Battery Life and Hearing Aids

There is nothing more frustrating than hearing that familiar beep in the ear indicating that your hearing aid battery is about to die. It's even more frustrating when you realize you don't have any spares! As a hearing aid user, we are sure you understand the problem.

Still, there are two things you can do when it comes to your hearing aid.

• Be sure you always have spares, just in case!
• Find ways to prolong the life of your battery.

By following the two steps above, frustration will become a thing of the past, and you will be able to enjoy the freedom that hearing aids can offer you.

Let's take a closer look at hearing aid batteries and what you can do to prolong their life.

What are hearing aid batteries?

Unlike the alkaline and lithium batteries you would use in everyday life for such items as your TV remotes, hearing aid batteries incorporate zinc-air technology. 

They come in four sizes.

• Size 10: Often referred to as PR70 batteries
• Size 13: Often referred to as PR48 batteries
• Size 312: Often referred to as PR41 batteries
• Size 675: Often referred to as PR 44 batteries

The color-coded tab on each will help you identify the type of battery that your hearing aid uses; size 10 has a yellow tab, size 13 has an orange tab, size 312 has a brown tab and size 675 has a blue tab.

It's important to tell you about the sizes of the batteries that your hearing aid uses, as smaller size batteries won't last as long as the larger varieties. On average, smaller batteries last around three to four days, while larger batteries can last around 22 days. Your audiologist will advise you on the batteries that your hearing aid uses.

How can you prolong the battery life?

You can preserve the life of your battery, so in some cases, you might have the opportunity to benefit from your hearing aid batteries for longer than the estimated time we gave you above.

Here are some suggestions you might find useful.

Don't remove the tab from your battery until you are ready to use it: This is because hearing aid batteries require oxygen from the air to activate them. As soon as they are activated, they start losing energy. So, hold fire until you know your current battery is about to fizzle out. Only then should you take a new battery from the sealed pack and pull the tab off ready for use. And on this note, when you do release your new battery, give it a minute to air-up before inserting it, as it might appear defective otherwise.

Remember to turn off your hearing aid when you don't need it: This is obvious, we know, but the longer you use your hearing aid, the more energy it will use. So, if there are times in the day when you don't feel it necessary to have your hearing aid on, preserve the life of your battery by turning your device off. 

Store your unused hearing aid batteries properly: Your batteries need to be stored in a cool, dry place, as moisture and extreme temperatures can shorten their life span. The packaging on the batteries will give you further instructions, so be sure to read what is said carefully.

Check the sell-by-date: Your batteries will start to deteriorate, even when unopened. For this reason, it is better to only buy what you need rather than buying in bulk, as you would only be wasting your money if the batteries you bought far exceeded their sell-by-date. Check the packaging on the batteries you already have in your possession, and prioritize those batteries that are nearer to their sell-by-date.

Other factors related to battery life

The size and the freshness of your batteries are only two factors related to your battery life. Other factors include:

The severity of your hearing loss: The more severe, the more power your hearing aid will require, so this naturally affects the life of your battery.

Your hearing aid device: Those of you with advanced hearing aids will experience a shorter life span in your batteries. This is because features such as noise-cancellation, Bluetooth connectivity and wireless streaming will sap the energy from your battery. 

Noisy environments: The noise level won't sap your batteries energy, but because you will need to raise the volume of your hearing aid to cope with the environment you are in, you will consequently start to drain the battery.

Here at Rocky Mountain Hearing & Balance, our team of audiologists can give you further advice when it comes to your hearing aids and batteries, so give us a call at (801) 685-3456 for professional support.