Regulator Noise/Problem?

[spicedparrot]

I just bought and Oceanic Delta III DX4 and was able to try it out in the pool for the first time yesterday...

Sounds good, right? Well, here is my question:

1) When out of the water, when free-flowing the reg, or breathing in a fairly high pitched "whine" can be heard from the first stage. However, underwater there aren't any bubbles of any sort coming from the first stage.

Is this a problem?? Is it normal?? This is a much higher performing reg than my previous Dacor Fury ADJ so I'm not sure?

Also underwater I can occasionally here the same "whine" but it seems to be coming from the 2nd stage. Although only when the adjustment knob is all the way open.

Anyway, any advice is appreciated!

THANKS!

 

[kjunheart]

I am not an expert and generally know nothing about regulators or have any mechanical abilities what so ever...but, I had the same problem recently. I purchased a new reg & after about 10 dives I started hearing a high pitched whine. I unfortunately took the word of someone at the store where I purchased it (oh, it is o.k. - it just needs an adjustment but you don't have to worry about it on your dive tomorrow...just bring it in the following day and we will send it out). Needless to say I had to borrow a reg (thank you Walter) for my dives that day.

Long story short, it ended up being an o-ring that was pinched when the hose was threaded & with the pressure of each dive, eventually gave. Of course, I was pretty upset about having problems only 2 months after purchasing my reg. But, a fellow diver explained that just because the reg is new to me, it could have sat in a warehouse for a year & just needed to be serviced. Given what happened to me, I would take it in asap.

Better to be safe than stuck at the dock!

Good luck!

 

[chrispete]

Another possibility is that the whine is the sound of air moving through the first stage. I've never listened to an Oceanic up close and personal, but I know that the sound first stages make varies - for instance, my sets make a distinct sound that I can hear above and below water while a set of Atomics that I recently dove had a raspy, metallic sound to them.

However, I would have your reg set checked out by a tech just to make sure.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Have it checked but some regs (mostly piston regs it seems) make noises like that. If a reg or any structure vibrates (from air moving throug or whatever) at the right frequency you can get a pretty good hum.

 

[TheDarknessLord]

any regulator, expensive or not, they don't have to make any sound, just bubbles... check your reg asap, and remember to check your octopus too!!

 

[Diver0001]

spicedparrot once bubbled...
I just bought and Oceanic Delta III DX4 and was able to try it out in the pool for the first time yesterday...

Sounds good, right? Well, here is my question:

1) When out of the water, when free-flowing the reg, or breathing in a fairly high pitched "whine" can be heard from the first stage. However, underwater there aren't any bubbles of any sort coming from the first stage.

Is this a problem?? Is it normal?? This is a much higher performing reg than my previous Dacor Fury ADJ so I'm not sure?

Also underwater I can occasionally here the same "whine" but it seems to be coming from the 2nd stage. Although only when the adjustment knob is all the way open.

Anyway, any advice is appreciated!

THANKS!

This whine/whistle can indicate that "something" (and that something is often the HP seat) isn't quite right. I've never had your type of reg apart but there's a chance that the HP seat is not entirely symmetrical and has been installed upside down.... something long those lines. In any case I'd say that if it's new there's a good chance that it wasn't assembled correctly. Get it looked at.

R..

edit: What MikeFerrara said is also true. In that case you definitely need to get it looked at because this shouldn't be happening to a new reg.

R..

 

[spicedparrot]

Thanks for all the info...

I took it in to the LDS and they noticed the whine, but the tech called today and can't find anything wrong with it. The Reg was a gift, and i did find out that it was bought from ...you know who...so, they said it might just be dry inside, in which case in need of a full service.

Alas...well...my girlfriend is a non-diver and, afterall...it is the thought that counts!