How to Extend Your Hearing Aid Battery Life

How long is the average hearing aid battery life? Hearing aids enable us to hear the world around us—and most importantly, they enable us to hear our friends and family again. Hearing aids provide many benefits for those with hearing loss, which is why it’s important to keep your hearing aids working properly and for as long as possible. 

Like many other devices, hearing aids run on batteries, including many that use replaceable batteries. There are benefits to battery hearing aids, and extending your hearing aid’s battery life is one of the main ways you can get the most out of them. Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to get the most out of your batteries.

What you should know about hearing aid batteries

Most hearing aids use standard zinc-air batteries. The way zinc-air batteries work is different from normal batteries. Zinc-air batteries start working after they have been exposed to oxygen (air) and once activated they are continuously “running”.

Why this matters

When you purchase hearing aid batteries, you will notice there are plastic tabs covering the bottom half of the battery. This tab prevents the battery from draining before it’s used—however, once the tab is removed the battery becomes activated by being exposed to oxygen. The battery cannot be deactivated by reattaching the plastic tab, so don’t remove the plastic tab carelessly. Once the tab has been removed you must use it, or the battery will be wasted.

Types of hearing aid batteries

Hearing aid batteries cannot be labeled as “one size fits all”. Different devices use different battery sizes. There are four commonly used hearing aid battery sizes, namely: 10, 312, 13, and 675.

To make the batteries easier to find, the packaging is color-coded.

Size 10 batteries: Yellow

Size 312 batteries: Brown

Size 13 batteries: Orange

Size 675 batteries: Blue

Standard hearing aid batteries have a lifespan of between 6 to 14 days. This is highly dependent on the length of hearing aid use per day, whether the devices are switched off when not in use, the size of the hearing aid battery as well as the degree of loss. With this in mind, there are ways to get the most out of your batteries and extend their lifespan.

Improving hearing aid battery life

Hearing aid technology is becoming more advanced daily which means that at times the battery life becomes slightly unpredictable. Your device’s battery lifespan depends on the amount of time that you use your hearing aid and if you take adequate care of it. There are a few other things you can do to increase the battery life of your hearing aid.

Purchase quality batteries

Always purchase new batteries from reputable stores, such as your nearest pharmacy or from your hearing health practitioner. Make sure the packaging has not been tampered with and that all the batteries still have their plastic tabs attached to them. Remember to check the expiry date on the packet of batteries before making a purchase.

Wash your hands

Most people associate handwashing with germs, but it also helps to minimize the amount of natural oil on your hands, which could affect your batteries. When oil/grease comes into contact with the hearing aid battery it may cause the power to drain faster than usual.

Don’t remove the tab until it’s time to replace

As explained above – do not remove the plastic tab from the hearing battery until you are ready to use it. Removing the tab will expose the battery to oxygen and cause it to start working. Once the tab has been removed, replacing the tab will be ineffective.

Implement a “breathing period” for your batteries

Let the battery “breathe” for about one to five minutes after removing the plastic tab before you place it (‘+’ – side up) into the battery door. This allows the battery to activate optimally and can increase the battery life by a couple of days.

Turn your hearing aid off when you’re not using it

Just like many other battery-powered devices, turning your hearing aids off when not in use will improve the lifespan of your batteries. 

This includes overnight—when you’re sleeping, remove the batteries from your hearing aid, and place your hearing aid in the dehumidifier you received when you were fitted with your devices. Leave the battery door open to make sure that the dehumidifier,  dehumidifying tablets, or sachets remove all excess moisture from the device. It is important that all excess moisture is removed to prevent the batteries from corroding.

Store the batteries at room temperature

Hearing aid batteries should be stored in a dry, air-tight container and kept at room temperature. Storing your batteries at too high or too low of a temperature can lead to issues like condensation, which will decrease the lifespan.

Adopting the above recommendations as lifestyle habits may help you save money on hearing aid batteries over time and will be beneficial to the overall functioning, and long-term maintenance, of your hearing aids.

Hearing aid battery troubleshooting

If you’re still having issues with your hearing aid batteries, such as a new battery not working entirely, try the following:

• Make sure you have removed the plastic tab from the battery and that you have placed it in the battery door with the ‘+’-side up.
• Make sure that the battery is making contact with the battery door. Inspect the battery for any damage that may be causing an incomplete circuit for the power flow.
• You may have not allowed ample time for the battery to “breathe” after you removed the tab. Wait between one to seven minutes for it to “power up” fully.
• If you replace the battery, the above issues are resolved, and your hearing aid is still not working, consider contacting your hearing health professional or a Lexie hearing expert for further troubleshooting and advice.

Hearing aid battery disposal

Once your battery is no longer working make sure you place it far away from your unused batteries. Zinc-air batteries are non-hazardous waste. It would, however, be in your best interest to find out where your local collecting points for used batteries are – to make sure they can be recycled and/or disposed of properly. This would typically be at a supermarket exit point or at your local drugstore.

Get the most out of your hearing aids

When it comes to your hearing aid battery life, adopting these tips as lifestyle habits may help you save money on hearing aid batteries over time and will be beneficial to the overall functioning, and long-term maintenance, of your hearing aids.

For more information on Lexie’s hearing solutions, check out our Lexie hearing aids, and contact one of our Lexie Experts today to learn more.