Integral Carpet Underlayment Water Extraction System and Method

Abstract

A system of built-in, closely spaced passageways or piping containing numerous, small, closely-spaced holes, provided as an integral or separate part of the underlayment in a typical wall-to-wall carpet flooring installation. The piping network includes a manifold and access port which can be quickly and conveniently connected, from above or below the floor, to a typical motorized water pump or vacuum device, for the purpose of suctioning and drying large quantities of standing water, caused by accidental flooding for example, from within the carpet without the need for costly emergency professional services and equipment as is the norm today. The pump could be connected either from above or below the carpet floor as desired for convenience. The system can be provided at the time of new carpet installations or as a retrofit kit for existing installations and is scalable to any size of floor area in homes or buildings.

1 . A series of flexible or rigid feeder pipes, passageways, tubing or similar conduits containing numerous, small, radially and longitudinally-spaced entrance holes, said tubing connecting to a manifold and single or multiple access/suction port(s), said port(s) placed above or below the carpet and floor, said tubing integral with and evenly and closely spaced within or under a carpet, carpet underlayment or carpet padding or similar floor coverings, and said tubing provided as an integral part of the carpet or underlayment or similar floor covering manufacturing process. 
     
     
         2 . An assembled array of discrete flexible or rigid feeder pipes, passageways, tubing or similar conduits containing numerous, small, radially and longitudinally-spaced entrance holes, said tubing connecting to a manifold and single or multiple access/suction port(s), said port(s) placed above the carpet, or below the carpet and thus through the floor, and said tubing separately constructed from the carpet or underlayment designed as a kit for retrofit of said tubing to be closely and evenly spaced under any pre-existing installations of a carpet, carpet underlayment or similar floor coverings. 
     
     
         3 . A method of cleaning installed carpets by removing shampoo and water and drying the carpet by suctioning through a series of flexible or rigid feeder pipes, passageways, tubing or similar conduits containing numerous, radially and longitudinally spaced small entrance holes, said tubing connecting to a manifold and single or multiple access/suction port(s), said port(s) placed above the carpet, or below the carpet and thus through the floor, said tubing integral with and evenly and closely spaced within or under a carpet, carpet underlayment or carpet padding or similar floor coverings, and said tubing provided as an integral part of the carpet or underlayment or similar floor covering manufacturing process.