Crushing Inherent in Design
This report was done for the consumer.
THE CARPET
FIBER/ ID METHOD: Nylon - Burn
FIBER MANUFACTURER: Un-Branded
COLOR: Blue & Multi-Color 'Drip Dyed'
CONSTRUCTION: Tufted Cut Loop
STYLE: Frieze
YARDAGE: 182
BACK SYSTEM: Conventional Tufted
PRIMARY BACKING: Polypropylene
SECONDARY BACKING: Polypropylene
THE INSTALLATION
TYPE OF INSTALLATION: Residential
METHOD: Stretch-In
CUSHION: 7/16 Inch Rebond
DENSITY: 7.5
SUBFLOOR: Plywood
AREA INSTALLED: Living Room, Dining Room, Stairwell, Upstairs Hallway, Three Bedrooms.
USE & MAINTENANCE INFORMATION AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION
LITERATURE RECEIVED WITH PURCHASE:No
ADULTS: 2 CHILDREN: 0 PETS: 1
TYPE OF PET(s): Dog(s)
TEMPERATURE 63.7°F - 17.6° C
RELATIVE HUMIDITY: 51%
VACUUM TYPE: Top-Fill Upright
ENTRY MATS: Yes
CONDITION of TEXTILE: Very Good
SOIL: None Noticeable
HEATING TYPE: Central Force Air Electric
COOLING TYPE: Central - Electric
CLEANING: New Carpet
PROBLEM REPORTED
The claimants state that the carpet has a crushing problem.
THE REPORT
Geographical Background Information
This free standing home is located in a rural neighborhood in the Mountains at approximately 8000 feet elevation. The house is still undergoing the final details of completion. The maintenance of the house is very good. The claimants occupy the house.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION MADE TO THE INSPECTOR
The carpet in question was installed on a day when the heat was not turned on. The temperature outside was 50°F. A technician and helper reportedly installed all 182 yards in just one day. A power stretcher was reportedly not used.
One month after the installation the claimants noticed that the carpet was crushing. The claimants reported that antique chair weighing only four pounds was causing crush marks that were difficult or impossible to remove.
The carpet was sold as being of a new crush resistance variety. Thus, this was the highest consideration in purchasing the carpet.
Two other inspectors and a representative from The manufacturer have looked at the carpet at the time of this inspection. Their reports claim that there is no crush problem with the carpet that can be considered under warranty.
DETAILED PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
There is a line of depression in the living room that runs the width of the room from the east to the west. The width of this depression is two and one half inches. It is six feet from the north window’s edge and eleven feet ten inches from the edge of the step. The north window casts a shadow across this depression. Other parallel lines that also run the width of the carpet are in the living room and the master bedroom upstairs.
The carpet in question is basically blue, but is speckled with black, white and rust. This speckling is mainly on the top third of the fibers. The remainder of the fiber is solid blue.
Indentations are under everything that lays under the carpet that are quite noticeable. This includes objects that weigh just a few pounds. There is an open seam as seen in photograph number five and as noted in the drawing below.
TESTING
A carpet stretch test was performed. The test involved a professional opinion by the inspector to determine whether a power stretcher was used on the installation. The industry standard is drum tight. After pulling the carpet up by the face yarns and letting it pop-back into place it was determined that the carpet was not tight.
The tackless strip was measured in the livingroom, the den, family-room, and master bedroom. All gullies between the wall’s edge and the tackless strip were within industries’ standards.
An ultra-violet light was shone throughout the installation. This tool draws a yellow reflection from most urine stains and a blue or lavender reflection from detergents with optical brightening agents. Seam sealers are used to tightly bond carpet edges together and to seal the trimmed edge from fraying. The result of this test was that there was no glow from the carpet’s edge that would indicate that a seam adhesive had been used.
Pile direction test was performed using a sheet of paper and an ordinary pencil. By rolling the pencil over the pa-per while the paper is laying over the carpet will reveal the "lay of the carpet." The results of the tests revealed that the carpet was laid with uniformity.
