn's natural resiliency
· · the density and/or bulk of the yarn
· · the cushion and amount of power stretching from the installation.
In this case,
· · nylon is one of the most resilient of synthetic yarns
· · from a professional opinion, the density of the pile is high and the bulk is less due to the change from staple to continuous yarn.
· · The cushion does not meet with the fiber producer's specifications with respect to thickness.
· · There is evidence that proper power stretching has not occurred.
Failure to comply with the cushion requirement set by DuPont can void the crushing portion of there warranty; and the price differences between ½ and 7/116th inch cushion should be negligible in order to comply with Dupont's warranty.
Power stretching is commonly overlooked by many residential installers despite the fact that standards require it. Most carpets will eventually have performance problems if it is not done; however, if loss of twist and ripples have not occurred, then no discernable loss of performance or life of the carpet should be expected at this time.
Whereas standards are clear that seams will not be invisible, they do require that they be sealed with a seam adhesive. Common to most but not all, seam adhesives is that they contain a special dye that will fluoresce under ultraviolet light. When seam adhesive has not been used properly, it can and/or will lead to unsightly results and fraying of the carpet's edge. Whereas fraying is not yet evident on this carpet, it suspected that seam sealer has not been properly applied.
Improper distance of the tackless strip from the baseboard is a common reason for a shaved look at the carpet's edge and measurements made at the time of the inspection indicate that this was part of the problem. However, an additional problem noted was that the edges were cut jagged. When proper cutting is done, it should be between the rolls and should not remove yarns or shorten them. The ability to properly cut carpet is a skill taught by most schools involved in the carpet industry. Cuts at the carpet's edge in the hallway and in most of the seams did not indicate that this skill level was present.
Flourochemicals chemistry, whether by DuPont or Scotchgard is based upon polymers of tetra-flouro-ethene. It is what makes fibers and frying pans alike resistant to oil. Once a fiber resists oil, then soil resistance is automatic, since oil is the glue for soil. The field test suggests that none of DuPont's flourochemcial was present. Therefore, the commissioner/claimant's problem with spots is likely due to failure to apply this product. In cases where this problem has occurred in the past, application of DuPont's Teflon has been made by qualified on-location companies involved in the carpet cleaning industry. If deemed necessary, additional laboratory testing could be preformed, but differences in field test and laboratory testing have not varied in the past.
Stain resistance chemistry is based upon a different chemical commonly called an acid dye blocker that prevents common household beverages from staining the carpet. After market products with DuPont's additives were available in the late 80s; however, they are not readily available today and/or may be hard to find and/or too old to use. The test result indicates that there was a slight protection on the yarn, but not enough to be considered acceptable.
The salvageability of the carpet is theoretically possible, but may not be practical. The installation errors are all correctable and are common to many installations. The combination of soil and stain resistance problems could possibly necessitate the replacement of the carpet.
CONCLUSION
1. From a professional opinion based upon background information, observations at the time of the inspection, thickness differences in the carpet in question are due to the differences between the use of staple and continuous yarns. The mill and/or the dealer is not responsible.
2. From a professional opinion based upon observations, and field testing done at the time of the inspection, seam problems, lack of power stretching, and tackless strip placement are the dealer/installer's responsibility and are fixable.
3. From a professional opinion based upon background information, observations, and field testing done at the time of the inspection, cushion issues concerning the DuPont's warranty and the insurance company's policy of replacement with 'like kind & quality' are beyond the scope of the inspector's report.
4. From a professional opinion based upon background information, observations, and field-testing done at the time of the inspection, soil and stain resistance problems are inherent in manufacturing and are the manufacturer's responsibility.