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Lines - Improper Heat Setting

This report was done for the mill and lines of yarns began to lose twist due to improper heat setting.

CLAIM STATISTICS FOR THIS INSPECTION
PROBLEM REPORTED:    Lines
PROBLEM FOUND:    Improper Heat Setting
DIAGRAM:    No
SAMPLES:    None
PERSONS PRESENT:    Inspector & Claimant
THE CARPET
FIBER:    Nylon
ID METHOD:    Chemical
FIBER COLOR:    Toupee
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
DATE INSTALLED:    5/27/99
METHOD:    Stretch-In
CUSHION:    1/2 Inch
SUBFLOOR:    Concrete Slab
AREA INSTALLED:     Livingroom, Diningroom, & 3 Bedrooms
USE & MAINTENANCE STATISTICS AT THE TIME OF THE INSPECTION
LITERATURE RECEIVED WITH PURCHASE: No
ADULTS: 2 - CHILDREN: 0 - PET(S): 1 - Dog
DO THEY SMOKE?    No
SPOTTING AGENTS:    None
TEMPERATURE: 75.7°F - 24.2° C RH 63%
VACUUM TYPE:    Upright
VACUUM FREQUENCY:    Weekly
ENTRY-MATS:    Yes
SOIL:    None Noticed
HEATING TYPE:    Forced Air Gas
COOLING TYPE:    Central - Electric
CLEANING:        Never Been Cleaned
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS REPORT
Exam the lines in the carpet in question and determine its cause.
SITE CONDITIONS & GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
This is a free standing, owner-occupied, single-story house, which was built in 1979 along with other similar homes in a residential neighborhood. The neighborhood is located in the coastal flatlands of Ventura County approximately 50 miles up the coast from Los Angeles. The house and its furnishings appeared to be in very good condition.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION MADE TO THE INSPECTOR
The carpet was purchased as part of a remodeling project, due to the age of the previous carpet. About six months after the installation, lines began to develop in all except the three bedrooms. These lines have become more visible with time. Vacuuming has not made them go away and no theory has been suggested as to what caused them.
The claimant's children are juniors in college and do not live at home for nine month out of the year. As a result, two bedrooms have received little use except for the summers. In addition, the den is seldom used, but along with the livingroom and diningroom, it has developed these lines.
DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM AREA BY THIS INSPECTOR
Carpets between all the rooms were separated by hard-surface-flooring, but there was a line-of-sight between the diningroom, den, and livingroom. These three rooms had a single, ½ inch wide dark line running in the direction of manufacturing. These lines ran straight, unbroken, and were under furniture for the entire length of the room.
They were the same in appearance, but not in their distance from the carpet's edge. In the den, this line was approximately 11 feet & seven inches from the carpet's edge; in the diningroom, it was approximately eight feet from the carpet's edge; and in the livingroom, it was approximately 11 feet from the carpet's edge. The diningroom had no seams, but the livingroom and den had one seam each. The carpet was lifted up in the livingroom and there was no carpet seam under the line. In addition there was no cushion seam as well.
Close inspection of the carpet revealed that the line was made up of yarns whose tips were flared and/or untwisted. There was no apparent difference in color, size, or bulk of the yarns.
The claimant's vacuum cleaner was inspected and there were no burrs or sharp edges on it where it made contact with the carpet. The brush was soft, the age was less than two years old, and it appeared to be in good working order.
ON-LOCATION FIELD TESTING
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.
An inspection lamp was used for closer evaluation and to create shadows. This high intensity lamp is equipped with a 500-watt halogen bulb. The line in the den seemed to vary in appearance depending upon where the lamp was placed and at times was almost invisible.
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
Lines can be caused from:
1. Manufacturing related problems
2. Elongated soil patterns remaining in the carpet following cleaning
3. Installation errors
INDUSTRY STANDARDS & DEFINITIONS
According to the FLOORCOVERING DICTIONARY is says this about SHEAR STREAKS:
SHEAR STREAKS - Shear streaks are the result of some of the pile being sheared or cut incorrectly. The streak might show up as a lower or higher pile section. Excessive shear streaks are a manufacturing defect.
THE INSPECTOR'S ANALYSIS
A gradual loss of twist in the form of a line is rare and for it to occur in all but the bedrooms makes it especially uncommon for a typical line problem. However, since this condition runs the entire length of the carpet in three rooms and is the same in appearance, it has to be machine made. The high intensity lamp clearly indicates that the lines are entirely made for change in the texture of the yarns. In addition, the ultraviolet light test helps rule out some type of chemical having created the problem. A manufacturing related cause could be a lack of twist during the spinning, or improper heat setting.
CONCLUSION
From a professional opinion based upon background information, observations, and field-testing done at the time of the inspection, the lines in the carpet in question are due to manufacturing problems.