Regs that bleat, squeak and squawk?

[northernone]

I've come across various regs that will make regular sounds every breath. Others they begin to talk when the tank is 500psi. Some only complain at surface.

A dive buddy with a squeaky reg is easy to find underwater. Otherwise, I've not found any significance

Why are they noisy and does it matter?

 

[RainPilot]

Some of mine squeak on the surface. It's the exhaust valve fluttering, like a balloon when you make it squeak.

Once underwater mine are pretty quiet, I guess the water damping will depend on the type of rubber the exhaust valve is made of.

Doesn't matter to me at all

 

[Storker]

With at least seven mils of neoprene against my ears, I won't claim to be able to hear anything underwater, but I believe that all the regs I've used have been pretty quiet underwater. My current Apeks xtx100 set sometimes bleats topside, though.

 

[TMHeimer]

Some of mine squeak on the surface. It's the exhaust valve fluttering, like a balloon when you make it squeak.

Once underwater mine are pretty quiet, I guess the water damping will depend on the type of rubber the exhaust valve is made of.

Doesn't matter to me at all

Same here. After submerging the flutter goes away and doesn't return for the second dive at any point. It's been doing that 12 years.

 

[dberry]

One of the regulators on a tank in my lab "honks" really loudly when set to deliver within a specific range of pressures. Annoys the heck out of anyone in the lab. We've always just chalked it up to hitting some resonant frequency of the diaphragm. One of my scuba regs honks sometimes on the surface, but never under water.

 

[fmerkel]

Some pistons will squeak if not lubed properly or the support rings are worn. Had that issue with my wife's MK20.

 

[Marie13]

My AL Legend LX Supreme has honked from day one. DRIS reg guy looked it over for me a second time and it's fine.

Sounds like a goose that's been stomped. Sometimes startles people when I'm breathing on my reg to make sure everything is fine when assembling my gear. I'm just used to it.

ETA: this is my second stage. Only happens out of the water.

 

[kelemvor]

I've got a scubapro "honker" first stage. MK7 I think? I believe it was designed to alert you to a low gas condition. It's a reg from before the days when everyone had an SPG I guess - not that I was diving back then.

 

[TrimixToo]

One of my tire-filling first stages (well, what *else* do you do with ponies once you convert to doubles?) honks when the tank is low. No clue whether that's normal. I've never had it under water!

 

[ColoDale]

First or second stage?

I had an Oceanic first stage that after servicing squealed like truck brakes and when after taking a breath, it sounded like a bell. It was the high pressure seat. The first stage was diaphram. All this was very annoying but it was not the way it was supposed to be done/serviced.

My current Atomic second which I can adjust honks on the surface but goes away with depth. I have it tuned for really easy cracking pressure and easy breathing. I can adjust it on the surface to make it stop honking but don't. No noise from first stage.