[*paul_moss]

Done a job Thursday 2x sofas and a large lounge.
Lounge carpet 80/20 wool tufted twist pile, not very dirty,3 years old,fitted ok on a concrete floor.
Sofa's cleaned fine, lounge presprayed and pile lifted. Went to extract and it started to ripple straight a way. When I had finished it looked like the Himalayas.
Told customer not to panic as it will flatten by next day. Went back to day and it is better but still bumpy. Customer is relaxed over it and told her if its not flat by tomorrow( which Im sure it will be) I will have it refitted.
With experience I find I get 2 or 3 carpets ripple over a years cleaning and with different constructions and fibre types.

But why do they ripple once any heat and moisture hit them? Some instantly and some hours later

[David_Annable]

Hi

I have only seen this on foam back carpets & they usually settle back when dry.

Havn't seen it with woven carpet.

Dave

[markpowell]

This happened to me about 3 years ago and when i rang Prochem technical helpline they told me i had used too much heat, maybe not the cause this time though.
mark

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

It could be caused by delamination of the backing.

This is unusual on a carpet 3 years old, but if the latex attaching the backing wasn't strong to begin with then the cleaning could cause this.

You can tell if it is delamination by trying to lift the carpet with your fingers, if it has come away from the backing it will lift easily.

Again if it is delamination it can't be re-stretched.

[davep]

I had one not long ago, cant of been the heat as i had little of it, it was gone the next day 

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Could be water reaching the backing or not drying quick enough it's usually a drying problem, it may sort itself out within a couple of days that is quite common.

Shaun

[carpet guy]

Agree with Shaun...........definately not a rubber back problem.

rob

[AJB]

Usually a combination of heat and moisture getting to the backing,
this causes the backing to expand. If you look closely it is normally
where wand strokes overlap. Basically it is an over wetting problem.
Allow 24 - 36 hours to return to normal. When i get a carpet i expect it to
occur on, i inform the customer first what may happen. This is because it
often sounds like an excuse afterwards, that way they don't suffer any anxiety
whilst waiting for it to return to normal.

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

I believe the water plasticises the backing causing it to expand and soften.

Once dry it returns to its normal dimensions.

PVC is a hard rigid plastic, guttering etc but when plasticised using pthalates becomes a softer, flexible plastic as in electric wire insulation.The plasticiser is a largish molecule which leeches out slowly allowing the PVC to remain soft for years.

Water is a much smaller molecule and therefore pentrates and plasticises the backing much quicker but in turn it evapourates thereby reversing the plasticisation.

Key is it is a reversible reaction unlike delamination and no permanent damage should occur as if too much heat or solvent was used.

Cheers

Doug

[*paul_moss]

It has returned to normal as is usually the case, but it still makes me wonder why it happens. If it is plastic of the latex secondry backing which most guys seem to think it is, then why does it only ripple in certain places and not all over? I think its more technical than that and more to do with manufacture or poor setting.

[Joe H]

Paul - if you are leaving the carpet too wet as has been suggested I can lend you my Scorpion - I am now going to duck under my desk 

[*paul_moss]

Joe this one was very strange and against the norm.
It was 80/20 wool yet when I used the envirodry to aggitate it, no wool was given up at all. I thought oops its nylon so did a burn test to find it burnt very much on the side of nylon but had quite a strong wool smell also, this made me think it had a much higher nylon content than normal. As soon as I hit the carpet it started to ripple. Also drying did take longer than usual but I put that down to it being a large room and I had also cleaned the suite so room moisture was high along with the fact the custy did not leave the windows open :.

[john rees]

Hi Paul,
            I did a whole house the other day and they all came out fine except for the main bedroom, but it settled down after drying so I would say it was either bad fitting or due to my customer moving all her furniture around to vac up all the dust when she cleans in the bedroom.......even the wardrobes had wheels on them??? when we pulled the bed out to vac there was no usual dust or fluff so I wonder if thats what does it? maybe she is stretching the carpet without noticing? she couldn't pull the 2 leather sofas out in the lounge as they were recliners and impossible to move without sliders and so were the wall units that were full of china so they never get moved.

                          All the best
                                            John

[M.Acorn]

Check this one out .Carpet was like this befor i started the job.Whole house was filthy dirt everywhere,custy had not moved anything even though i quoted 2 weeks prior to the job .Lazy sod

[Mark Lane-Matthews]

Hi Mark
The carpet is in such a bad way with a delamination problem i would advise on replacing,I hope this is all noted in your survey as i would be very suspicious about this carpet not being replaced but good job you have the photos to back it up with .

I find that felt back carpets can cause the biggest problems with rippling as it is very easy for moisture to soak into the backing so treat these the same as Belgian Wiltons.

                                           Mark

[M.Acorn]

Yes i told the bloke about the state of it and he said it was being replaced,but just wanted it cleaning as he had relatives over from Jamaca 

[Mike Roper]

I have had this happen on nylon tufted but never on wool, and understand it to be the latex swelling as has been said. The backing is usually poly prop so maybe needs more latex to adhere.If I spot them I dry fusion them.
Mike

[MCS]

Being a carpet fitter before i started cleaning them , i can tell you that it maybe a number of reasons the ripple will happen after cleaning.

Some of the replies cover the delamination of the carpet backing (2ndanry backing) which is usually hessin and latex .. its usually a deterantion of the Latex that breaks away from the carpet pile

Theres other kinds of backing that have the same problem i.e foam backing and there has be infestation of cheap carpet from Belgium that not have different kind of backings but on there wilton copies have mix fibers woven into carpet that have a problem to contract under cleaning, So you should make sure these type of carpets are fitted firm on the gripper

If the carpet was a stiff when it was layed and wasn't stretch enough, it eventually get a ripple  from the heat and traffic on it . It will need to be re stretch  as the stiffness of the carpet 2ndary backing has become more flexible for a fitter to stretch it with a normal knee stretcher.

When  inspecting a carpet for cleaning one should note how well the carpet is fitted and look out for ripples and parting of pile and write them on a disclaimers form to cover you against risk. I wouldnt of touched that carpet in the picture with out getting a signed disclaimer

[Les]

A Carpet fitter once told me that the problem occurs more if the flooring is Tiled or Concrete and the Carpet is thin due to inferior quality or wear.

Apparently any excess moisture can reach the floor surface and cannot be absorbed, so as it tries to evaporate the carpet becomes a barrier. This causes moist air to accumalate which causes the ripple.

The ripple will usually dissapear as the carpet dries completely.

He suggested that I always keep moisture to a minimum in these circumstances, so I no longer use the 'Mop, Bucket and Squeegy' method 

I now only use that on Uholstery & Curtains !! 

Les