Encapping - What did I do wrong?

[PTMatt]

I've been experimenting with encapsulation for commercial purposes. Last night I did some offices in my friends business and it didnt turn out so hot. Most of it came out good but when I stopped by to look at it today there were areas that looked blotchy. It had the appearance that these areas were still wet but obviously they weren't. I used releasit DS diluted per instructions with a 175 rotary using fiberplus pads:http://www.excellent-supply.com/Fib...Commercial-Carpet-Cleaning-Supplies_p_92.html.

Here is a pic of one the areas that looks blotchy, in between the fridge and cubicle and in front of the cubicle. The dark areas are not soil, thats just the way it dried. I pre-vaced & post vaced. What did I do wrong?



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[Nate The Great]

There are a lot of variables in the problem. Was there no chair pad used? How old is the carpet? Looks to me that it needs to be extracted via HWE. Or try and encap it again and throw a bonnet under your 175 and remove some of the soil load.

 

[Goomer]

throw a bonnet under your 175 and remove some of the soil load.

It might not have gotten a good HWE flushing in a while, if ever, which means it could be pretty loaded with soil limiting the results. A good HWE flush first time around helps to give somewhat of a reference point regarding the soil load if you are dealing with a carpet that you are not familiar with the history of. Once you know it has been flushed well, you should get better results. Like Nate said, a bonnet will help actively remove more of the soil.

 

[PTMatt]

The area thats dark in the pics was not like that before I encapped. Besides a few spots, it was actually one of the cleaner areas. Why would it get darker after encapping?

 

[Nate The Great]

The area thats dark in the pics was not like that before I encapped. Besides a few spots, it was actually one of the cleaner areas. Why would it get darker after encapping?

Maybe a shadow or lighting difference...? Did you put a moisture meter to see if it's really dry? I'd hit it with a spotting machine to see if that makes a difference. I've encapped with my Cimex then would hit it with a OP machine with cotton pads. During the time we were cleaning the large office floor, the traffic areas did look a lot darker when wet. Once it dried, mom and I were pretty impressed with the results. Granted we cleaned that same carpet every 6months for 12 years. We used Encap Basic because it didn't affect the occupants. The Releasit DS almost made of lose the account.

 

[roro]

Pivot point? - look at the area and it corresponds to where a person stands when opening the fridge. Are the other blotchy areas at pivot points also?

roro

 

[Jeremy]

A few possibilities come to mind...

The first is tad bit of wicking although this is rare with Releasit brand Encapsulants but it can happen if the solution is over applied... Again with most crystalizing encaps this is the exception not the rule. Not very likely.

The second (and in my opinion the most likely) is uneven application of solution leading to a non-uniform finished product. If that is the case a simple "even re-mist" of encapsulating shampoo and scrubbing with a bonnet will even it out nicely.

The third is a pre-existing wear condition. As noted above this is a traffic area and people do tend to grind crud in some areas.... In this case I'd midt it down with a bit of Magic Bullet allow 1-2 min dwell time and scrub the living $h@# out of it... Extract if needed. If it is truly worn and not just ground in crud it may be irreversable even with a mighty V & tofu diet.

Of course there is always the possibility that the Terrorists or Communists are behind it... If this is the case call the Department of Homeland Security...

 

[woodsey]

Great info in this thread. My 2 cents worth is you have done nothing wrong if you discover it is " wear" that has been uncovered by cleaning the carpet or it is any of the above ideas. It is a learning process . I am no expert with encap but I do use it alot and have found the more you use it the better you get with it. Woodsey

 

[Desk Jockey]

Looks pretty good except for the spots. I'd go in with a bonnet and just hit the dark areas and I bet it ends up with an even appearance.

 

[Brian R]

Use a pad....I know the whole purpose of encapping is to scrub and post vac but I'm not sure I would ever be comfortable with that.

Plus if you use a pad you can still leave some stuff behind to vacuum. The pad makes everything even and everyone happy.

The superzorbs from vacaway are really good for OP but not sure for the 175.

I'm no expert of encap...that's for sure

But I know my way around a bonnet cleaning pretty well and back in the day that's all I did. Commercial accounts always came out even and pretty.

 

[Ross Buettner]

You'll think I am nuts...

I use red floor buffing pads that are worn in from VCT..etc..

I've never been dissapointed yet.

 

[Walt]

You'll think I am nuts...

I use red floor buffing pads that are worn in from VCT..etc..

I've never been dissapointed yet.

Some red pads bleed a little. Had it happen. I was disappointed.

 

[Brian R]

You'll think I am nuts...

I use red floor buffing pads that are worn in from VCT..etc..

I've never been dissapointed yet.

Some red pads bleed a little. Had it happen. I was disappointed.

Wrongest statement of the year. :shock: :mrgreen:
What's yer flow like?

 

[alazo1]

Rick G. would say you need a Cimex. The better scrubbing may not have caused the issue.

Though I've done encap alone with Cimex, I prefer an Op like the Brute. Maybe I didn't give the Cimex a fair shot, I just think with the Brute, there's less guessing. WYSIWYG

With an op, encap juice is not a must because you can take out a lot of dirt. Procyon works great with it. IMO

Either way I agree with some of the others...bonnet clean to even it out. You may have overwet it and some of the crap from the past showed up.

Albert

 

[Jeremy]

Some red pads can bleed... I prefer 3M Ice Blue Burnishing Pads (THIS COLOR) or Fiber Plus/Max pads.

 

[ruff]

It could be nap reversal (looped also have a nap direction) that for some reason became more evident after cleaning. It sure looks like a snake line.

Do the paper and pencil test.

 

[Jeremy]

Yes, it "could be" pile reversal, pooling or shading but I'm guessing carpet gremlins... Call an exterminator and a shaman.

 

[Fletch]

Take your General Purpose Spotter and test a small spot in both the darker area and the lighter area. Blot and observe. Is there a big difference in the amount of soil transfer? If there is, you need to re-clean. If you get a lot in any area, you should re-clean. If no substantial transfer occurs, it is probably pile distortion. If so, things will probably mat down to "normal" in a few weeks from foot traffic.

 

[Fred Homan]

Did YOU do any post vacuuming with a beater-bar not a backpack? More specifically in that area?

 

[Lyman]

You said you pre and post vac'd. Did you post vac while it was wet.

 

[encapman]

There are some excellent suggestions above. I agree that some post-bonneting can probably straighten this out.

But it still begs the question, what's going on in this picture?

1. It may be pile reversal since it's under a desk.

2. Did you use a solution tank, or was the detergent sprayed down? A solution tank will dispense the detergent more evenly than spraying giving you better control.

3. Were you making consistent passes overlapping each section that you cleaned? Consistency of scrubbing passes is the key to producing the best results with encap. It takes a little practice to get your dance steps down, but once you get comfortable you can fly through the jobs (using a Cimex, rotary, or OP) and get consistent results.

4. Did you happen to stop the machine in some sections? The solution in the wet pad can leave a big wet spot if you stop without "spinning" out the driver to dry it out.

5. Were you careful to avoid over-applying the detergent? You just want to apply enough juice to lightly whiten the surface. A common problem for newbies to encap is to apply too much juice, or to apply it unevenly. Uneven detergent usage will definitely cause a blotchy appearance.

Those are a few factors that may be contributing to your less than stellar results. Making smooth, even, overlapping passes, and being careful to control the amount of solution applied will help you to achieve the most consistent results. It takes a little practice at first, but once you've got the hang of it - the encap process becomes very second nature.

I hope this gives you some food for thought.

If I or my staff can assist you in any way let me know. You can PM me or shoot me an email.