The carpet was brushed using a small Grade-Groomer Brush under the chair that reportedly weighed four pounds. The brush marks improved the appearance somewhat, but not completely. An aggressive brushing action was per-formed under the sofa where a leg of the sofa rested. Very little improvement was made of pulling the yarns back into place as seen in photograph number two.
The carpet was pulled back where the indentation was made in the living room. It was discovered that there was a seam underneath this section of the carpet.
THE ISSUE
There were two questions that I been asked to address:
1. Was the carpet in question installed according to the industry standards?
2. What is the cause of the crushing problem and is it in compliance with industry and warranty standards?
CONDITIONS THAT CAN CAUSE THE PROBLEM
The industry Standards for Residential Installation is the CRI105 and the warranty from the Manufacturer of the Carpet. These standards include:
1. Storage of the carpet prior to installation
2. aspects of Site Conditions
3. Tools an supplies to be used during the installation.
Crushing can be caused by:
1. excessive foot or mechanical traffic
2. manufacturer’s defects
3. optical effects
4. installation errors
THE RULES
CRI is The Carpet and Rug Institute of Dalton, Georgia. It is a national trade association representing the carpet and rug industry. Their membership makes-up 95% of all the carpet made in the United States. Their publications include standards for residential and commercial installation, areas of responsibility for manufacturers, dealers, and installers, and a manual for making claims with a carpet producer.
Concerning storage and handling the CRI105 says:
4.0 STORAGE AND HANDLING
4.1 Conditions prior to and immediately after installation shall meet the following criteria to assure a "relaxed" carpet, preventing glue-down or stretch-in problems.
Storage - Carpet shall be stored in flat bins to prevent pile crush. Temperate storage shall be in flat bins with a maximum height not to exceed three rolls.
4.2 Handling - Carpet shall be transported on flat dollies equipped with carpet cradles. Fork lifts shall be equipped with booms. Bending or folding of individual carpet rolls is not recommended. However, if it is absolutely necessary for delivery purposes, under no circumstances should the carpet be left bent or folded for longer than 4 hours.
4.3 Conditions - The carpet, cushion, and adhesive shall be conditioned on site in a heated, dry space at a minimum temperature of 65°F (18° C) and a relative humidity between 10% and 65% for at least 48 hours before installation. These conditions shall be maintained night and day during installation and for at least 72 hours after completion.
Concerning Site Conditions the CRI105 says this:
5 SITE CONDITIONS FOR ALL INSTALLATIONS
5.1 Floor Preparation Each subfloor shall be inspected to determine what special care required to make it a suitable foundation for carpet.
5.2 Temperature and Humidity - Carpet should be installed when the temperature is between 65° and 95° F (18° C. and 35° C.) and the relative humidity Is between 10% and 65% and, if installing over concrete, the slab temperature should not be less than 65° F (18° C).
5.3 Relax Carpet - To minimize wrinkling and buckling, carpet should be unrolled, allowed to relax, and ventilated with the induction of fresh air.
5.4 Environmental Conditions - Fresh air ventilation during installation should be maintained by opening windows and doors, by utilizing exhaust fans, and by operating the ventilation system at full capacity. Always exhaust to the outside and avoid recirculation of air
Fresh air ventilation should be maintained after installation for 48-72 hours at normal room temperatures by operating the ventilation exhaust fan system at full capacity and opening windows and doors if possible. This procedure will help eliminate exhaust, dissipate, and eliminate any lingering odors.
5.5 Radiant Heated Floors - When affixing tackless strip in stretch-in installations, care must be taken not to nail into the pipe or conduit.
5.6 Maintain Temperature - Temperature of indoor carpeted areas should never fall below 50°F. (10° C.) regardless of the age of the installation.
Concerning edge securing the CRI105 says this:
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.
