NEED TO KNOW - UNLESS OF COURSE YOU'VE JOINED THE RECHARGEABLE REVOLUTION
Hearing aid batteries are the little things that fuel your hearing aids and keep them working.Without batteries we would need to plug your hearing aids into a power source now that would be awkward!
They need to have plenty of power and be of good quality for your hearing aids to work correctly.
The smallest of the hearing aid battery family. Generally found in the small invisible hearing aids that go in your ear. Also because its the smallest it has the shortest battery life.
This is the type of battery that can be found mostly in behind the ear hearing aids. Very common to see this battery in NHS hearing aids. The NHS audiology department in castle street Hamilton tend to fit this type with the Oticon hearing instruments that are dispensed here.
312 batteries are the most common hearing aid battery in the private hearing aid market. Generally these batteries will last a week or slightly longer.
The 675 blue batteries are reserved for super power hearing aids. These are quite big hearing aids with very powerful receivers so they need the most powerful fuel source.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HEARING AID BATTERIES
HEARING INSTRUMENT BATTERY LIFE:
I bumped into a customer of mine in Motherwell. They told me how much they loved their hearing aids but they felt the battery was draining really quickly. This is a common complaint. This particular patient was getting 7 days from a battery over 14 days with their NHS hearing aid battery. I explained that one reason was the battery is smaller on this new hearing aid as it is an invisible hearing aid and much smaller than the NHS hearing aid.The other reason was that the client was streaming their music through their hearing aids from their iPhone. All of this takes its toll on a hearing aid battery.
SO WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT?
Size does matter
It depends on the size of your hearing aid for a start. The smaller the hearing aid the smaller the battery the shorter the battery life.The power consumption
If you have a small hearing aid but a big hearing loss then the hearing aid battery will draw more power to operate. Again this will reduce battery life.Streaming
If you have on of the fancy new hearing aids like the Oticon OPN1 or the Phonak Marvel and you stream TV or your phone to your hearing aids then again you will notice a quicker deterioration in life.Most people should expect a battery to last from 5 days minimum all the way up to 2 weeks for the very big hearing aid batteries.
7 Days is about the norm. Think of it this way. You have a little laptop computer in your ears working for 14 hours a day. How long would your laptop last before you needed to recharge it? Not seven days right?
Therefore it's astonishing that these little batteries in our hearing aids can drive these little invisible high tech hearing instruments in our ears for up to 7 days!
WHEN SHOULD I CHANGE MY HEARING AID BATTERIES?
As a rule of thumb use the following guidelines:1 | Your hearing aids sound weak and you have to turn the volume up more often than normal or you feel you need to turn the hearing instrument volume up regularly. |
2 | Most modern hearing aids have a beep that lets you know your battery is dying. They generally give you a 30 min to a 1 hour warning that the battery is about to die. If you hear the little beeps through your hearing aids change the batteries right away. |
PROTECTIVE SEALS:
Your hearing aid batteries work by oxygen mixing with zinc to give a power discharge which in turn powers your hearing aids. We only want this process to happen when we need to use the batteries for hearing. To stop them discharging we place a little seal on them. You may have noticed your hearing aid batteries have a colour on them when you take them out the pack.This colour just identifies the type of hearing aid battery you need. That little coloured sticker basically stops the zinc mixing with the air and discharging the battery. Only remove this sticker when you are ready to use the battery with your hearing aids. As we have said the minute you remove the sticker from the battery you will automatically begin to drain the battery as the zinc and air mix this will happen whether they are powering your hearing aid or not.
LET YOUR HEARING AID BATTERIES BREATHE:
As soon as you move the little tab give your hearing instrument battery time to activate. If you look closely you will see where you have removed the sticker that there is little holes. Give the oxygen time to mix with the zinc. One minute is fine. This has been known to prolong battery life.MAXIMISE THE LIFE OF YOUR HEARING AID BATTERIES:
As we have said. Once you remove that little tab your hearing aid batteries will begin to drain. Here are 3 things you can do to prolong the battery life.1 | If you are not wearing your hearing aid then turn it off. Make sure you open the battery drawer on the hearing aid right up. This lets the battery breathe and avoids corrosion. |
2 | If you won't be using the hearing aid for an extended period of time, take the battery out completely. You can store it in the protective case for your hearing aids. |
3 | Don't keep the hearing aids in either very cold places or very warm places. These extremes will definitely have a toll on your hearing aid batteries. |
HERE ARE SOME TOP TIPS:
✓ | Hearing aid batteries can lose power when you least expect it. Always carry a spare pair so you will never be caught out. |
✓ | Give your hands a wash before touching your hearing aids and batteries. Dirt and grease from your hands can damage the hearing aid. |
✓ | Keep your hearing instrument batteries away from things like coins, keys or any other metal objects that may come into contact with them. This can cause premature discharge. |
✓ | Always store your hearing aid batteries at room temperature. Extreme temperatures can have an adverse negative effect on both your hearing aids and your hearing aid batteries. |