'Crackling' Rope

Just wanted to get others opinion on my rope.

I bought a Beal rope a few years ago and have never had any issues with it - actually have really liked it. However, towards the end of the fall season last year it started to maker crackling noises when the center ink mark passed through any belay device. NOT exactly confidence inspiring. I contacted the North America distributor for Beal who stated that it was 'just the paint' and the sheath-core interface and not to worry.

I'm still a little hesitant to use the rope. Any thoughts?

PS - for those of you on the REI post, if I had bought the rope there, I could take it back, no questions asked. Will buy my next rope from REI or bc.com for that reason.

It's probably just static discharge. That mark uses a dye removed of trace elements so it won't degrade the polymer.

Go through your rope bending and feeling the core; that's a better indicator as well what you know as a history with using it.

Any chance just posting a video with sound of what you have?

I had a Beal Edlinger that did the exact same thing. It definitely wasn't static. It made a horrible crackling sounds when it passed through an ATC (only the 12" or so inches right at the center mark). The first time i heard it it really scared the hell out of me. I really liked the rope and was more than happy to get 4 seasons out of it, so i chopped 10' out of the middle. I'm still not sure what caused it the weird sound near the middle mark, but i wasn't comfortable using it in that condition. let us know if you find out anything more on this.

I had the stinger, and it was a super squeaky rope. Couple of partners have had the same experience. Dont think its dangerous, but it sure as hell is annoying, and a little disconcerting. I did retire it withing 6 months of it starting to squeak due to wear. Think its pretty common with Beal. Just my 2 cents

wargowsky wrote:I had a Beal Edlinger that did the exact same thing. It definitely wasn't static. It made a horrible crackling sounds when it passed through an ATC (only the 12" or so inches right at the center mark). The first time i heard it it really scared the hell out of me. I really liked the rope and was more than happy to get 4 seasons out of it, so i chopped 10' out of the middle. I'm still not sure what caused it the weird sound near the middle mark, but i wasn't comfortable using it in that condition. let us know if you find out anything more on this.

Jason N. wrote: How does one cut 10' out of just the middle?

yeah, unfortunately i've got a couple 95' ropes now. don't really use them much, just the occasional short climb. we've got some crags with 30-40' climbs near where i live. they work for that, but not much else.

Here's the sound it makes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1rAbeIsnCU

Ask the manufacturer. They have to be aware of it and will have an answer. If it is early retirement, ask for a deal from them on a replacement.

I have the same rope (Beal 10,2 dry) and the same issue. Definitely not confidence inspiring... especially when rapping in the dark. That section is also a lot stiffer than the rest of the rope. If you talk with Beal, I'd love to hear what their take on it is. Thx.

WAIT - 'rapping in the dark' - its a feature that lets you know where the middle mark it without having to look!

I had the exact same problem with my last Beal Rope. I received two emails back from Beal also saying that it was just a result of the ink they use to mark the middle and it does not pose a safety issue. They said it was a common complaint as well, and it was not an issue that could be warrantied. I do not really understand why they keep using the same ink knowing it makes this happen,it really is a scary sound to hear while climbing.

WTF?
Sounds like crampon teeth being raked across some ice.
Are you sure you weren't inadvertently scraping crampon teeth across ice while moving yer rope? Look around, and make sure your crampon teeth are not scraping any ice while you tweak yer rope like that.
I'm positive that noise is from crampon teeth scraping across ice.
Positive.
Remove yer crampon teeth from the ice and try it again.

Oh, and throw away that damn rope. . . the noise is too bizarre.

That's really strange. I'd like to know what Beal has to say about that.

I get the same noise from my rope, but only when I visit really dry areas like Nevada or Utah. Back here in the humid Midwest it's quiet as a sleeping baby when I rap or belay.

wonder if some diluted fabric softener might do the trick

Thought I would add the response that I finally got from Beal. Actually sounds reasonable and I think is reassuring. Still a little nervous . . .

"The Rope Marker has been extensively tested, by Beal for sure, but also by many manufacturers. On the bottle you can see the list of those manufacturers. It never weakens the rope.
If you use an excess of ink, there are 3 consequences:
- It will take time to dry and even will not dry completely. Then you will get some ink on your fingers during the first use.
- The section of rope becomes very stiff. It will soften on use pretty quickly.
- When drying, the excess of ink turns into powder in the core of the rope. When bending the rope, the friction between the powder and the fibers makes a creeky noise. It lasts as long as the excess has not disappeared.

So don't be afraid: your rope has not suffered from any damage due to the Rope Marker.

Best regards"

I watched the youtube video, My eyes opened, my jaw dropped, and I was like WTF....

I would demand a new rope! I don't care how safe it is.

Have you tried to wash your rope with some rope wash yet?

Matt N wrote:WAIT - 'rapping in the dark' - its a feature that lets you know where the middle mark it without having to look!

Can't believe I'd missed this thread until now. I had exactly the same issue (with exactly the same rope, even down to the color). I'd really liked Beal to that point (and to the point where two sets of Ice Lines both experienced severe sheath slip but that's another story), but pretty much retired the rope once it started doing that. Good to know that (maybe?) it's actually OK.