[neil 47]

when i,ve been cleaning carpets i sent the temp to 80c on 90 % of carpets.
Some I do lower for obvious reasons.
What temps do you all use most of the time .
I find it cleans better the higher the temp on most carpets

       Neil
           ps I do bleed  test + burns test

[paulchambers]

Would you wash your woolley jumper in hot water, and i believe hot on latex backing not a good idea. But i stand to be corrected   Paul

[Dynafoam]

Neil,

It is true that increasing the temperature of almost any solvent will increase the speed at which a solute is taken into solution and the total amount of solute that the solvent can accommodate.

It is also true that excessive temperature can cause structural damage to carpets and their fibres. With extraction cleaning we can often exceed to some degree the temperatures that could be used for immersion cleaning because much of the heat is quickly removed by the extraction process.

I have seen many carpets that have been cleaned to a high degree of soil removal but have suffered permanent damage, such as pile-burst, in the process.

If the in-tank temperature is 80^oC the water will loose some heat in the journey to the wand, the amount being dependant on factors such as hose length and construction, flow rate, ambient temperature etc. Further heat will be lost on the journey from jet to carpet. The amount lost here is dependant mainly on droplet size and distance travelled. The heat lost with a single-jet un-enclosed wand will typically be the greatest and the enclosed four-six jet wand will be at the other end of the scale.

With a portable machine fitted with a 100psi Flowjet pump, working at a distance of 25-50 feet and with a typical two-jet wand, the 80^oc tank temperature would typically translate to a cleaning temperature somewhere in the region of 65 -70^o.

To know your cleaning temperature you need to measure at carpet level.

John.

[Ken Wainwright]

I'm working from memory. Many, many years ago, I read one of Eric Browns books. I think it was The Fundamentals of Carpet Maintenance. I believe that he stated that his research supported everything that John has written above. But I also seem to recall that his research found that even if the water did hit a wool yarn at elevated temperatures, the exceedingly short time that the condition existed did not have any noticeable effect on the performance of the wool.

Going on from John's comments on pile burst, this is a well reported and documented phenomenon. It will happen with cooler water, but with the added heat being a catalyst, and especially at pressure, pile burst is, I feel, more likely to happen. This could happen with any heat set yarn, regardless of fibre or fibre blend. It is also of a more frequent occurence than in the past due to, I feel, that many carpets are now made down to a price instead of up to a standard. It is expensive to produce heat, so..........

Safe and happy cleaning:)
Ken

[Dynafoam]

To add a little to my and Kens comments above, I have experienced streaky pile-burst when using a low-profile 4-jet wand at low temperature and less than 200psi.

Changing to a 2-jet wand at the same pressure and even at a higher temperature did not cause this damage.

John.

[paulchambers]

So if you cause pile burst do you pay for the damage caused

[Dynafoam]

Paul,

Oh Yes - If you're found out