Concerning hot-melt-tape, the CRI105 says this:
9.10 Hot Melt Tape - A fabric seaming tape precoated with a thermoplastic adhesive is centered beneath the seam. Heat from an electric iron melts the adhesive, laminating the carpet backing to the tape. A grooved iron is recommended for better penetration of the adhesive. Proper iron temperature is essential, with special care taken for carpet with synthetic backing or synthetic pile yarns. Consult tape manufacturer’s recommendation for heat settings. Always run the iron In the direction of the pile. ". A heat shield for the iron Is required. A metal surface should not be used to weight the seam behind the iron, as metal traps the heat. Wood should be used for this purpose.
A premium tape with high tensile strength and sufficient adhesive on the woven scrim is recommended. NOTE: In some critical seaming situations, to minimize elevating and pecking, a 6-inch (150 mm) wide tape should be used.
Pre-stretch the carpet in the seam areas before making the seam.
Provide adequate ventilation to dissipate any fumes from this seaming process.
Concerning power-stretching, the CRI105 says:
9.14 Power Stretching - Following seaming, carpet must be power stretched and firmly hooked onto the tackless strip at the starting walls in surrounding area. The use of a power stretcher is mandatory.
Before power stretching, make certain that hot melt tape seams are cool to the touch.
A four-way stretch is to be used. (See Figures 3-5)
Follow the carpet manufacturer’s recommendations for the method and amount of stretch to be applied.. When recommendations are not available, tufted carpet with jute secondary back should be stretched "drum-tight." Tufted carpet with synthetic secondary back should be stretched 1 to 1 1/2% in width and length.
Some woven carpet, such as velvet does not stretch in the length, while other woven carpet, such as an Axminster, has no stretch in the width. Where there is no stretch, the carpet should be power stretched "snug" in these directions.
A wall trimmer shall be used to trim the carpet along walls and abutments. The trimmer must be adjusted to leave sufficient excess carpet to tuck into the gullies.
ACME’s Warranty for this carpet are as follows:
ACME TEXTURES LIMITED FIVE YEAR WARRANTY
All ACME Textures products are covered by a The manufacturer, Inc. limited texture retention warranty covering pile crush and matting (5 year) abrasive wear (10 year), stain resistance (5 year), as set out below. (See the Stain Resistance Warranty for specific details).
The manufacturer warrants that this carpet will not exhibit significant matting or crushing from foot traffic for a period of five (5) years when used in a proper indoor, residential installation. For the purposes of this warranty, matting is defined as the loss of twist from the tips of the pile tufts and entanglement of the fibers. Crushing is defined as the non-restorable loss of the pile thickness due to foot traffic only. Proper installation requires use of a suitable pad, with a minimum density of six (6) pounds per cubic foot and a maximum thickness of 7/16 inch. (The manufacturer recommends its own Duratech V pad for best results.) Consult your dealer for details. If your carpet shows a significant matting and crushing from foot traffic as a result of yarn tufts losing their twist and the carpet’s appearance cannot be restored, you will be compensated for actual replacement costs of the matted or crushed area of the carpet. This warranty applies only to the areas in which the change of appearance has occurred and the carpet’s appearance cannot be restored. (Note: The texture of any carpet will change to some degree in heavy traffic areas. Such conditions constitute normal wear and tear and not covered by this warranty, which is intended to protect you from excessive appearance change.) Carpet installed outdoors, on stairs or areas subject to other than ordinary shoe traffic is excluded from this warranty. Crushing caused by furniture including impressions left by legs of furniture is not covered by this warranty.
The manufacturer warrants that this carpet will not lose more than ten percent (10%) surface pile due to abrasive wear for a period of ten (10) years when used in an indoor, residential installation. If within five (5 ) years of its date of purchase the pile weight of the carpet decreased more than ten percents (10%), compared to untrafficked areas, you will be compensated for actual replacement costs of the worn area of carpet. Carpet installed outdoors, on stairs or in areas subject to other ordinary shoe traffic is excluded from this warranty. Also, this warranty does not cover tears, burns, pulls cuts, soiling, fading, odor or damage due to improper installation or improper cleaning agents or methods.
