Encapped 5k sf of apartment hallways last night with 15" cimex and fiber pads I had to cut myself. The pads were flying apart from the start and we had to vacuum after we cleaned to pick up all the pieces. I used the same method today on some apartments and had no problems. Did I just get a bad pad, or is something else going on?

Chris,

It isn't very likely that one pad in a batch is fine and another is bad. In reality, it is fairly hard to produce a defective pad. In the manufacturing process, the fiber gets mixed with the latex and binder materials and is then baked in an oven. It is then rolled out of the oven and cut into pads. The chance of randomly producing a totally crappy pad is not too likely. It's more likely that something in the cleaning environment is bringing on the variable you observed. Things like coarser carpet fiber, a plugged solution duct on your Cimex, snagging the pad on something in the carpet, etc. - would most likely be the culprit. These are some of the things I would suspect might be causing the strange condition you saw with that pad.






Rick Gelinas
rick@excellent-supply.com

Why did you have to cut the pads yourself? Maybe if you did not buy Rick's pads that is the problem. I don't know just a thought.

Another thought is all that stuff Rick said.

Kevin Pearson

That is a 15" machine. Rick does not sell pads for this machine, hence, you must cut out or a 17" pad. Also the 15" machine works at 680 rpms. A lot more friction on the pads.