Design Flaw Olefin & Nylon
This report was commission by the cleaner and the manufacture mixed nylon and olefin.
PROBLEM REPORTED: Appearance
PROBLEM FOUND: Crushing
DIAGRAM: No
SAMPLES: Carpet
PERSONS PRESENT: Inspector & Claimant
THE CARPET
FIBER Olefin/Nylon
ID METHOD: Chemical & Burn
FIBER COLOR Multi-Color - Gray Background
CONSTRUCTION: Conventional Tuft
YARN STYLE: Level Loop
SQUARE YARDAGE: Not Determined
BACK SYSTEM: Conventional Tuft
PRIMARY BACKING: Polypropylene - high density
SECONDARY BACKING: Polypropylene - Six Pic
INSTALLATION STATISTICS
TYPE LOCATION: Commercial
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Realastate
METHOD: Direct Glue Down
SUBFLOOR: Concrete Slab
AREA INSTALLED: See Report
USE & MAINTENANCE STATISTICS AT THE TIME OF THE INSPECTION
LITERATURE RECEIVED WITH PURCHASE: Not Determined
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 40
TEMPERATURE: 74.5°F - 23.6° C RH 51%
VACUUM TYPE Professional Service
VACUUM FREQUENCY: Daily
ENTRY-MATS: Yes
SOIL: None Noticed
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 responsible parties.
Site Conditions and Geographical Information
At the time of the inspection, the carpet in question was installed in a freestanding,
single-story, commercial building. The building was part of a strip-mall that had an
asphalt parking lot. This mall was located at the intersection of two busy streets
approximately 40 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Maintenance and condition of the
facility was good and the outside temperature was 99 degrees Fahrenheit.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION MADE TO THE INSPECTOR
The carpet was installed as part of the moving-in process back in May of 1998. No problems
were noted during the installation, but rapid soiling occurred afterwards.
The carpet's appearance was distorted after the first cleaning which was made at the end
of June of 1999 by the commissioner of this report. Another cleaning was attempted a week
later using an olefin cleaner by Prochem, but the appearance was still distorted. The
cleaning company reports that they used a truckmounted carpet cleaning machine and an
RX20- Prochem Dry Slurry on the first cleaning.
According to the dealer, the face yarn is 75 percent olefin, 25 percent nylon. The stitch
rate is 11 per inch and the gauge is 10 per inch. The face-weight is 28 ounce per yard and
the carpet was special ordered at the customer's request.
DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM AREA BY THIS INSPECTOR
The office was setup with rows of cubicles in a large main. Smaller private offices
surrounded this larger room, but no problem was found there. The affected carpet was in
the traffic area between the cubicles. The problem was more noticeable facing the back of
this facility and less noticeable when viewed overhead.
The dominant background colors of this carpet were light and dark gray, which tested to be
olefin. Other colors were ruby, terra cotta, emerald, light blue, bright blue, and tan
which tested to be nylon. The appearance in the affected areas appeared darker than
surrounding carpet, but the nylon yarns appeared more resilient and distinct.
ON-LOCATION FIELD TESTING
The results of the fiber identification tests were as follows:
COLOR FIBER METHOD
1. Light Gray Olefin Burn
2. Dark Gray Olefin Burn
3. Ruby Nylon Chemical
4. Emerald Nylon Chemical
5. Light Blue Nylon Chemical
6. Bright Blue Nylon Chemical
7. Terra Cotta Nylon Chemical
8. Tan Nylon Chemical
An ultra-violet light was used to draw a reflection from substances with optical
brightening agents. Yellow reflection will come from most urine stains while a blue or
lavender reflection will come from inappropriate detergents. The result of this test
revealed that there were no reflections.
Numerous moisture tests were performed using a Delmhorst Moisture Sensor. This test would
indicate the presence of moisture locked-up in salt compounds from urine and over usage of
detergents. The results of these tests showed that there was no moisture throughout the
installation.
pH tests were performed using a digital type pH meter and a special low moisture probe
that made direct contact with the face yarns. This device is accurate to ± 0.1 and was
calibrated with a laboratory testing solution immediately before these tests were made.
