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Pile Height in Seam from Design FlawThis report was commissioned by the installer.THE CARPET FIBER/ ID METHOD: Nylon-Chemical FIBER HUE: Aqua CONSTRUCTION: Tufted Cut Loop YARN STYLE: Saxony SQUARE YARDAGE: 124 BACK SYSTEM: Conventional Tuft PRIMARY BACKING: Polypropylene SECONDARY BACKING: Polypropylene THE INSTALLATION LOCATION TYPE: Residential METHOD: Stretch-In CUSHION: 1/2 Inch Rebond 7 Lb./Sq. Ft. SUBFLOOR: hardwood AREA INSTALLED: Dining-Room, Living-Room, 3 Bedrooms USE & MAINTENANCE INFORMATION AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION LITERATURE RECEIVED WITH PURCHASE: Not Determined TEMPERATURE: 69.5°F - 20.8° C RH 40% ADULTS: 2 - CHILDREN: 3 - PET(S): 1 - Dog DO THEY SMOKE? Yes SPOTTING AGENTS: None Reported VACUUM/FREQUENCY: Kenmore Canister Model 5.1 Weekly ENTRY-MATS? Yes SOIL: None Noticed HEATING TYPE: Central Force Air Gas COOLING TYPE: Central - Electric CLEANING: Never Been Cleaned REASON FOR COMMISSION The claimant reports that the carpet in question has a seam problem. THE REPORT Site Conditions and Geographical Information The carpet was located in the claimant’s free standing single story house located in a residential neighborhood on the San Fernando Valley. The house was well maintained and was owner occupied at the time of the inspection. BACKGROUND INFORMATION MADE TO THE INSPECTOR The installer reports that K-40 tape from Robbers was used on all seams and the seaming iron was one month old. Immediately after the installation the carpet was vacuumed and a difference at the seams was noticed. Two weeks later the carpet began to crush beyond the claimant’s comfort zone. Later the tips of the yarn began to flair. The flair tips and crushing got worse with time. Noticeability of the seams remained the same. No repairs were made. The manufacturer commissioned an inspection that said the problem was not inherent in manufacturing. DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM AREA BY THIS INSPECTOR Fuzziness was noticed in the trafficked areas, especially in the doorways. Close inspection of the yarn showed a slight loss of twist at the tips. The bulk, size and the hue was consistent from one yarn to the next. The spacing between the rows and columns was consistent. Seams were immediately noticeable in the living-room, in a nook going into the master-bedroom and in the master-bedroom. The carpet appeared to be darker on one side of the seam and lighter on the other. When viewed from different directions, there was no difference. Close inspection revealed that yarns were higher on one side of the seam than on the other in some places. There were no gaps found in any seam nor were there yarns stuck in the seam. Pulling the carpet back revealed the following: * there were oblong marks in the secondary where the tackless strip had held the carpet. * cushion seams ran the same direction as carpet seams, but were approximately six inches from the carpet seams. * the cushion was found to be consistent throughout the installation. * there was no unevenness under the subfloor. A concrete patch was noted in the corner of the living-room close to the fireplace. The panels of the carpet were measured in the living room at 11 feet five inches, 11 feet 10 inches, and 11 feet eight & a half inches. All seams ran the length of the house, from the front to the back, and directly into the natural light source. The vacuum cleaner was examined and was found to be in good working order. The brush had a beater-bar and the brush was soft in the inspector's opinion. The setting was on the lowest setting for short nap carpet. Some time later two sections of the installed carpet were taken from this carpet. One was used for laboratory testing and the other was examined by this inspector in the dealer’s showroom. When the two sections of the carpet were placed side by side on a glass top-table and a ruler was placed between the two edges, one section of the carpet was found to be close to 1/8th inch difference in height. IN FIELD AND LABORATORY TESTING A Pile Direction Test was done using a piece of paper and a pencil. The pile direction of the carpet was found to run the length of the house on the light side of the seams and was none discernible on the dark side. 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. Pile Height (Insertion Gauge Method), were performed at PROFESSIONAL TESTING LABORATORY INC. of Dalton Georgia on cut sections of the installed carpet. The results were as follows: RIGHT-SIDE .831 INCH LEFT SIDE .827 INCH THE ISSUE OF THIS REPORT The question that I have been asked to address is: what has caused the carpet to have a pile height difference? GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING THE ISSUE Pile Height Can Occur When: 1. there is a difference in carpet height 2. there is a difference in pile height 3. there is a problem inherent in the installation 4. there is a difference in the cushion height 5. there is a difference in the subfloor INDUSTRY STANDARDS, PRACTICES & DEFINITIONS 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. THE INSPECTOR'S ANALYSIS SUBFLOOR -- Reportedly the entire subfloor was concrete and in the area inspected the floor was level. CUSHION -- The cushion according to the observations made was the same throughout the installation and was properly laid. INSTALLATION -- A typical installation problem that leads to a difference in height would be a burr of some sort on the installer’s seaming iron. Reportedly the iron was new.and did not have defects. No other errors were noted that would pertain to the installation that could have contributed to the height difference. PILE HEIGHT -- The pile or yarn of the carpet was found to close enough that it would not account for the height difference. However, it should be noted that the pile direction was off on one side of the seam. CARPET HEIGHT -- This problem is the most likely source of the problem based upon observations. If the pile itself is not higher, then the problem is likely inherent in the backing system. CONCLUSION |