A little while ago, an epic rant from the co-founder of Liberty Bottle Works went viral. You can see stories about it here and here. Now, I like a company that puts their employees family time above the “Me Generation”‘s whiny entitlement, and I thought I could use a new water bottle, so I ordered one.
It arrived a few days ago, and it’s really nice bottle. But the valve that lets air into the bottle when you suck on it makes a funny little squeaking sound. So I wrote to the company, making it clear that I wasn’t complaining, just asking if they had any strategies to mitigate the noise. The response I got has a formatting change in the middle that makes me think this is a semi-canned response, but it’s still pretty awesome:
First off thank you for your support, it really means a lot to us.
I am sorry for the noise you are getting from the straw, here are a few tips to try and help that:
Regarding the cap. We have found that a few caps (when fresh off the line) may make a signature “Liberty” noise. There has been some debate as to which spirit animal this noise is indicative of. Some folks believe it to be the illusive “purr” of the Sasquatch, however for more practical reasons we believe it to be more closely related to the majestic dolphin (who knows what sound a Tuna makes). Albeit, as cute as it is, I agree that the call of the majestic dolphin should be reserved for the ocean as it can be a little disruptive in class, at the office, the gym, or during ones morning Yoga. FYI, Sasquatches are really into Yoga.Although the most likely cause of this unique audible phenomenon is rare and unintended, it is however by design. The noise may be due to our precision molding along with the strategic placement of the umbrella “flutter” valve as well as the assembly process of our sport caps, each individually built by hand. On the underside of your cap, you’ll see a flat rubber upside down “umbrella” that is about 1cm wide. When using the bottle in “sippa” mode via the spout, air must go through the umbrella valve into the bottle to replace the volume of water leaving the otherwise sealed container. The passage of air through the umbrella valve in association with the inherent back pressure of fluid may cause the tightly placed (hand installed) umbrella valve to flutter and vibrate thus creating the majestic acoustic sounds of the dolphin.
> How can I make it stop?
So, what can be done? First I would try opening the cap and running warm water (please be careful) directly onto both sides of the umbrella valve. Then, while the rubber is softened, use your finger on the top of the opened cap to push the little rubber “bead” (that holds the umbrella valve in place) down through the cap. What we are trying to do is create just the slightest amount of space between the underside of the molded cap and the rubber umbrella valve. That should do the trick. Replace the cap and test to see if we’ve set the dolphin free.In most of these cases the sound will also go away once the valve relaxes with normal use. However, if your dolphin is stubborn and refuses to swim off into the ocean blue, I’ll be happy to send you a replacement cap of your choice at no charge. After all, we stand behind or products 100%.
Thank you for your support and for the opportunity to provide you with a better product, made by friends right here in Washington State.
If there are any other questions I can answer please let me know!
Thanks,
Denise Fischer
Customer Service Manager
I must say, I love these guys. If you’re in the market for a metal water bottle, you could do a lot worse.