About Hearing Aid Batteries
Posted by Living Sounds
Hearing aids have likely been a wonderful addition to your life. We marvel at the newest styles and technology, but tend to forget about one of the most important things that keep your hearing aids working: batteries.
Hearing aid batteries come in four different sizes 10, 312, 13 and 675 to suit the power requirements of various hearing aids. The size of the hearing aid, as well as the power or volume it requires, determines the size of the battery. With that in mind, a hearing aid battery can last from 3 days to 3 weeks.
The technology used in batteries is zinc-air. Once you pull the tab off the battery, it will become activated as air gets inside of the cell and it can take up to one minute for the battery to reach its full capacity. If you try and replace the tab once it has been removed, the battery will still drain slightly, even if it is not being used.
Most hearing aids have a warning to alert you when the battery is going to die, as batteries are designed to work at full power until they quit. Once you hear the alert, you may only have 5 minutes before the hearing aid will shut itself off, so it is a good idea to keep a couple spare batteries with you. Try to keep spare batteries in their package or in a specially designed battery holder. If you don’t have a holder, stop by any Living Sounds location and we would be happy to give you one free of charge. To avoid discharging batteries, we recommend keeping them away from credit cards or coins.
For batteries that are not taken along with you as spares, we recommend storing at room temperature and avoiding any hot or cold extremes. There is no need for refrigeration. As batteries can potentially be a choking hazard for small children or animals, they should be kept out of reach of little hands and paws.
Hearing aid batteries can be recycled at any eco-station. Although batteries no longer contain mercury, it is always a good idea to dispose of them safely. Feel free to bring your old batteries in to Living Sounds Hearing Centre and we can recycle them for you.
If you feel that your hearing aids or hearing aid batteries haven’t been performing well, or just feel it is time for a hearing check-up, please book an appointment at one of our Edmonton and area locations and we will be happy to assist you on the road to better hearing.