All warranties relating to stain resistant features of this carpet are provided by the fiber manufacturer or ACME Industries, Inc. (Literature regarding specific details of these warranties, as well as maintenance and stain removal instructions, are available from the dealer). This carpet is warranted to provide additional stain resistant properties when compared to conventional nylon carpet in an indoor, residential installation.
The manufacturer’ liability under this Limited Warranty shall be limited to the actual cost of repair and replacement of the affected area of the carpet or, at the discretion of The manufacturer, return of a proportionate share of the original purchase price of the carpet. Incidental and consequential damages are not the responsibility of The manufacturer and to the extent permitted by law, are hereby excluded both for property and for personal injury damage. (Some states do not permit exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.) This Limited Warranty is in lieu of all other express warranties which now or hereafter might arise with respect to this product. Any and all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular use shall have the greater duration than the period for the express written warranty applicable to this product, as described above. (Some states do not permit limitations on how long an implied warranty extends, so the above warranty extends so the above limitation may not apply to you) This Limited Warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which will vary from state to state.
SUMMARY and DISCUSSION
Manufacturer’s normally do not warranty against improper installation. However, this is a decision for The manufacturer to make. This carpet has not been properly installed and has a crushing problem. The warranty has this exclusion "will not exhibit significant matting or crushing from foot traffic". In other words the warranty claims to be good only against foot traffic and not objects such as a four pound chair. A four pound antique chair that is never sat on that leaves crush marks on a crush resistant carpet should meet most industry experts requirements for a crush problem.
This carpet started out with a difficult problem on the day that it was installed. The CRI105 says in section 5.2 concerning temperature "the temperature is between 65° and 95° F". The temperature was reported as being 50°F. This and the lack of power stretching add to problems of backing. Since the backing is made of latex and polypropylene it, never has had a chance to relax and expand. Normally problems like buckling may occur when the temperature and lack of relaxing of the carpet are not followed. If these is no manufacturer’s defect causing the crushing, then the likely source would be from the cold site conditions and the lack of power stretching.
The last odd twist on the crushing problem is the color design of this carpet. ACME’s Warranty acknowledges that some crushing always occurs. The problem with multiple colors running only one third of the way down the fiber is that when some crushing occurs, the viewer is looking at a solid blue hue or a distortion of the multiple colors! This is clear after studying photographs numbers eight and nine.
The lines in the carpet as seen in the living room and master’s bedroom are likely from roll crushing. It is unknown whether this carpet was properly stored before installation (not more than three carpets on top of it) or whether it just can not be recovered due to the improper site conditions and the lack of power stretching.
The line of depression in the living room could be from improper heat settings or from uneven cushion. This iron problem happens when the iron is too hot and melts the polypropylene secondary backing. Unless the carpet is peeled back and the seam is investigated from the backside it can not be determined if the iron setting was really too hot. The back seam in the den as seen in photograph number 5 is the result of low heat setting and the lack of a seam sealer.
CONCLUSION
The carpet in question has not been installed in accordance to the CRI105 STANDARDS as noted by the back-ground information, the test for power stretching and the lack of seam adhesive.
The crushing of this carpet cannot be resolved without proper installation.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The carpet’s installation problems can be corrected by the following:
1. The temperature of the house needs to be over 65°F. for 48 hours before reinstallation.
2. All seams need to be re-opened and an appropriate seaming adhesive needs to be applied.
3. The carpet needs to be power stretched in all directions. This would include the length and the width. It also includes the length and widths of the hallways.
4. An evaluation should be made as to what caused the two and one half inch depression in the living room.
Concerning the crushing problem, The manufacturer should be notified as to the finding of this inspection to determine if any warranty is still enforceable. An evaluation of the crushing problem should be made again after the installation corrections have been made by the claimant. If the crushing is still unacceptable and if the warranty is not enforceable, then a letter of rejection should be acquired. It is doubtful that a lab test would be helpful in this claim since part of the problem is optical from the multi-color scheme.