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Fuzzing from Improper Vacuum SettingsThis report was commissioned by the dealer.THE CARPET FIBER/ ID METHOD: Nylon - Continuous Filament-Chemical FIBER HUE: Dark Blue CONSTRUCTION: Tufted Cut Loop YARN STYLE: Saxony SQUARE YARDAGE: Not Determined BACK SYSTEM: Conventional Tufted PRIMARY BACKING: Polypropylene SECONDARY BACKING: Polypropylene THE INSTALLATION TYPE OF SITE: Residential METHOD: Stretch-In CUSHION: 1/2 Inch Rebond 6 Lb./Sq. Ft. SUBFLOOR: HardWood in Front of House, Particle-Board in Back AREA INSTALLED: Living-Room, Hallway, 3-Bedrooms, & Closet USE & MAINTENANCE INFORMATION AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION LITERATURE RECEIVED WITH PURCHASE: Not Determined TEMPERATURE & RH: 71.7°F - 22.0° C 71% ADULTS: 3 - CHILDREN: 0 - PET(S): 1 - Dog DO THEY SMOKE? No SPOTTING AGENTS: None Used VACUUM TYPE: Sears Canister FREQUENCY: Twice Weekly ENTRY MATS: Yes SOIL: None Noticed HEATING TYPE: Central Force Air Gas COOLING TYPE: Wall Unit CLEANING: Never Been Cleaned REASON FOR COMMISSION The claimant states that the carpet started to fuzz.. THE REPORT Site Conditions and Geographical Information The carpets were located in the claimant’s free standing single story house. This house was 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 The carpet was installed as part of a remodeling effort. No problems were noted until two days later. The carpet started to get fuzzy. This condition continued and the dealer was notified and this inspector was commissioned. Remnants of the carpet were left by the installers but the claimant’s husband threw them away. The backside of the house was added in 1982 where the particle-board subfloor was located. OBSERVATIONS BY THE INSPECTOR The carpet had fibers that pulled loose from the yarn but they were still attached in the trafficked areas and under a coffee table in the living-room. The problem was most pronounced in the living-room and son’s bedroom, but less in the hallway, and only slightly in the master-bedroom. There was no evidence of pulled yarns in trafficked areas nor were there voids in the carpets. The yarns had no visible differences in twist, bulk, or size. No yarns were longer than the others. The spacing between the rows and columns was consistent. The hue of the yarn was consistent from one yarn to the next. The hue was also the same from the tip of the yarn to its base.. The carpet was not crushed or matted. The carpet was pulled back and the pad was confirmed to be half inch rebond. The secondary had oblong-marks in the mash that indicated that it was power-stretched. The claimant’s vacuum cleaner was inspected and the setting on the brush was set for low pile. The brush was soft. The bag was empty. There were no burrs on the head. ON-LOCATION FIELD TESTING 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. The result of this test revealed that there were no reflections. 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 drum tight. THE ISSUE OF THIS REPORT The question that I have been asked to address is: what has caused the carpet to fuzz? GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING THE ISSUE Excessive Fuzzing Can be Caused By: 1. improper maintenance or from the use of too stiff of a brush on a vacuum cleaner 2. improper bundle wrap of the latex 3. excessive foot or mechanical traffic INDUSTRY STANDARDS, PRACTICES & DEFINITIONS According to the IICRC FLOOR COVER REFERENCE GUIDE GLOSSARY fuzzing is defined as the following: fuzzing - Hairy appearance on a carpet's surface caused by wild fibers or slack yarn twist; or by fibers slipping out of the yarn (especially staple) as a result of routine service or cleaning. Carpet of continuous filament yarn is fuzzed by filaments snagging and breaking. It is corrected by shearing during manufacture, or by a carpet technician using a de-vice called a micro-shear. THE INSPECTOR'S ANALYSIS The claimant’s usage of the carpet was not excessive in the inspector's opinion which leaves improper bundle wrap and improper maintenance as culprits. Unfortunately, a bundle wrap test needs to done at a independent test laboratory to have strong significance and this was no possible due to the fact that there were no remnants available for testing. However there was a slight problem with the vacuum cleaner in that the setting was incorrect by a large margin. Whereas the brush was soft this should not be considered a major error in maintenance. However, it is the best answer of why the carpet is fuzzing. To correct the present problem, shearing the carpet may be the only solution. CONCLUSION Fuzzing in the carpet in question was due to improper vacuum cleaner setting, based upon the observations made at the time of the inspection. |