The pH in the unaffected and affected areas both varied from 8.4 to 8.6. The wet yarns
from this test did not feel slippery or sticky.
THE ISSUE
The question that I have been asked to address is: can the carpet be cleaned
without resulting in the current appearance?
GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING THE ISSUE
The cleaning standard of the carpet industry is called The Standard for Carpet
Cleaning S001 and is published by the INSTITUTE OF INSPECTIONS, CLEANING. It is recognized
by nearly every carpet mills and carpet-cleaning association. Specific guidelines from the
manufacturer on cleaning this carpet were not available at the time of the writing of this
report.
Guidelines for understanding the characteristics of carpet fibers can be found in various
resources, but for this report, the CARPET CLEANERS HANDBOOK, by the ACADEMY OF TEXTILE
& FLOORING was used.
INDUSTRY STANDARDS & DEFINITIONS
According to the CARPET CLEANERS HANDBOOK by the Academy of Textile and Flooring,
it says this about olefin fibers.
· Not resistant to oil
· Lowest melting temperature - softens at 200°F. and evaporates at 300° C.
· Poor resilience
THE INSPECTOR'S ANALYSIS
The rapid soiling that reportedly occurred after the installation could have had
been related to:
1. the resilient differences between the nylon and olefin
2. spin finish left by manufacturing
3. oil from the asphalt in the parking lot
4. the olefins oil-loving characteristic inherent in the olefin yarns
and/or any combination of the above. From a professional viewpoint 40 employees represent
a heavy, but not excessive amount of traffic given the size of the installation and the
weight of the carpet. Waiting one year after the installation to have the first cleaning
is considered too long a period from a professional opinion. Additional testing for most
of these factors except crushing are beyond the scope of this report.
Based upon the moisture, ultraviolet light, pH tests, and the feel of the carpet when wet,
the cleaning was done appropriately and is in compliance with S-001 guidelines. The
following are beyond the scope of the cleaning standards and from a professional opinion:
· Prochem DRY SLURRY is a good choice in cleaning olefin and the pH readings are
indicative of this product being used. This product is also desirable in that it is known
not to leave a soil-attracting residue.
· The truckmount steam cleaning offers the most cleaning power and superior drying.
Although high heat is desired for cleaning, solution hoses and quick-connects can melt or
distort the olefin.
· The RX-20 offers a strong enhancement to the cleaning process and from a professional
opinion offers the strongest enhancement of restoring resiliency to crushed pile. However,
olefin will not regain its resiliency with any cleaning method after being crushed.
· If spin finish had been an earlier problem, the olefin cleaner should have addressed
this problem too.
From a professional opinion, crushing is the principal problem, but the explanation of
what was pictured in the description of this report is found in the contrast of color and
resiliency of the yarns. The dull-colored-non-resilient yarns blended with
brightly-colored-resilient yarn made this crushing unusual. Since the dull gray olefins
look even dimmer when crushed, the traffic areas look darker; but since the brighter
colored nylon are resilient, they look brighter or more distinct. Thus by mixing extremes
in resiliency with extremes in hues, there is a combined effect making the results in what
was seen at the time of the inspection.
From a professional opinion, it is the common practice and responsibility of the
professional cleaner to try to restore resiliency to the carpet's yarns and although the
nylons could be shaded flat, their natural tendency while clean will be to stand up. Thus,
a practical long lasting fix to this problem that would result in a clean carpet is not
known to this inspector.
Based upon observations and testing at the time of the witting of this report, no defects
in materials or construction of the carpet were noted. Furthermore and from a professional
opinion, 28 ounce of face yarn combined with an 11-stitch rate and 10 gauge constitutes a
quality carpet for this installation. From a professional opinion, the problem is inherent
in the design. Standards for acceptability of such problems are beyond the scope of field
investigations. If resolution between the parties cannot be made, then the help of an
arbitrator is recommended.
CONCLUSION
The appearance of the carpet in question is due to characteristics inherent in
the materials and construction of the carpet based upon a professional opinion. Cleaning
procedures can not change these characteristics.